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How Can I Help My Loved One Suffering from Hoarding Disorder?

How Can I Help My Loved One Suffering from Hoarding Disorder?

Let Palm Springs Cleaning and Disinfecting Biohazard Cleanup, Hoarding Cleanup, and Janitorial Services Help You with Hoard Cleanup

When interacting with your family, member, friend, or loved one suffering from a hoarding disorder, the most important factor is respect. It is critical to be respectful even if you don’t see eye to eye with your loved one. Whether you hire a company like Palm Springs Cleaning and Disinfecting Biohazard Cleanup, Hoarding Cleanup, and Janitorial Services to help with hoarding cleanup or if you are cleaning it on your own, how you handle it will make a huge difference.

If you are facing a hoarding cleanup to help a family member or friend or after a loved one has passed, don’t face it alone. Call the professionals at Palm Springs Cleaning and Disinfecting Biohazard Cleanup, Hoarding Cleanup, and Janitorial Services for hoard cleaning you can count on, including the potential biohazard cleaning that most hoards include.

Contact Palm Springs Cleaning and Disinfecting Biohazard Cleanup, Hoarding Cleanup, and Janitorial Services in the Coachella Valley to schedule a hoarding cleanup today.

Tips for Interacting with Your Loved One During a Hoard Cleanup

If your family member or friend is showing signs of hoarding disorder or is well into a hoard already, how you interact with them will greatly affect their response to clean up. Use the tips below to speak with them and navigate a hoarding situation.

  • Use respectful language. Refrain from calling your loved one’s belongings trash, junk, or rubbish. Your disdain for the things they have held onto will show them that you do not understand their value in the belongings or the memories connected to it.
  • Listen to what they want. Let your loved one guide you to what they believe you can help with, giving them as much control over the situation and process as possible, within reason.
  • Do not pressure them. Avoid pressuring your loved one to let you into their space and take over. They will likely feel anxious about allowing someone to visit and even more about letting things go.
  • Be gentle. Remember, with any disorder or addiction, you cannot force someone to see your point of view and certainly can’t force someone to change. Do not be condescending or try to trick your loved one into making changes or “not hoarding.”
  • Focus on health and safety. Remind your loved one that it is important to clean pathways and remove items because of fire safety, earthquake safety, and emergency access for first responders.
  • Don’t make threats. Threats will make your loved one feel even more alone and less likely to reach out to you when they need someone or are ready to seek help.

Tips For Helping Clean and Clear Clutter During Hoard Cleanup

Once it is time to do the actual cleaning of a hoarding space, you can still use respect and love as your guide to help with the process. Use the following guidelines to help your family member or friend during the hoard-cleaning process.

  • Respect your loved one’s decisions. Although you may not understand why they keep things, they are valuable and meaningful to them, nonetheless. You cannot convince a hoarder that something is trash using disrespect.
  • Don’t take over their space. If you try to take over and discard items or move things without your loved one’s permission, they may shut down and refuse help with cleaning completely.
  • Set reasonable expectations. The first part of tackling a hoard (before professionals come to remove what can be thrown away and clean up the aftermath) is a long and ongoing process. The cleanup and the mental and emotional aspects of recovery will be ongoing, so create expectations and goals accordingly.
  • Celebrate small successes. Encourage, praise, and celebrate small amounts of progress. Remind your loved one to take things one step at a time and not feel anxious about what is to come but to see how much is already done.

Professional Hoarding Cleanup with Palm Springs Cleaning and Disinfecting Biohazard Cleanup, Hoarding Cleanup, and Janitorial Services

Cleaning up a home or space that has been the location of a hoard can be dangerous, difficult, and exhausting. There is a risk of biohazard exposure, as well as trip and fall hazards. Don’t put yourself or your loved one at risk by trying to clean a hoard alone.

The Coachella Valley professional hoard cleaners at Palm Springs Cleaning and Disinfecting Biohazard Cleanup, Hoarding Cleanup, and Janitorial Services can help your loved one get their life back, and help to provide a safe, sanitary space for hoarding disorder recovery.

Call Palm Springs Cleaning and Disinfecting Biohazard Cleanup, Hoarding Cleanup, and Janitorial Services today to learn how we can help.