Hoarding Cleanup in Metro-East Illinois and St. Louis

Hoarding Cleanup Services in Metro-East Illinois and St. Louis

PuroClean provides you the hoarding help that you have a need for without being ashamed or embarrassed. Homes that may seem daunting and overwhelming due to the amount of clutter, trash, and abundance of personal belongings is one of our many areas of specialty.

The Challenge

Although shame and guilt may come with this condition, PuroClean can help. Hoarders and their families tend to stay at home, not invite people in, and hide the condition from relatives and well-wishers and others that have concern and care. If hoarding is not dealt with, it can lead to very dire consequences.

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of hoarding may include:

• Excessively acquiring items that are not needed or for which there is no space,
• Persistent difficulty throwing out or parting with your things, regardless of actual value,
• Feeling a need to save these items, and being upset by the thought of discarding them,
• Building up of clutter to the point where rooms become unusable,
• Having a tendency toward indecisiveness, perfectionism, avoidance, procrastination, and problems with planning and organizing

Excessive acquiring and refusing to discard items result in:

• Disorganized piles or stacks of items, such as newspapers, clothes, paperwork, books, or sentimental items,
• Possessions that crowd and clutter your walking spaces and living areas and make the space unusable for the intended purpose, such as not being able to cook in the kitchen or use the bathroom to bathe,
• Buildup of food or trash to unusually excessive, unsanitary levels,
• Significant distress or problems functioning or keeping yourself and others safe in your home,
• Conflict with others who try to reduce or remove clutter from your home,
• Difficulty organizing items, sometimes losing important items in the clutter.

Hoarding – A Hazardous Situation

For many individuals, hoarding can easily grow over time into an inconceivable environment. Most likely, cleaning up and restoring a hoarder’s home and/or premises is a hazardous job. It’s very difficult for hoarders to let go of their possessions – especially while also coping with family members or other caring materially interested individuals. Mainly because it causes disagreements that may unfortunately last for years to come.

Hoarding presents a high level of danger and risk to property and more importantly life.

• Health hazards
• Trip hazards
• Hazardous to Those That Help
• Fire hazards
• Access and egress in case of emergency
• Putrid odors
• Deferred maintenance
• Obscured damage
• Cleaning Hazards

Excessive contents can hide serious problems such as:

• Water losses,
• Roof leaks,
• Exterior moisture penetration,
• Cause extensive and long-term damage,
• Structural integrity risks and failure issues.

Statistics show that hoarding affects “as many as 1 in every 20” individuals and is more common in older age groups, increasing with age. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), up to 5 percent of the world’s population display traits of clinically diagnosable hoarding. The National Study Group on Compulsive Disorganization guideline for comprehending the level of hoarding and its impact on a house:

Hoarding Level 1: The following conditions are considered safe and sanitary: All doors and stairways accessible, light clutter, no smells, and no more than three locations with animal waste.

Hoarding Level 2: Dirty food prep surfaces, noticeable pet waste on the floors, garbage bins that are overflowing, signs of mildew in kitchens and bathrooms, light smells, 2 or more rooms inhabited by clutter, over 6 months of a malfunctioning healing, cooling or ventilation system, and at least one blocked exit.

Hoarding Level 3: Clutter becomes a problem inside and outside of the house at hoarding level 3. There are some major problems such as structural damage, smells that are very strong, and rooms becoming entirely impossible to use.

Hoarding Level 4: Social problems become much more noticeable at level 4 of hoarding. There are major problems such as sewer backup, nearly impossible to use kitchens and bathrooms, animal waste laying around the floor, and more. Mold and mildew are easy to spot throughout every inch of the house, and there are a few rooms close to not being livable.

Hoarding Level 5: The most extreme level of hoarding, Level 5 includes the following: Basic necessities like electrical, plumbing, and running water are non-existent. Extremely obvious signs of structural damage throughout the property, rampant odors, noticeable pests present, and garbage presents a challenge when trying to access various areas of the home. The entire premises are in need of severe restoration to again become liveable.

The Solution

There is a long list of reasons why it may be overwhelming to approach the task of cleaning a hoarder’s home. PuroClean will develop and execute a plan with you, your family, caregivers, and any other materially interested parties, while conducting ourselves with sincere compassion and empathy during the whole process. Included in our scope of work is to ensure that no clutter is left behind for sentimental reasons. PuroClean will clear out, bag properly, transport, and dispose of everything in a special manner, especially adhering to the rules and regulations related to the type of hazardous material we’re working with. Our number one goal is to ensure that our highly trained professionals, the occupants, and all involved materially interested individuals and their surroundings are protected in a safe and proper manner.

