Hoarder cleanup is a mammoth task and not everyone has the patience to do it. It’s easier to call a professional hoarder cleanup service and make them do it for you. But if you are concerned about the hoarder cleanup cost, and decide to do it yourself, we have some tips for you. You will find these tips valuable when you start doing the task.
Understand What Caused It
Before you start cleaning, you should know and understand what caused it. Compulsive hoarding is most often a disorder. And it is characterized by keeping loads of items at home that may be unnecessary. According to ADDA, hoarding may be present as itself or as a disorder in a person. We say you need to understand this because dealing with a disorder’s result can be mentally and physically draining. It can also be dangerous. So, you need to be prepared before you start working.
Understand That Asking for Help Is an Option
Even if you decide to do the task yourself, you should understand that asking for professional help is always an option. We suggest you don’t put excessive pressure on yourself that you have to do the task no matter what. Hoarder cleanup is not like cleaning any other junk. It requires you to be prepared for a lot of things and you will need a lot of time and energy to properly finish the job. Asking for help is not a bad thing, in fact, it might be a really good idea to actually do it.
Make Yourself Safe
Safety comes first no matter what kind of task you’re performing and it’s more so when it comes to hoarder cleanup. It’s hard to know what you will find in that huge pile so it’s better to be safe. You may be exposed to biohazards e.g. Hantavirus, E. Coli, Staph, etc. To be safe, we suggest you use a face mask, a pair of goggles, a pair of disposable gloves, sturdy shoes, hard hat, and of course, a coverall suit. Also, don’t forget to keep a fire extinguisher, a flashlight, a bug spray, and a first aid kit nearby.
Get Necessary Tools and Divide the Items into Categories
You need to make sure you have all the tools you will need, e.g. trash bags, shovel, broom, vacuum cleaner, buckets and mops, etc. When you start cleaning, you should make separate piles for the items. Keep the items that are salvageable on one pile and the unsalvageable on the other. You will find plenty of salvageable items and you should probably keep them. Although it depends solely on you.
A Thorough Cleanup
After you’re done clearing up space, you need to give a thorough cleaning to the room. Keep scrubbing until you get the stains out and use anti-bacterial to make sure that the room is bacteria-free.
Conclusion
Hoarder cleanup is not an easy task. But if you see the hoarder cleanup cost besides carpet removal cost and think it’s hard, and decide to do that yourself, you should keep our tips in mind.