What happens when you can’t let go? Many have trouble when it comes to getting rid of their belongings. It’s mainly due to the sentimental value, but in some cases, it can represent much more. Some people can take this to the extreme. They can keep receipts, useless items, greeting cards, and much more for many years. This is called hoarding disorder. What to do about hoarding? Keep on reading to find out.
Hoarding can show itself in many different forms. From piles of boxes or books to bags full of garbage. We understand that dealing with a hoarder is not the easiest. However, getting a fresh start in a clean and tidy home is a good first step. Many trusted cleaning companies offer cleaning services that include decluttering services. Also, you can benefit from the customized plans offered by a staff of cleaning specialists who are aware of the hoarding disorder.
The Reason Why People Hoard
It has been reported that 2% to 6% of adults have hoarding disorder. This tends to be hereditary, however, science has not yet identified a gene that causes hoarding. The tendency to accumulate is supposed to be more noticeable in women. But, as we have already mentioned, science has not yet proven these facts.
There are several reasons for this hoarding disorder. It can range from the relationship with the object, the emotional attachment, or what the object represents for the person. For example, that feeling that causes you some souvenir of your first trip, or perhaps a mechanical piece of your first car. Sometimes we go to the point of putting aside tidiness in order to accumulate meaningful things. It creates a sense of need and concern for those objects. Maybe from a perspective of losing memories or that the experience will disappear if that object disappears. Some people also tend to increase the value of things that for others could be something disposable or trash. Such is the case of old nails and broken shoelaces or even fallen teeth.
The Dangers Of Hoarding
The piles of items collected by the hoarders will eventually get dust all over them. This could potentially lead to respiratory issues and allergies. Likewise, these piles of items can prevent you from moving around freely, which can cause you to fall, trip, or even worse. Clutter can also lead to other health risks like fire hazards and rodent or bugs infestations.
Hoarding mostly affects the hoarder emotionally, but it can affect family members and friends as well. It’s usually up to the family members to finally speak up and ask for help on behalf of their loved ones. It’s key to keep in mind that there’s still a lot of stigma around this disorder.
In order to maintain a clean and tidy home, you can consider hiring housekeeping services. You can benefit from many services included like disposing of rubbish, cleaning dirty surfaces, dusting, and vacuuming.
Help For Hoarders
The cleanup process can be too much for the hoarders. Therefore, it’s important that everyone is aware that the cleanup process is going to take a long time. Plus, it would be great to get a psych consult as well so that the cleaning process hurts less for the hoarder. A therapist would be able to help the hoarder improve their organization skills and problem-solving skills.
Some Tips For You
Even if you don’t suffer from hoarding disorder, everyone could learn a lot from these organizational tips. You can always simplify the cleaning process and call it a day after spending one hour getting all organized and cleaned. Ask yourself simple questions like if you really need this, what do you need it for and how often do you use it. This will help you distinguish between what you think you need and what you actually need.
Have you already done your cleaning or do you need help? Don’t forget that you have Marianna’s cleaning professionals at your service to help. If you would like to get a free estimate from our trusted cleaning company in Los Angeles, you can contact Marianna’s Cleaning.
And don’t forget to leave a comment on your thoughts about what to do about hoarding.
