moving into a cluttered house

How to help a hoarder move into a new house?

If you have a hoarder in your family or among your friends, you know already how difficult it is to tackle this problem.

Even though moving seems like the perfect time to tackle a compulsive hoarding problem, manage the hoarder and waste requires tact, sensitivity and the organizational skills of an army general.

But if you do things right, you can show this person the way to a new life free of collecting habits compulsive.

This step-by-step guide explains how to help a hoarder move into a new home with minimal stress and difficulty.

What Challenges Do Hoarders Face when moving?

Most people who hoard things are isolationists and generally don't let people into their homes. The thought of movers coming to pack and empty the property can cause enormous anxiety and stress.

The “keep and throw away” process can be overwhelming. There is also the fear of being judged. With our team, we are here to help you follow these seven steps.

7 steps to help a hoarder move

1. Start by understanding the syndrome

To help a hoarder move successfully, you must first see the world through their eyes. Time spent  understanding compulsive hoarding is time well spent and helps chart a path forward.

Compulsive hoarding differs from collecting; it is a mental health disorder that varies in severity and type. Trying to understand how your friend or loved one is feeling informs decision-making, reduces anxiety, and helps create a practical plan.

Hoarders can't just pull themselves together or throw away their stuff. This approach will only increase anxiety and resistance.

2. Are you the right person for this job?

Dealing with a hoarder can be incredibly frustrating: you'll need considerable patience and positivity.

If you don't think you can cope alone, ask a friend to help you. A more distant person might be better able to help than another family member, but make sure your hoarder feels comfortable letting them into your home.

Support a Hoarding can be psychologically draining, so if you're the main event, make sure you have someone to help you, even if it's far from the hoarder's home.

3. Identify the hoarder type of syndrome it is.

If you have studied the phenomenon of hoarding syndrome at all you will have already learned that there are many forms. Here are the main classifications:

• Pet Hoarders – “Noah Syndrome” Pet hoarding usually comes from a feeling of love, but too many pets leads to often health issues and neglect.
• Compulsive Collectors – 'The Hoarding Syndrome' This can manifest itself in certain items like shoes – or around acquiring new things.
• Compulsive Buyers – “The Hoarding Syndrome” May overlap with Compulsive Hoarders and can lead to serious debt.
• Food Hoarders – “The Diogenes Syndrome” Easy to spot: just open the fridge! But be careful, food hoarders also hide food in unusual places where it cannot be detected.
• Information Hoarders – “The Hoarding Syndrome” Newspapers are a classic sign, but this type of accumulation also includes purchase receipts, invoices and letters.
• Mail Hoarders – “The Hoarding Syndrome”   Less of a problem these days, but can include packaging materials and old greeting cards.
• Random Hoarders – “The Hoarding Syndrome of Diogenes » These are accumulators that keep everything so as not to fall into a specific category – these houses are the most difficult to empty.
• Waste accumulators – “Diogenes syndrome” This phenomenon is also called hoarding and can lead to serious health consequences.
• Hoarding Syndrome – This is a serious illness that leads the hoarder to live in poor conditions and neglect self-care. Most cases are associated with mental health issues – this is the extreme version. People with Diogenes' disease usually need professional medical help.

4. Develop a moving strategy

It is essential to develop a practical and effective strategy  to move. clear out one property and move to another. This will be a daunting task! However, this plan must also be acceptable to the hoarder and not cause them undue distress.

Spare the hoarder the details of the actual logistics. He will probably only care about what happens to his belongings for fear of throwing away essential items. Too much information will overwhelm him.

Most importantly, your moving strategy must harmoniously combine the practical and psychological elements.

5. Evaluate the accommodation

Come on Do you clean one room at a time or work on different categories of objects? Knowing what you are dealing with is essential to developing a solid plan.

Check if all parts of the house are accessible; some may be blocked by clutter.

Are there health or fire hazards?

List different groups of items, such as recycling , mail or food. Come up with a plan for the hoarder and work with him to achieve an outcome.

All items should be sorted for saving, recycling, donating to charity, or throwing them in the trash. This can be easier said than done: a hoarder can have a hard time getting rid of an item.

Need help with a Diogenes Syndrome cleanse in the area?| ||154

Notre équipe peut vous aider avec vos besoins de nettoyage de maison encombrée et sale dans la région.

• Over 10 years of experience working with accumulators
• Entreprise avec une équipe local
• Sensitive and discreet approach
• Complete moving, sorting and deep cleaning service
• Donation and recycling of all items in good condition

6. Essential ground rules

Every plan needs ground rules. These are the essential elements of the framework, and they will help you stay on track when the going gets tough.

First, write down your plan. Check it regularly to track your progress, especially when things get tough and the hoarder finds the process too difficult.

Start early. This will not be a quick process; rushing will only make your collector more anxious.

Agree with your collector that only one  decisioncan be made on each item – it can't go back and change his mind. Procrastinating equals indecision, and the longer it goes on, the further you move away from a final decision.

Associate the items to be kept with a valuable function. This avoids the accumulation of useless goods that are put aside. This particular pile should be kept to a minimum!

Set goals. This may involve cleaning one room at a time, or even part of a room.

Let the hoarder decide for himself what to throw away and what to keep. It is essential that he decides.

It can be easy to intervene, especially if the process takes a long time. Ask questions like “What will you do with this?” or “Why do you need this?” » can help hoarders draw their own conclusions.

Set a budget. Moving is expensive, and the more things to move, the more it will cost. Budget restriction is a useful tool in the control arsenal.

Items in the discard pile should be bagged and removed immediately to avoid any last minute change of mind.|| |198

7. Techniques utiles

There is a lot of information online about compulsive hoarding and how to help people who suffer from it. Make some notes as you study the situation, as this will help you when it comes time to clear out the house.

One tip is to allow a collector to take photos of what they are going to throw away. Another tip is to recycle an item.

Sometimes saying goodbye is easier if the collector knows the item will go to a good home where it will be loved and appreciated with a new lease of life.|| |208

Organisez tous les objets qui seront amenés dans la nouvelle maison, afin de savoir exactement où ils iront et comment ils seront stockés ou utilisés. C’est une occasion en or d’éviter de reproduire le désordre à l’autre bout du déménagement.

Know when to seek professional help

Help a hoarder to moving is not for the faint of heart.

Not only will you have to deal with the huge mountain of mess, but also the psychological support the hoarder needs to complete his task. Expert help could make all the difference.

Calling a professional accumulator cleaning service – like our fellow cleaners and removers – allows you to focus all your attention on the accumulator rather than having to manage it  and  clean it all up.

However, sometimes, even with practical help, the task is beyond the team member's abilities. family or the most devoted friend.

Holding on everything syndrome is a mental illness linked to various health problems such as OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), depression and anxiety, which 'a traumatic life event can trigger.

There are cases where only properly trained healthcare professionals can intervene.

Sometimes the level of skill, patience and compassion required is beyond the capabilities of an emotionally connected family member. Professional mental health help can begin the process and family members can get involved later.

A qualified and experienced therapist can support and facilitate the process, helping your hoarder overcome their distress .

If you think this is a bit much and your hoarder is reluctant to have a stranger get involved, there is plenty of help and resources available in the community.|| |232

Elle peut soutenir l’accumulateur  and help you to help her. Social and medical services also offer ongoing advice to try to prevent the new home from becoming a mirror image of the old.

Need clearance and cleaning services for collectors in your area ? We can help you!