Hoarding Cleanup in Miami, FL

Hoarding Cleanup Services in Miami, FL

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

Hoarding is a condition that, if left unaddressed, may lead to extremely dire results for those involved. It’s not at all abnormal for hoarders to close themselves off, stay home indefinitely, and turn away friends, family, and even those who genuinely want to lend a hand. PuroClean can not only help with the actual cleanup, but also can be of assistance in helping hoarders deal with the shame and guilt that often comes with hoarding.

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

Hoarding can slowly develop into a situation that is quite troublesome to control for many of those who suffer from the condition. It can also prove a very hazardous chore to clean up and remediate a hoarder’s property. Parting with their possessions is very difficult for hoarders, specifically while trying to cooperate with family or other caring materially curious parties. Unfortunately, this interaction between the hoarder and those closely involved can cause long lasting disputes and divisions.

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: Light clutter, all doors, and stairways accessible, no more than three locations with animal waste throughout the house, no smells, and the house is considered safe and sanitary.

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: At hoarding level 3 rooms become completely impossible to use. Also, there exists various major structural problems and damage along with clutter becoming a problem inside and outside of the property.

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: Hoarding Level 5 is the most extreme level of hoarding. Structural damage around the property is quite extreme and the foul odors are substantial and inescapable. The property is in a state that needs extensive restoration to be liveable again. The basic necessities like water and electricity are not operational. Extreme clutter and garbage makes it nearly impossible to access certain areas and rooms. Also, pests are very noticeable throughout.

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 ™ 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 (305) 907-7373.

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 Miami, FL 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 important to be concerned about protection when remediating and restoring a house. PuroClean uses the proper personal protective equipment for our professional technicians. As part of the PuroClean response, we will help enact emergency plans to situations that can develop – like 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 – As dumpsters are essential when dealing with hoarding cleanup, we will consult with the person/s responsible for the property in locating an open area for a dumpster to be placed as safely as possible to minimize any potential damage from placement and removal. Dumpsters allow our technicians to put all contents that require discarding into a place to be removed from the property in a timely manner.

Decluttering – The decluttering process of the entire home does take some time. Gradually, individuals pay notice to the ongoing progress and it inspires them to keep going. Taking away all the clutter from an individual area is an easy task, but only once it commences fully and with open communication with everyone involved.

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.