MARYLAND AND DELAWARE'S EXPERTS IN HOARDING AND CLUTTER CLEANUP SERVICES.

Do you know someone who is a hoarder?

Or perhaps you think you may be suffering from hoarding?

So what is hoarding exactly?

Holding onto a couple of boxes of your college textbooks or your prom dress?

Not quite.

 

Hoarding is an actual disorder that involves huge difficulty when it comes to parting with possessions. Even if these items or goods have little physical or sentimental value to the average Joe, hoarders will form quite a strong attachment to these seemingly ‘useless’ objects and find it extremely difficult to part with them. This is why a telltale sign of a hoarder is when a home is filled floor to ceiling with things such as old magazines, newspapers, boxes, tin foods, till slips, and empty bottles.

 

Not many people realize the health and safety hazards that go hand-in-hand with hoarding. Extreme weather conditions often result in an overload on a home’s electrical system, with fans and HVAC units being plugged into multiple outlets throughout the house. Of course, this can be even more dangerous in a hoarded or over-cluttered environment, where appliances such as heaters and toasters are placed too close to flammable objects and materials. These unsafe practices are fire hazards and therefore extremely dangerous.

 

On top of creating a fire hazard, filling rooms with piles and piles of items can mean that these areas become impossible to keep clean. Hoarding and excessive clutter can often result in these areas becoming a breeding ground for rodents and insects, making them rife with animal feces and waste. This extreme filth and waste can also bring with it bacteria that should be treated and disposed of as biohazard waste. 

 

How To Recognize the 5 Levels Of Hoarding:

 

• Hoarding Level 1: The first level of hoarding is the least severe with only a few signs present. The residence of a level 1 hoarder may include: Light amounts of clutter and no noticeable odors. All of the home’s doors and stairways are accessible. The lack of clutter might hide the condition, but the individual may still have difficulty throwing things away and shop excessively for seemingly random objects.

 

• Hoarding Level 2: This level of hoarding involves additional clutter around the residence, with the start of narrowing pathways (due to excess stuff) beginning throughout the home. There may also be an inclining of mildew in the bathroom or the kitchen. There may also be pet waste, pet odor, and evidence of rodent infestation.

 

• Hoarding Level 3: Hoarders at this level might have visible clutter outside of the home, including items that are usually indoors such as sofas and TVs. Pet feces and urine is throughout the residence and there is evidence of rodents, fleas, and spiders. There may also be overflowing garbage bins and excessive dust throughout the home. 

 

• Hoarding Level 4: At this level, properties may have noticeable mold and mildew as well as severe odors that linger. The hoarder may have a number of pets, and as a result, there are multiple areas of old animal waste. Plus, all of the homes' available surfaces are cluttered with piles of dirty dishes, used utensils, and rotting food.

 

• Hoarding Level 5: The most severe level of hoarding, which includes many of the above-mentioned issues as well as structural damage to the residence, broken walls, no electricity, blocked sewage pipes, no running water, fire hazards, and an infestation of rodents and other pests.

 

Steri-Clean® Maryland / Delaware offers professional hoarding and clutter cleanup services where we will go through the entire contents of a home including the garage or shed. The team also understands that this is a sensitive situation and will work carefully and compassionately to separate valuable and sentimental items from all the clutter. Steri-Clean® Maryland / Delaware will then remove and dispose of all unwanted items properly and remove animal waste, pest waste, and insects. 

 

The Hoarding And Clutter Cleanup Process
 

While each situation is different, our Hoarding and Clutter Cleanup Process will always include the following steps: 

• On-site evaluation

• Trash and rubbish clean outs 

• Animal feces/urine cleanup

• Search & possible recovery of paperwork, collectibles, electronics, and valuables

• Packaging and storage of personal belongings

• Deep cleaning after the home is decluttered is available at an additional cost

 

Call Steri-Clean® Maryland / Delaware Today For Expert Hoarding And Clutter Cleanup Services 

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We can also refer counseling to those who are suffering from this condition, these trained therapists can help talk things through with the hoarder, as well as their nearest and dearest. 

If you are a hoarder or have a friend or family member who suffers from this condition in the Maryland and Delaware vicinity, it is important to get professional help as soon as possible

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RESTORING HOMES AND LIVES®

EXTREME CLEANING SERVICES WHEN YOU NEED THEM MOST®

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Call Steri-Clean® Maryland / Delaware Today!

1-888-577-7206 

Our call center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.