Hoarding Cleanup in Charleston, SC

Hoarding Cleanup Services in Charleston, SC

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

Even though guilt and shame can come with the hoarding condition, PuroClean can help. Hoarders, along with their families, tend to remain at home, refuse to invite people in, and hide the hoarding conditions from relatives, 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 a lot of individuals, hoarding can slowly grow into an unmanageable situation. For many, cleaning up and remediating a hoarder’s property can be a hazardous job. Hoarders find it very hard to part with their possessions while also dealing with family members or other caring materially interested parties as it can cause frictions that will last for many 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: In order for your home to be classified as safe and sanitary, light clutter can be present, there is clear access to all doors and stairways, three or less locations with animal waste exist, and there are no noticeable smells.

Hoarding Level 2: Hoarding level 2 is classified as at least one exit that is blocked, six months of a malfunctioning HVAC system, 2 or more rooms inhabited by clutter, light smells, kitchens or bathrooms with light mold, garbage bins overflowing, obvious pet waste on the floor, and food prep surfaces that are dirty.

Hoarding Level 3: It has reached hoarding level 3 when the inside and outside of the home becomes inundated with clutter. Major problems exist, including structural damages, very pungent odors, and rooms that have become 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 kitchen 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: This is the most extreme level of hoarding. There is a severe amount of structural damage around the property and smells run rampant. Basic necessities such as electricity and running water are gone, and the property needs severe restoration to become livable again. There are pests around, and garbage can make it very challenging to access certain parts of the house.

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 (843) 972-4200.

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 Charleston, SC approach to hoarding cleanup:

Initial inspection – As every hoarding project is different and unique, so also is the requirement to create an intricate and powerful working plan that helps move the project forward fast and efficiently. Every job starts with a first inspection and assessment to establish Health and Safety as the main priority. Next, our professionals will establish a full schedule of remediation, repair, and cleanup according to your specific needs.

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 – There are many unique cleaning supplies and equipment used during the entire procedure. Our response vehicles are supplied with all necessary materials, equipment, cleaning supplies, PPE, and other tools necessary to complete the tasks at hand daily.

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 – Local laws and regulations must be checked for dealing with items that have special handling. All trash and debris are bagged up and discarded according to guidance and local laws. Salvageable items are separated into two piles – items to keep and items to donate.

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.