Hoarding is defined as the excessive acquisition of possessions (and failure to use or discard them), even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary. Most commonly hoarded items are newspapers, magazines, food containers, cups, and sometimes animals. Typically the hoarding designation is assigned once this need to acquire things interferes with regular daily routines, causes a safety or fire hazard, or becomes unsanitary. There is evidence to suggest that hoarding is a manifestation of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Cleaning a project like this is much more challenging than most because the individual responsible for hoarding has a mental block that won’t allow disposal of the items that they have hoarded. Ideally a family member or close friend can act as liaison between ServiceMaster and the customer, helping to make decisions about what is disposed of or salvaged. We can provide a complete solution to the problem by taking care of bulk debris removal, structural cleaning, disinfection, and cleaning all remaining content items.