Hoarding Cleanup Services in Scottsdale, AZ

PuroClean provides you with hoarding cleanup services that you need without being ashamed or embarrassed. Homes that may seem daunting and overwhelming due to the amount of clutter, trash, and abundance of personal belongings are one of our many areas of specialty.

The Challenge

Even though guilt and shame can come with the hoarding condition, PuroClean can help. Hoarders and their families remain at home, refuse to invite people in, and hide the hoarding conditions from relatives, well-wishers, and others with concern and care. If hoarding is not dealt with, it can lead to 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 clutter to the point where rooms become unusable
  • Showing 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 for bathing
  • The 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 troublesome situation for many of those suffering 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 difficult for hoarders, specifically while trying to cooperate with family or other caring 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: Small areas of clutter, all doors and stairways easy to access, three or fewer locations of animal waste in the home, and no smells; this is considered safe and sanitary.

Hoarding Level 2: At least one blocked exit, the presence of malfunctioning heating, cooling, or ventilation system for at least half a year, clutter inhabiting 2 or more rooms, light smells, light mildew in kitchens and bathrooms, overflowing garbage bins, visible pet waste on the floor, and dirty food prep surfaces.

Hoarding Level 3: At hoarding level 3, rooms become completely impossible to use. Also, various major structural problems and damage exist, 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: The most extreme level of hoarding, Level 5 includes the following: 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 present a challenge when trying to access various home areas. The entire premises need severe restoration to become liveable again.

The Solution: Professional Hoarding Cleanup Services

The approach to cleaning up a hoarder’s home or building can be daunting for many reasons. Calling PuroClean is a good start. Our professional teams will work with compassion and empathy in developing a plan and executing the plan with you, family members, caregivers, and any other interested parties that want to provide the best care.

As part of our services, PuroClean will ensure that no clutter is left behind for sentimental reasons and that everything is cleared, bagged properly, transported, and disposed of in a specialized manner, befitting the hazardous material it may be. PuroClean’s top priority is ensuring that their highly trained employees, occupants, other interested parties, and the environment are properly protected.

Hoarding cleanup is another division of PuroClean’s biohazard remediation services and involves a high level of forensic restoration and cleaning services in which we have been specifically trained. 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 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, the wet cleaning process involves applying 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 essential to ensuring we have accomplished our goal, that we have cleaned for health.

How Hoarding Can Affect Insurance Claims

Homes in poor condition after hoarding problems can be susceptible to insurance coverage issues due to the lack of maintenance and degradation in these environments. Some insurance carriers, brokers, and agents will provide a list of concerns and issues detailing what safety and maintenance fixes are 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 (480) 767-5588.

Providing Hoarding Cleanup Solutions Calls for Empathy and Compassion

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

PuroClean of Scottsdale, AZ approach to hoarding cleanup:

Initial inspection — Every hoarding situation is isolated and different, as is the method for creating a strong working schedule that helps the project flow smoothly through completion. All cleanups begin with a first inspection and estimation to focus on Health and Safety and establish it as a top priority. Following this, PuroClean will arrange a complete scope of cleaning, remediation, repair, and cleanup according to the project’s requirements.

Safety — It’s imperative to be concerned about protection when conducting cleanup and remediation on a home. Part of our responsibility will be to implement emergency solutions to possible developing situations, such as having fire extinguishers, flashlights, insect repellants or control solutions, and first aid kids readily available. PuroClean will also use the proper personal protective equipment for our techs.

Giving all the cleaning supplies — Many unique cleaning supplies and equipment are used during the entire procedure. Our response vehicles are supplied with all necessary materials, equipment, cleaning supplies, PPE, and other tools to complete daily tasks.

Staging a dumpster — Dumpsters are very important while conducting a hoarding cleanup, and PuroClean will consult the property’s responsible party for assistance in locating an open area for a dumpster to be placed safely. This will also minimize any possible damage resulting from placement and removal. Dumpsters allow the PuroClean technicians to place all “to be disposed of” contents from the property fast and efficiently.

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 easy, 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 is 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 the fire, water, mold, or biohazard damage),
  • Forensic cleaning with a 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. 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 work to keep our customers happy.

If there is a need for cleanup of a hoarding problem, call us at (480) 767-5588.

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