Hoarder Cleanup

6/9/2021 (Permalink)

Hoarder Cleanup

According to The Mayo Clinic, “Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of actual value, occurs.”

Hoarded items are often things that other people would throw away or consider junk or garbage. Old newspapers, junk mail, packaging, and food containers are some examples, but there are many others. Most people suffering from hoarding disorder do not consider their habits to be an issue.

Hoarding can lead to homes to be filled to full capacity from years of accumulation, there may be pathways that are small and narrow with items packed to the ceiling. Bug, fleas, rats and other vermin can be present, which would also cause an exterminator to be called. Sometimes the hoarding may spread to the yard and storage facilities.

SERVPRO of Franklin County has encountered hoarding situations in several different ways.

Often, we are called for a fire or water loss and find the hoarding situation when they arrive on-site. Our technicians’ will communicate with the insurance company regarding their content’s coverage, and after approval, contents can be packed out and possibly cleaned, dried, and stored by SERVPRO of Franklin County or relocated to a storage facility so work on the fire or water loss can begin.

Another way we encounter hoarding jobs is through calls from landlords, case workers, real estate agents, or family members, often after the death of a loved one. In these situations, the crew will see if they should look for any items of importance while they clean the job. Sometimes family members will come and try to help the hoarder sort through their contents as well.

Each case is very different, and hoarding jobs are often sensitive situations, but SERVPRO of Franklin County is here to help make it “Like it never even happened.” If you encounter a hoarding situation, call SERVPRO of Franklin County today.