When people think of hoarding, they often imagine a person who’s a little too sentimental. This person grows attached to their belongings and cannot throw them out.
In reality, hoarding is a much more serious issue. It’s a mental condition that affects roughly 2.6% of American adults. The figure becomes a little higher among the senior citizen demographic.
Hoarding can drastically affect your lifestyle and damage your health. It can also cause problems for your household.
That’s why a hoarding cleanup service can be so beneficial. This service can help you eliminate the excess belongings that accumulated in your home. This process is often the first step to treating hoarding disorder.
However, you may be unsure about whether you need hoarding cleaning services. If so, check out this guide! We’ll explore seven signs that indicate you should hire a hoarding cleaning company.
1. Your Social Life Begins to Suffer
Many mental disorders have comorbid relationships with each other. This term means that one disorder often causes others to develop with them.
Hoarding disorder often causes social isolation to develop. So ask yourself, when was the last time you invited somebody to come over? How often do you go out to see friends or family members?
You may object that you’re a natural introvert. Maybe so, but has your social life declined as your hoard increased? If so, this issue probably goes beyond temperament.
When hoarding impacts your social life, it’s time to hire cleaning services. After all, the last thing you want is to push away the people that love you.
2. Do You Struggle To Let Go of Belongings?
Another indicator of hoarding disorder is how easily you can let go of possessions. Of course, most people have treasured possessions and heirlooms they’d hate to give up. However, hoarders struggle to get rid of any item, regardless of its condition.
Why does this happen? Hoarding disorder often causes people to become indecisive. They may realize they need to get rid of some items, but they don’t know where to start.
If this indecisiveness affects you, a professional cleaning service is essential. These services can help you eliminate unnecessary items from your house.
3. Is Your Household’s Health Worsening?
Hoarding can sometimes cause health problems to develop in your household. Some items cause mold and toxins to grow throughout your house.
Mold can produce several health issues, ranging from mild to severe problems. Some common symptoms include:
- coughing
- sneezing
- scaly skin
- itchy eyes, nose, or throat
- nasal congestion
- postnasal drip
Hoarding could be a cause of these issues. Unfortunately, hoarders often struggle to identify where these substances grow.
Hoarding cleanup services can begin to remove your possessions and identify where your mold problem is. A hoarding cleanout can be the first step to improving your physical and mental health.
4. Your House No Longer Has Enough Room
Do you notice your living space has become increasingly smaller? Just a few years ago, your Watertown home had plenty of room. Now, you can barely get around the house.
This sign is often one of the most recognizable hoarding symptoms. It demonstrates that your house has become overrun by your possessions, indicating a hoarding problem.
As mentioned before, hoarders may recognize this problem. However, they often have too much indecisiveness to begin clearing their home. A cleaning company can assist with this problem.
Although cleaning companies can help you eliminate your hoard, it’s best to seek additional help. Professional therapists can train you to build better habits to keep from hoarding.
5. Has Your Building’s Safety Become Threatened?
Another sign to call a professional is when your building’s safety becomes endangered. Hoarding items can cause several structural problems in your home.
First, as mentioned before, it can cause mold to grow. When this substance spreads, it weakens the structure of your house.
However, other problems can also develop because of hoarding. Some items may cause leaks, allowing moisture to build on your floors and walls. This moisture also weakens the structure and could cause holes to develop.
Hoarding can also lead to infestations, especially if you hoard food items. These conditions lead to an unsanitary home, which is practically an invitation for cockroaches and other bugs to take residence with you.
Finally, too many items stored in your attic or apartment could cause strain due to excess weight. This weight could cause your ceiling or floor to weaken or partially collapse.
6. Risks To Children and Animals
Hoarding doesn’t only cause problems for the hoarder. Instead, it can also affect the safety of your dependents and pets.
Unhygienic conditions can lead to the spread of disease in your home, making it dangerous for children. It can also lead to fire safety issues that could endanger their lives.
Keeping pets in an unhealthy environment can also cause problems. Their health could become negatively affected due to a lack of healthy food or exercise.
These problems could cause you to lose custody of your children or pets. Moreover, they can also include criminal charges, fines, and even imprisonment.
7. Have You Received Warnings From Landlords or Public Health Officials?
Finally, hoarding can open you to risks of homelessness. Hoarding can violate lease agreements with your landlord. They can evict you from the property if they realize you’ve reneged on these conditions.
You’re not off the hook as a homeowner, either. Eventually, your neighbors or family members may alert public health officials about your hoarding. If so, the Department of Public Health can condemn your house.
Find the Hoarding Cleanup Options You Need
It’s not easy to admit you have a hoarding cleanup problem. However, these seven considerations leave little room for doubt. It’s best to clean your house if you deal with one or more of these symptoms.
Fortunately, our Watertown cleanup services can assist you! We’ve helped houses across Dodge and Jefferson counties recover from several disasters. These disasters range from drug cleanups to hoarding cleanouts.
So, don’t let your problem worsen! Get a quote from us today.