Hoarding cleanup is another division of PuroClean’s biohazard remediation services, and involves a high level of forensic restoration and cleaning services in which our PuroClean franchises* have been specifically trained in. We know how to bring back a house and make it appear as great as before, even after hoarding problems.

The Cleaning Process – The PuroClean RapidDefense™ Program

Forensic cleaning is defined as the removal of biological contaminants to prepare surfaces, both vertical and horizontal, for professional disinfecting. There are two phases to the forensic cleaning process. First, all surfaces are dry cleaned with disposable microfiber pads to reduce both the bio load and the soil load to prepare them for wet cleaning.

Next, wet cleaning process involves the application of an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant/cleaner dispensed through a foaming unit and manipulated via mechanical action using disposable microfiber pads.

As we are not cleaning for appearance but for health, all surfaces may be clean to the eye, however, testing the surfaces is an essential step to ensuring we have accomplished our goal, that we have cleaned for health.

How Hoarding Can Affect Insurance Claims

Homes that are in poor condition after hoarding problems can be susceptible to insurance coverage issues due to lack of maintenance and degradation that occurs in these environments. Some insurance carriers, brokers, and agents will provide a list of concerns and issues detailing what safety and maintenance fixes to retain policy coverage. Failure to address these issues can lead to a loss in insurance coverage.

While calling in professionals like PuroClean and their expert crews to assist in sorting through a house and providing cleanup services may not be easy, it may be required to help with the daunting tasks related to the cleanup and remediation.

PuroClean’s biohazard remediation services are available near you and around the clock 24/7. Call PuroClean anytime at (618) 206-7055.

Providing Hoarding Cleanup Solutions Calls for Empathy and Compassion

The goal with any new project that PuroClean is hired for, is to make sure that everything is addressed according to the needs of the client and return the property over in a healthy and safe manner. Our technicians are careful, empathic, and compassionate for all those involved with the project, while helping all who are coming to terms with this problem. PuroClean wants to ensure open communication and while showing concern and empathy for all materially interested individuals dealing with these sensitive and concerning scenarios.

PuroClean of Metro-East Illinois and St. Louis approach to hoarding cleanup:

Initial inspection – Every job begins with a first inspection and assessment to address Health and Safety as the first priority. Then, PuroClean will develop a scope of remediation, repair, and cleanup according to your needs. Every hoarding situation is unique and different, and so is the need for creating a strong working plan that helps move things along quicker.

Safety – It is vital to worry about protection when remediating and restoring a house. PuroClean will use the proper personal protective equipment for our techs. As part of our response, we will help implement emergency solutions to situations that can develop, such as having readily available fire extinguishers, first aid kits, insect repellants or control solutions, flashlights, and more.

Giving all the cleaning supplies – During the entire cleaning process, PuroClean uses various equipment and cleaning supplies. Our company response vehicles are equipped with all required items, equipment, PPE, cleaning solutions, and all other tools that may be needed to tackle the daily tasks.

Staging a dumpster – Dumpsters play a vital role in hoarding cleanup. An open and safe area will be designated and agreed upon by the property owner and technicians, in an attempt to both make access and discardment expeditious, but minimize potential damage from placing and removing the dumpster.

Decluttering – The removal of clutter from each area can be easy once all parties are on the same page and communication is open. Slowly but surely individuals will notice the ongoing progress and normally become inspired to keep moving forward. However, it takes time to complete the decluttering procedure for every part of the home.

Sorting the contents – Two piles are created for all salvageable items: one pile is “keep” and the other is “donate”. Local laws, rules and regulations must be checked for any items that may require special handling. Guidance from local laws are followed when bagging up and throwing away all trash and debris.

Repairing and cleaning the house – When the entire house is clutter-free, remediation and repairs are started if needed. These can include:

• Restoration services (after fire, water, mold, or biohazard damage),
• Forensic cleaning with application of disinfectant that includes the house and any salvageable items and contents.
• Surface prep and repainting,
• Re-carpeting.

Hiring PuroClean brings the best highly trained team and cleaning services focusing on top-quality care for all. We have the highest quality of services, and our speed and compassion during the remediation and cleaning are unrivaled. No matter how challenging a cleanup might appear, we are willing to put in the work to keep our customers happy.

*It is crucial to know that not all PuroClean offices offer biohazard restoration solutions. If there is a need for a cleanup for a hoarding problem, take time to contact the main office at 1-800-775-7876 to connect with the closest PuroClean Franchise near you.