There seems to be an interest in the subject of hoarding. It’s become a term for most any one with a messy house. Hoarding is actually where you keep everything. It accumulates so eventually it takes over the house. Hoarders can actually be very meticulous about the way things are organized. Most eventually get overwhelmed so the house goes into disrepair.
We assume going in that there is a method to the madness. Most people who accumulate a lot of stuff have a degree of reasoning. They have a mental process for everything. I’ve asked for things that the person of the house knew exactly where it was. We are talking about true hoarders. Being messy is something different.
What we get a lot is a family member who calls, or the land lord is coming, or in some cases a social worker is visiting. In other cases people call us at some one else’s insistence, or some one is insisting on visiting. In these cases there may be some resentment, but the point is that some outside influence is driving the call for help.
We try to figure out the patterns. We take out garbage first, clear as much space as possible, then start sorting. I start in the kitchen sink, because we need water. Some times, or many times we move things from one side of the room to the other. Moving stuff causes a lot of anxiety, so we clean, and put back.
If we are allowed to come back on more than just a one time cleaning we can get a rhythm. We had one person almost completely organized. She took over, and called us occasionally. Her daughter also helps, so it’s kind of a friends, and family thing.
