Do you have a loved one who accumulates excessive amounts of random items that they can’t seem to throw away? Has their home or living area gradually become overwhelmed with piles of junk? If so, they may be experiencing hoarding disorder. This mental health disorder, which affects millions of individuals, is characterized by an incessant need to store and keep items that, to most, don’t hold any significant value. This could include old magazines and newspapers, toys, clothes, or any other type of item.
In this blog, we take a closer look at this psychological disorder and how it impacts more than just the hoarder themselves. We then walk you through hoarding cleanup, a specialized service offered by technical cleaning companies that can help you remedy the dangerous living conditions created by hoarding.
Valor Technical Cleaning is your premier technical cleaning company. Our highly-trained experts specialize in a variety of technical cleaning services, such as crime scene cleanup, biohazard remediation, suicide cleanup, and hoarding cleanup. At Valor, we understand the level of focus, care, and technical proficiency required to perform this work. This is the core value of why we approach each and every task with the highest level of professionalism and empathy.
What is Hoarding?
Hoarding refers to more than collecting junk you don’t want to throw out. It’s a psychological condition that can drastically affect your life and the lives of those around you. According to the American Psychiatric Association, hoarding disorder is characterized by a “persistent difficulty parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save the items.” When someone attempts to separate the hoarder from their possessions, it can cause severe panic, anxiety, and emotional distress.
What Causes Hoarding?
Like most psychological conditions, there is no single source of hoarding disorder. However, there are various risk factors that have been linked to a high number of hoarding cases. One or more of these factors may increase someone’s potential for developing a hoarding disorder.
Hoarding disorder may be caused by:
· A traumatic life event.
· Being related to someone with hoarding disorder.
· Serious brain injury.
· Mental health disorders, such as depression or OCD.
· Excessive buying habits.
Is Hoarding Dangerous?
Hoarding may not seem like a big issue. Sure, hoarding excess items in your home can take up space and make your home less appealing, but is it dangerous?
Hoarding disorder can become a dangerous condition for various reasons. First, there’s the potential for physical danger. If, for example, someone is hoarding old newspapers or magazines, this could become a potential fire hazard. Additionally, hoarding over time can cause damage to a property, making it unsafe to inhabit.
In addition to the physical hoarding dangers, there are also social and emotional consequences associated with hoarding. Someone who is hoarding may begin to feel isolated, depressed, and ashamed by their actions. This can cause them to withdraw from friends and family, furthering their depression or anxiety. Someone who is hoarding may no longer be able to invite people to their homes, and as a result, lose valuable relationships in the process.
What is Hoarding Cleanup?
Hoarding cleanup provides professional assistance to clear away the clutter and excess items from a space. Following a thorough decontamination process, these professionals can return the space to its original and safe condition. Technical cleaning teams understand the precarious nature of these jobs, which is why they treat their clients with compassion and respect. By operating from unmarked vehicles, they also respect the privacy of everyone involved.
Not only will they clear away the excess items, they’ll also completely sanitize the entire affected area. They can also clean away biohazardous materials, such as animal droppings, that may have accumulated over time. They also specialize in hazardous waste removal and disposal and odor removal. (can you buy modafinil online legally)
One unique aspect of hoarding cleanup is that not every item necessarily needs to be thrown away. These professionals will work closely with you to determine what should be saved. They can then sort, protect, and sanitize these items for you, making the hoarding cleanup process as painless as possible.
Why Should You Call a Hoarding Cleanup Service?
At first, it may seem like you can handle hoarding cleanup by yourself. However, we recommend that you never attempt to tackle a large-scale hoarding cleanup on your own. Not only is hoarding cleanup labor and time intensive, but it can also pose various health risks.
When you begin working your way through mountains of miscellaneous items, you may soon find yourself in over your head. Depending on the size of the space, hoarding cleanup can take days to complete. Technical cleaning teams have the tools and experience to ensure the space is completely sanitized and decontaminated—especially important when you consider how many health threats may be invisible to the naked eye.
Technical cleaning companies also use the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep you and their employees safe. Chances are, most of us don’t have spare PPE laying around. With hoarding cleanup, you may encounter animal droppings, bodily fluids, hazardous waste, or other biohazardous materials. You should never attempt to clean up and dispose of these materials on your own.
What are Other Technical Cleaning Services?
Hoarding cleanup is just one service within the technical cleaning industry. In fact, technical cleaning companies assist with a wide range of cleaning situations and emergencies. If a cleaning job is too technical or dangerous for a traditional cleaning company, there’s a good chance it can be handled by a professional technical cleaning firm.
What are some of the other technical cleaning services?
1. Unattended death cleanup.
2. Crime scene cleanup.
3. Biohazard remediation.
4. Decomposition.
5. Suicide cleanup.
6. Homicide cleanup.
7. Emergency board up.
Conclusion – What is Hoarding Cleanup?
Hoarding is a psychological disorder that can dramatically impact the life of the hoarder, in addition to their friends, family, and neighbors. Left unrecognized, hoarding often gets worse. Over time, someone may accumulate so much that it turns into a safety hazard.
If you’re in a situation where you need to clean up from a hoarding incident, remember that you’re not alone. Call on professional technical cleaning services to safely and efficiently clean up the mess created by hoarding. No matter the size, amount, or type of items, these professionals can clear and clean the space to return it to a safe condition.
Valor Technical Cleaning is here for all your technical cleaning needs. We’re proud to be a veteran-owned and operated company providing technical cleaning for the most severe circumstances. In addition to hoarding cleanup, we also offer professional assistance in unattended death cleanup, blood spill cleanup, crime scene cleanup, biohazard remediation, and more. Our professional cleaners will take on your job with the compassion and care it deserves while providing the technical expertise to get the job done right. If an emergency occurs on your home or property, remember that you are not alone. Valor is just a call away.
Contact the professionals at Valor Technical Cleaning if you’re in need. We’re available 24/7, and in most cases, can schedule your technical cleaning appointment immediately. Let our team of trained cleaning experts help ease your emotional burden and restore your space to a clean and safe environment.
