There isn’t just one reason a person might hoard. The severe and complicated mental disorder called hoarding disorder can negatively impact the hoarder and their loved ones. If you get rid of a couple of things, they will do everything to acquire new ones since the distress of parting with them is too great to bear. In extreme cases, a hoarder’s residence might be too unsafe for an untrained person to enter and clean.

Risks of DIY Hoarding Cleanup

There may be a lot of work involved in cleaning the area due to the effort required and the possible health risks caused by collecting many objects in a small room. Therefore, you need to consult a professional company instead of attempting a DIY hoarding cleanup. The risks of handling hoarding cleanup by yourself are listed below.

1. Pests and Rodents

Decomposing materials and decaying foods may also lure various pests and rodents into your home. Animal waste and rotting food attract rats, cockroaches, flies, and other pests. In this case, a professional cleaning company needs to do a fumigation task. These pests and rodents are biological agents that spread ailment to the animals and people that reside in these contaminated areas.

2. Physical Injury Exposure

Aside from being exposed to health dangers, hoarding cleanup puts you in danger of physical injury. When trying to declutter and clean, you risk injury from falling objects in the house’s unsteady piles. Moving heavy things on your own is also dangerous, so you need to seek the help of property restoration specialists with hoarding cleanup experience.

3. Labor-Intensive Exercise

Hoarding cleanup is a difficult task that requires a tactical strategy. In addition to repairing a damaged home, this difficult task entails handling huge stacks of garbage, decluttering, and disinfecting the entire home. You should hire a reputable hoarding cleanup company if you want quick outcomes. The task can take a long time, depending on the severity of the hoarding.

4. Harmful Environment

A hoarder’s property has poor air quality. If you inhale this polluted air for a long time, you might get respiratory problems, including allergies. You need to employ a reputable cleaning company to deal with it. In addition, if you encounter any biohazardous materials while cleaning the house, you have no legal authority to deal with and get rid of the materials, requiring the demand to work with professionals.

5. Biohazard Contamination

Hoarding cleanup can result in severe health problems. In this environment, dust and debris accumulate fast and in massive amounts, making it a perfect breeding ground for dangerous bacteria. Hoarding cleanup includes different biohazards, such as live and dead animals, feces, urine, and other body fluids. Exposure to these atmospheres and the pathogens they may harbor, such as germs and fungi, can be fatal without proper protection.

6. Cleaning Equipment and Providers

As previously mentioned, hoarding cleanup is a time-consuming and challenging task. You will need different specialized cleaning tools and supplies to complete the task. Examples include cleaners/disinfectants, trash bags, empty boxes, step ladders, vacuums, sponges/cleaning cloths/wipes, gloves, buckets, mops, and shovels. An expert cleaning company might only provide some of this equipment and tools.

7. Mold Development

Not enough ventilation and airflow in the house create the best setting for mold growth. The buildup of things inside your house also prevents water damage detection. Extensive mold growth results from water seepage, which also threatens the protection of the home’s occupants and its capability to remain standing. Mold remediation is a task for the professional; this is one more factor you should only engage in hoarding cleanup with others.

8. Strained Relationships

Attempting to clean up a hoarding condition by yourself can cause strained relationships with the hoarder. Hoarders are at ease in an environment with stacks of things, and trying to clean up the area may lead to misunderstandings between you and them.

Professional hoarding cleanup services collaborate with therapists to prepare the hoarder for the cleanup. If you plan to clean the hoarder’s space, you need to seek the assistance of expert hoarding cleaners. To learn more about hoarding cleanup, you can read more.