5 Reasons Not To Clean Up a Hoarding Situation Yourself

Are you left with the cleanup after a hoarder has passed away? This is a delicate, challenging time for any family member or home buyer. You may face many emotional and physical challenges. But should you tackle the cleanout yourself? The answer is usually no. Why? Learn five important reasons to let the professionals handle it.

1. Hoarded Stuff Is Sometimes Dangerous

The more things are hoarded inside a home and around the property, the more dangerous it becomes. Piles can collapse at any time. Dangerous mold and mildew has likely built up. The structure could even be unstable from neglect and inappropriate weight for many years. Simply diving in without the right training or tools may cause injury to anyone involved or damage the house further.

2. Hoarded Items Probably Has Hazardous Materials

After a while, hoarded belongings tend to turn into potentially hazardous materials. First, you may have actual hazardous materials in the mess—things like leaking bottles, household and residential chemicals, or even potentially explosive materials. In addition, the mess may have created more hazards like black mold. There may even be biohazards like fecal matter, blood, or deceased pests.

Are you prepared to properly clean up and dispose of whatever may be lurking underneath it all? Do you have appropriate personal protective equipment? The tools to keep everyone safe? Chances are, you are not prepared for it all. And you should not be expected to. Work with biohazard professionals who are.

3. Hoarded Items Take a Lot of Time To Clean Up

How much time and energy can you devote to this project? And it will be a project, have no doubt. Unfortunately, this is often not something you can rush through. Whether from safety issues or the need to sort items, it will likely take longer than expected for the average person—maybe days, weeks, or even months.

But you still have your life to attend to and, if you are an estate executor, the estate to manage. Outsource the work to ensure it is done as efficiently as possible. Speed benefits the estate, its heirs, and you as the busy executor. And of course, if you are a home buyer, you likely want to move on to the next chapter as soon as possible.

4. Hoarded Items Can Involve Emotional Investment

If you bought a home which had a hoarding problem, you may not feel any emotional attachment to the situation. However, if you inherited one or are handling a deceased person's estate, the emotional burden of this project can be overwhelming.

When this is the case, outside professionals take the burden off you and your loved ones. They can handle the heavy lifting and only involve you when you want or need to be involved. 

5. Hoarded Items Need Sorting

From the outside, it may seem like everything in a hoarded home should just be disposed of. But you may need to do more investigation and determine different ways to handle different things. For example, there may be important documents buried inside a deceased hoarder's stuff. Some items may actually be worth selling or donating. On the other hand, some things cannot simply be placed in the landfill.

Clearly, trying to DIY a hoarding cleanup can be dangerous and time-consuming. The best way to protect yourself while getting this job done is to work with the cleanup pros at Reset Decon.

With more than five years of experience handling all types of cleanout issues and ongoing training in the best methods, our team will make this challenge as stress-free as possible. Call today to make an appointment or get answers to your questions.