Clutter / Hoarding / Squalor
• Clutter / Hoarding / Squalor: There are significant differences between these three. Everyone has extra stuff. No one is exempt from that! There are things we don't need or want, and will probably never use in our lifetime, yet we still hold on to them. When you allow those things to accumulate, it has a tendency to get out of control. This is especially true if the person has any type of mental or physical medical issues or other hindrance, such as financial problems, family issues, the loss of a loved one, etc.
You or your loved one can feel comfortable with us cleaning out your home. We are extremely compassionate, respectful, and understanding. We care about your dignity, and helping you get to the next level of healing by allowing you to live in a decluttered and clean environment. We do not judge you or your living conditions. We want to help you get back your freedom, self-respect, and life.
Clutter
1. Clutter is when there is a small to moderate accumulation of those extra items, and they may have gotten somewhat unorganized. Perhaps you just didn't have the time to put things back where you got them, you were given items, you bought too much stuff during a shopping spree, you're a new mom and have your hands full with other priorities, you have medical issues and just cannot manage keeping up with your stuff, etc. You just need the opportunity to thin out your stuff and organize it.
*Please note, clutter can be as much, or less, than what you see pictured in the clutter photos. Clutter can be just a few bills left on the cupboard, shoes laying around, magazines or newspapers left out, a few dirty clothes on the floor, craft items and projects left out, toys laying around, etc. Basically, it is when there are enough things left out, piling up, not being put away or tended to in a timely manner, and the things keep multiplying until the house is in disarray.
*Please note, clutter can be as much, or less, than what you see pictured in the clutter photos. Clutter can be just a few bills left on the cupboard, shoes laying around, magazines or newspapers left out, a few dirty clothes on the floor, craft items and projects left out, toys laying around, etc. Basically, it is when there are enough things left out, piling up, not being put away or tended to in a timely manner, and the things keep multiplying until the house is in disarray.
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Hoarding
2. Hoarding is when there is a mental issue related to accumulating an excessive amount of items that you typically do not have a use for. There is usually a sentimental attachment related to the items that first started the hoarding, which eventually lead to the point of the clutter getting severely out of control. Hoarding can get to the point of being hazardous from either too much stuff or unhealthy living conditions. This is often seen with people who have lost a close loved one, such as a spouse or child, or people who have gone through an emotional divorce or lost their job, etc. Hoarding becomes an obsession and is usually related to mental disorders such as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, etc. Hoarding is a mental illness which requires a combination of help, such as medication from a medical doctor, psychological counseling, coaching through the decluttering process, and support from family and friends.
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Hoarding Description and the Levels
3-part definition of clinical hoarding:
- The acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value (Frost and Gross, 1993).
- Living spaces are cluttered enough that they can't be used for the activities for which they were designed (Frost and Hartl, 1996).
- Significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding.
- Acquiring possessions compulsively - compulsive buying or collecting free things.
- Saving all these possessions and never discarding.
- Not organizing and maintaining all the saved possessions.
- For sentimental value - emotional attachment or to remember an important life event.
- For utility value - the item is, or could be, useful.
- For aesthetic value - the item is considered to be attractive or beautiful.
Squalor
3. Squalor is the most severe and extreme case of hoarding, clutter, and mental issues. It is when the clutter and hoarding has gotten to the point of literally living in filth. This can include living in one or more of the following: actual garbage, spoiled food, insects, rodents, human and/or animal feces, dead animals, mold, a leaking roof, no working appliances, no running water, no electricity, no heat, and more! It is hazardous and can lead to serious diseases, illnesses, and even death. It is not safe and needs to be addressed immediately if you, or anyone you know, are living in squalor. There is a lot of support and help out there. It is critical for you to reach out and get the help you need, so you can get healthy (mentally and physically), save your life as well as those who live in your household, and be free from the living conditions that are killing you.
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The house below was a severe case of a Third Degree Level Squalor.
The majority of the black stuff you see on the kitchen table and floor is mouse and rat feces, plus there are tiny bugs, beetles, and dirt. There was also mice and rat urine everywhere. This house had several crock pots full of rotted, moldy food with maggots in it, as well as packages of raw and rotted meat (hamburg, hotdogs, etc.), cans of food partially full with maggots, and spoiled bottles of ketchup, miracle whip, and other food. There were mice and rats that were running around as we cleaned it.
There were approximately 14 bags of actual trash in the house when we got there, that is not counting how many we bagged up and removed. The stove, oven, refrigerator, sink, microwave, washer, dryer, and all major appliances were not working. Many lights and electrical outlets were not working due to mice chewing the wires.
There was thick black sludge with rotted food and dead bugs in the sink. The sink would not even drain out properly because it was so clogged. The refrigerator was full of rotted food and bugs. Food could no longer be kept in the house due to all the rodents and bugs that had overtaken the house.
The people kept their food and the clothes they were currently wearing in their van. That was the only way they could somewhat protect their food and stop their clothes from the horrendous odor that would penetrate everything.
There were approximately 14 bags of actual trash in the house when we got there, that is not counting how many we bagged up and removed. The stove, oven, refrigerator, sink, microwave, washer, dryer, and all major appliances were not working. Many lights and electrical outlets were not working due to mice chewing the wires.
There was thick black sludge with rotted food and dead bugs in the sink. The sink would not even drain out properly because it was so clogged. The refrigerator was full of rotted food and bugs. Food could no longer be kept in the house due to all the rodents and bugs that had overtaken the house.
The people kept their food and the clothes they were currently wearing in their van. That was the only way they could somewhat protect their food and stop their clothes from the horrendous odor that would penetrate everything.
The odor was so strong you could smell it just walking around outside. Once in the house, it burned your eyes and throat, even with wearing masks. They had a small black electric frying pan in their living room next to the front door, as their only source for cooking. They had to put something heavy on the lid to prevent the mice from getting that food.
