The Six Steps to OCD and Hoarding Home Clean Up
Hoarding can affect every part of a person’s life, and so can the debilitating condition of OCD. Often the two can collide. In this article, we will tell readers how OCD and Hoarding can go together and help loved ones we know with hoarder home clean up.
Just Rubbish Removal is a compassionate company specializing in junk removal for anyone who needs help removing the clutter in their homes and offices.
What is OCD?
You may not have known anyone who genuinely has OCD, but only 1% of the population has real OCD. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be defined in the following way.
According to Mayo Clinic, “obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.”
It is critical to note that this is not a choice but rather a disease.
Symptoms of OCD may include any range or variation of the following:
- Fear of germs contamination or dirt, including shaking hands and things others have touched.
- Doubts that you have locked the door or turned off the stove.
- Needing things orderly and symmetrical, including forward-facing.
- Thoughts about losing control and harming yourself or others.
- Unwanted thoughts, including aggression, or sexual or religious subjects.
- The need for a schedule and specific routine.
There is a vast difference between being merely a perfectionist and OCD. It is an actual disorder that negatively affects your day-to-day life.
What is a Hoarder Home?
There may be a time when you are unsure if a home is classified as a hoarder home and/or is salvageable. That is okay. Here is what we, at Just Rubbish, have learned.
According to the definition is Wikipedia.org,
“Compulsive hoarding, also known as hoarding disorder, is a behavioral pattern characterized by excessive acquisition of and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment.”
This is a profoundly severe situation needing immediate remediation. You see, a hoarder impulse only worsens with time. Along with the accumulation of junk, goods, and trash come the following.
- Depression, Anxiety, and Despair
- Health Risks include allergy and lung disorders.
- Impaired Daily Functioning, including the inability to perform daily tasks.
- Decreased Movement Ability
- Economic Burden
- Impact on Family
- Impact to Neighbors
- Catastrophic Risks such as fire and inability to get out of the home.
For professional help with a hoarding individual, there are several resources available. Please know that this is not a choice but rather a disease for most hoarders. Contact the International OCD Foundation for help and support.
What Happens When OCD and Hoarding Collide?
You see, the OCD spectrum can include symptoms of hoarding disorder. When a person with OCD has negative feelings that take over their routines and obsessions, they may become unhealthily attached to things others perceive as worthless. It is often their way of combatting the obsessive thoughts to clean and keep things orderly. In fact, they go the complete opposite direction and essentially drive themselves crazy with the clutter and filth.
Then other times, they cannot clean for fear of touching the germs. And when you are thinking that out, remember their fears and compulsions are irrational. You will not be able to make sense of them as it makes sense in their brains.
No Matter the Issue, Contact Just Rubbish Removal
Discovering a family member has a problem with OCD or hoarding is a devastating realization. And the two together can indicate a real crisis. You want the best for that loved one, so a hoarder home cleanout is in order.
When the structure of a home is good, the house can be saved and even returned to its former glory. The hard-working friendly folks at Just Rubbish Junk Removal know just how to take care of that hoarder’s home cleanout and return it to a place the person with OCD can manage again.
When cleaning out a home, no matter how severe, wearing the proper gear, like face masks, gloves, disposable clothing, hair coverings, goggles, and shoe coverings, is critical to your health. Additionally, cleaners may want to take allergy medicines and even approach your general practitioner about having an antibiotic on standby.
Furthermore, if there are any dead animals to be removed, consider hiring a wildlife removal company. They have the proper equipment and tools to take care of removal and disposal in a safe way.
Six Steps to OCD and Hoarding Home Clean Up
Once you have convinced the individual to surrender the items or the home, there is a daunting task ahead. That is where a professional junk removal company will come in very handy. In the remainder of this article, we will focus on the steps to hoarder junk removal.
Once all the valuables have been removed, if any, you will want to start with a checklist. This process can get quite overwhelming. A list will help you focus on one place at a time.
Step One- Staging
Designate and set aside areas for items to keep and donate if there are any. Letting everything air out before you scrub it will help with the process.
Assuming you have already called, speak with the junk removal company to schedule a pick-up of the trash.
Finally, gather all cleaning supplies in one area for easy refills and removal.
Step Two- Begin
We recommend you begin with the bathroom if you can get to it. You see, you will want a place to get water and wash certain items, like mops and the like. Allow the junk removers to clear it all out, down to the fixtures. Then you can thoroughly clean them for the days ahead. In the end, you will either want to sanitize once more the fixtures, tub, sink, and walls or replace them.
Step Three- Removal
Focus on one area at a time. Have the junk removal company remove all that is trash and place the salvageable items in the appropriate staging area. Once everything is out of the room, you can begin the cleaning.
Oh, and don’t forget to mention the yard to the junk removal team. They can clear out all the hoarded junk in the yard as well.
Step Four- Cleaning
Will the house require the removal of flooring? Can the carpets be cleaned? Is any of the furniture able to be saved? These are the bulky items that the junk removal team is there to help with. Let them haul away the old carpeting, flooring, drywall, and furniture. That is why they are there.
Step Five- Remediation
Once all junk is removed and the home is sanitized, you may wish to paint or refloor the house. Another task at this time is to clean the bathrooms and kitchen again. You may want to remove any remnants of the old and start fresh with clean faucets, sinks, tubs, toilets, appliances, and cabinets.
Step Six- Item Sanitization
Now it is time to clean the items that were salvaged. If any fabrics go back in, we recommend taking them to a laundry mat and getting them all laundered at one time.
Additionally, soft surfaces, like sofas, beds, and chairs, will need a good cleaning. Machines are available at most home improvement stores for rent.
Kitchen items will need to be emptied out, cleaned, and polished. This includes cabinets, countertops, dishes, cutlery, and pots and pans.
Small kitchen appliances will need a thorough cleaning as well. Please make sure they still work, and the cords have not been chewed through by vermin.
Contact Professional Just Rubbish Junk Removal for Hoarder Home Clean Out
If you need a hoarder home cleanout, the Just Rubbish professionals are the team in New York to contact. We have been cleaning up New York for over ten years now. Our staff is fully licensed and trained to remove the clutter safely and efficiently.
We promise to be respectful and courteous. Our team has been trained and is prepared for just these instances. You can count on the professional handling of the event with just Rubbish Junk Removal.
Whether it’s a whole hoarded house or just one or two rooms, we have you covered. For the discrete Junk Removal, you need for a hoarder home clean out, contact Just Rubbish Junk Removal today.
