How To Help A Hoarder: Junk Removal Tips

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Massachusetts, up to 5% of the world’s population are hoarders. Could you be one too? Hoarding simply means keeping things that are practically irrelevant to you or any other person. It is a psychological disorder that can turn your home into a giant den of clutter and junk. We have four words for you: get help from professionals! You need a professional junk removal service, and Jiffy Junk is the right plug for you.

There are ways to help a hoarding situation, and we are going to talk about them here but let’s understand what hoarding is.

What is Hoarding?

Psychological experts categorize hoarding as a disorder. It is by the tendency to keep or hold on to items with sentimental value, even if those items are entirely worthless or unnecessary. Hoarder keeps things and endures considerable distress and anxiety when told to get rid of those things.

The result of hoarding is a cluttered and messy space. There are severe cases where the space looks like a dump and becomes non-functional due to clutter.

If you or any of your loved ones have a hoarding problem, here are ways to help the situation.

Junk Removal Tips To Help A Hoarder

Talk Less and Listen More

When dealing with a hoarding situation as a family or friend, it’s best to take a supportive stance. Judging them or being too forceful could ruin your chances of help. You have to understand that this is a mental issue and must be treated with care.

The items have sentimental value to their owners. They have a reason for wanting to keep every single item, reasonable or not. So it is disturbing when you ask them to get rid of these items.

If they are already getting therapy, it makes it easier to talk them into the next steps. However, you should talk less and listen more. Let them understand that you’re not there to judge but to help and support.

If you are a hoarder, you should get a supportive friend or loved one to listen and push you into doing what is right.

Set Clear and Achievable Goals

Before drawing a plan, it’s best to help the homeowner and the people who live with them set goals for the exercise. What should their spaces look like? How would it impact comfort and hygiene when it’s done? How soon should you begin, and when should you be done?

Asking questions like these questions would help the hoarder be clear on their goals. Where to begin, when to begin, expected results, and the overall impact on their lives and loved ones.

Draw Up An Execution Plan

Decluttering and sorting is no easy task, especially in a hoarding situation. You would need a clear-cut plan to begin the sorting, decluttering, and junk removal. Leave that last part to us. We are in it together.

The first part of the planning is to lay down guidelines for the sorting exercise. What determines where each item goes? Help the hoarder lay them out while listening and gently urging.

Remember that they need to know they’re in charge of the whole process. Do not make them feel cornered by making the decisions for them. Urge and gently push but let them ultimately decide.

Start From Known to Unknown

Depending on the severity of the situation, it may not be the easiest thing to delve right into a sorting exercise. The best way to begin is to pick out things that are trash or junk.

You could start by picking out the damaged items and toss them immediately. However, you should urge the hoarder gently to avoid causing them too much anxiety.

Sort, Sort, Toss

After you’ve picked out the apparent trash, it’s time, to begin with, the main event. Get large boxes or bags and tag them. There should be a garbage bag close by too. Tag the bags KEEP, SELL, DONATE, and TRASH. If friends and family are assisting, you should tell them the guidelines for sorting. They should know things like, “Keep any electronic device that still runs and toss all newspapers dated after three months.”Relevance should take precedence in deciding what to keep and what to toss.

Make the Progress Measurable

Start from one corner in one room until you’re done. Decluttering room by room ensures that no one is overwhelmed, especially the owner. It also helps to keep track of the progress. It’s easier to say, “and we’re done with the bedroom, let’s take a break and move on to the kitchen.” This way, you all gradually working in alignment with the set goals until you achieve them.

Call a Junk Removal Company

There’s no way you’re leaving all that trash in the trash can or your garage. You would need capable hands to help with the last part of this process. If there’s heavy stuff to haul, it makes more sense to call for help. Say hello to a junk removal company and bye-bye to massive garbage and junk. Jiffy Junk is one phone call away.

And Finally, Encourage The Hoarder to Seek Help

Even after you’ve successfully decluttered the space, what’s to say it won’t go back to being cluttered? The cleanup and decluttering are only temporary fixes if the internal problem is not fixed. At this point, the person with the hoarding problem should seek help if they haven’t.

They need to learn to let go of things and need to declutter constantly, and a junk removal company at your disposal helps the journey of decluttering. At least, you do not have to worry about hauling all that junk.