The kids slept surrounded in trash, dirt, and clutter. They could feel the mice crawl on them while they slept. It was extremely traumatic and heartbreaking for them, not to mention the physical and mental health consequences. Both parents had extreme health issues, which lead to loss of work, depression, and financial problems, ultimately causing them to get to this point. It was a sad, spiraling effect of negative things that continued beating them down, one issue on top of another. They had lost all hope of ever getting their life back to normal. The father is a military veteran and had severe PTSD.
Since this cleanout, they had slowly, but progressively, got on the road to recovery, medically, financially, and more. They moved a few years after this cleanout and now live in a different house. The new house is clean and kept up. The whole family has been (and still are) receiving mental and medical help. The kids are both adults now. The parents are working, and things have improved tremendously for them all. Their current house is kept up so nicely they have been hosting family holidays at their house and making beautiful memories!
The kids slept surrounded in trash, dirt, and clutter. They could feel the mice crawl on them while they slept. It was extremely traumatic and heartbreaking for them, not to mention the physical and mental health consequences. Both parents had extreme health issues, which lead to loss of work, depression, and financial problems, ultimately causing them to get to this point. It was a sad, spiraling effect of negative things that continued beating them down, one issue on top of another. They had lost all hope of ever getting their life back to normal. The father is a military veteran and had severe PTSD.
Since this cleanout, they had slowly, but progressively, got on the road to recovery, medically, financially, and more. They moved a few years after this cleanout and now live in a different house. The new house is clean and kept up. The whole family has been (and still are) receiving mental and medical help. The kids are both adults now. The parents are working, and things have improved tremendously for them all. Their current house is kept up so nicely they have been hosting family holidays at their house and making beautiful memories!
The Four Levels of Squalor
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First Degree Squalor
• Falling behind in tasks and chores that you would normally tend to and keep up with.
• You are no longer the tidy person you once were. Little piles of stuff are starting to emerge in random places around the house. • The disorganization is starting to affect your life. • Things are at the beginning stages of getting out of hand and becoming more unmanageable. • A sign of first degree squalor could be that you might be embarrassed for other people to see your mess... but you would still let them in the house. • It is starting to cause you concern and stress. |
Second Degree Squalor
• Now things are really starting to get out of hand.
• You are losing the use of some or all household items or space, such as your bed, table, television, couch, countertops, etc. due to the piles which have covered them. • You start to develop new methods of moving around your house, since normal movement is impeded by your piles of stuff. • You are likely to start making excuses to discourage people from visiting or entering your house when they stop by. • You might even hide and pretend you are not home. You may also make arrangements to meet people (and relatives) at other locations. |
Third Degree Squalor
• You have all the things from the first and second degree levels, plus you have rotting food, animal or rodent feces and/or urine, and actual garbage inside your house.
• Some or all of your appliances are in non-working order. • The thought of someone seeing your mess causes you great stress and anxiety. • The odors in your house are so strong, you might be able to smell it outside of your home. • The conditions are so bad you can barely cope. You may feel overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious. • There may be dead and/or alive rodents in the house. |
Fourth Degree Squalor
At fourth degree squalor, you have all of the above, plus you have human feces and/or human urine in your house that is not in the toilet. It could be in buckets, the bathtub, on the floor, etc.
Contributing Factors/Causes
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• Depression and other Mental Disorders
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder • Postpartum Depression • Physical Problems: disability, medical issues, chronic pain, injuries, cancer, etc. |
• Lack of awareness, absent insight
• Behavioral (learned) and Situational • Family situations (divorce, abuse, death) • Financial problems or Unemployment • Drug abuse |
"Gifts" ~ Clutter from other People
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You know all the gifts and keepsakes that family members or friends have given you to keep? The stuff that you accepted because you didn't want to hurt their feelings, even though you knew full well that you did not want it, much less need it, yet you hang on to it for fear you will upset the person who gave it to you? Sometimes the items given to you are things that don't even have any sentimental value.
You would much rather have the candy dish at grandma's house that you ate out of when you were were little, the quilt your mom made, the tool you always saw your dad using, the pipe your grandpa would smoke, or the guitar your uncle would play.
According to the majority of people, the things they actually wanted to keep are those that have a sentimental attachment to, not the things without a meaningful memory. Yet, they were holding onto things they didn't even want or need. Things they considered "useless" which were taking up space and having to be moved around.
You cannot possibly keep every item that every person gives you, and you shouldn't! Don't let guilt be the reason you clutter your life with unnecessary things. Only keep the things that you truly have a sentimental attachment to or things you actually like, will use, need, or bring you happiness. Otherwise, it is best to give it to someone else to use or enjoy, rather than letting it sit around collecting dust. If it is something you don't want, but you would still like to remember it, take a picture of the item(s) you are decluttering, that way you still have a photo of the object for a memory.
You would much rather have the candy dish at grandma's house that you ate out of when you were were little, the quilt your mom made, the tool you always saw your dad using, the pipe your grandpa would smoke, or the guitar your uncle would play.
According to the majority of people, the things they actually wanted to keep are those that have a sentimental attachment to, not the things without a meaningful memory. Yet, they were holding onto things they didn't even want or need. Things they considered "useless" which were taking up space and having to be moved around.
You cannot possibly keep every item that every person gives you, and you shouldn't! Don't let guilt be the reason you clutter your life with unnecessary things. Only keep the things that you truly have a sentimental attachment to or things you actually like, will use, need, or bring you happiness. Otherwise, it is best to give it to someone else to use or enjoy, rather than letting it sit around collecting dust. If it is something you don't want, but you would still like to remember it, take a picture of the item(s) you are decluttering, that way you still have a photo of the object for a memory.
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