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Original poster

How to clean a hoarders house

33 replies

FleabagIsGreat · 09/03/2019 12:50

I went to see a new client yesterday- she called me looking for a cleaner.
There is stuff literally everywhere.
You couldn’t see a kitchen work surface.
Every table/windowsill around the house was crammed with ornaments.
The beds were unmade & piled with clothes- God only knows how they sleep.
Piles & piles of paperwork everywhere.

To be fair the house wasn’t filthy & she was a lovely lady.
She was so excited at the prospect of having a clean house but I spent last night just thinking about where to start !
I suggested just tackling 1 room at a time but the whole house will take at least 10 weeks (at 1 3-4 visit a week) just to do an initial clean .

OP posts:
TowelNumber42 · 09/03/2019 12:52

Do you mean clean or declutter?

Custardo · 09/03/2019 12:52

hoarders need help - tidying the house is unlikely to be a long term solution are there other support agencies involved?

Custardo · 09/03/2019 12:53

are there kids or vumlnerable adults in the property? is the property owned or rented?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cleaning
Justonemorepancake · 09/03/2019 12:54

I would find someone that offers a decluttering service and refer her, then say you can offer your cleaning services once rooms are decluttered, but decluttering is unique from cleaning and requires a specialist.

Original poster
FleabagIsGreat · 09/03/2019 12:55

I don’t think she wants a declutter because she kept mentioning the sentimental value of all the ornaments.
She wants a sparking house around all the stuff!

OP posts:
HeyThoughIWalk · 09/03/2019 12:55

I think you need to start by asking whether she wants to declutter, or just wants the place cleaned. If she wants it decluttered, is she giving you permission to box things up or get rid of them? If she just wants it cleaned, does she expect you to move the clutter out of the way, clean, and then move it all back? Are you supposed to take the pile of clothes, fold them all, and put them away, and then make the bed?

You need to talk this through with her, thoroughly, before you get started.

Original poster
FleabagIsGreat · 09/03/2019 12:57

Just her & her DH & a very hairy dog.
I was going to suggest to her once I could show her how lovely & clean it could look that we could get some nice storage boxes & maybe put some bits away.

OP posts:
TowelNumber42 · 09/03/2019 13:12

Oh dear. I would walk away. Run actually. You wouldn't be taking on a cleaning job so much as getting dragged into a mental health crisis.

Birdie6 · 09/03/2019 13:19

Don't even try. Walk away. This isn't a cleaning job - she is attached to all her "stuff" and would resent moving things or getting rid of anything. Refer her to a decluttering service and tell her that she can get back to you when that is done. I doubt that you'd ever hear from her again.

Palominoo · 09/03/2019 13:37

Check your insurance in case she accuses you of breakages or items missing.

I would walk away telling her straight that it is too difficult to clean with all th epos sessions in situ. If she is willing to clear the rooms you will clean and then she can put them back.
Id you go ahead make sure you take photographs after your work as proof you didn't break anything.

Murinae · 09/03/2019 13:42

It would be a thanks but no thanks from me too. Plenty of other people out there looking for cleaners. My friends house is like this and she asked if my daughter (who’s a professional cleaner) would clean for her. She said sorry she didn’t have any spare slots.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 09/03/2019 13:43

She wants a sparking house around all the stuff!

It isn’t possible. If you take on this job You and she both must agree on that. It simply is not possible to have a sparkling house around all that stuff.

Secondly, hoarding is a compulsion (it’s actually a version of OCD.) with lots of different reasons and triggers. Cleaning her house will not cure her condition. She needs specific counselling and support to tackle the cause of her anxiety otherwise she will continue to hoard and will find it extremely difficult to part with anything you suggest. In fact I would fully expect her to get quite angry with your during the process.

Cleaners aren’t appropriate for dealing with hoarders. They’re fine for clearing out a hoarder house when the hoarder is gone but it’s akin to shovelling snow during an avalanche to try and clean a hoarders house while they’re still there.

I am both a cleaner and a recovered hoarder.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 09/03/2019 13:46

I should say recovering hoarder. I don’t hoard any more. But I suspect under the right circumstances it would come back.

SmallFastPenguin · 09/03/2019 13:59

I would get in writing what she wants you to do and just do that. Do not start boxing up and decluttering unless you get specific permission in writing. If she does want you to declutter don't take over, make her stay with you and decide what to do with everything even if it takes much longer and is less effective. She will be very attached to her stuff and resent you throwing things away. Also point out that you will take special care not to damage her ornaments etc but you don't guarantee to return them to the exact location and she must sign to say she accepts accidental damage could occur for example if you knocked something while dusting.
Another thing to point out is that it will take longer to clean as you will have to carefully work round things so not to compare your work speed with a friends cleaner in a house with most objects stored away in cupboards where they could work much faster.
I think if she agrees to this you should do it as she has clearly got some problems and you would really be helping her.

Original poster
FleabagIsGreat · 09/03/2019 14:07

If I take the job on I was anticipating 3 hours per room initially. She has chandelier type light fittings that so wants cleaning & they could well be a visit per fitting!
I would never throw anything away or store anything without her permission.
I was thinking (if she seems open to it) or getting some nice tissue paper to wrap things up in & store rather than just newspaper.

OP posts:
smurfy2015 · 09/03/2019 14:35

If there is anything going out of the house even rubbish if you take the job and come across any, if it amounts to the "sentimental" stuff and she says letting it go - for your sake, document it, have a general list of 1 bag of ladies clothes to charity shop, 3 bags to rubbish, 1 box with rough guide to sentimental items put in x place and sign and date it at each session. This is covering your back if she decides to let any stuff go and means you have a written record that you havent taken her stuff.

Im a hoarder in recovery so to speak, I know exactly what point triggered mine, MH team arranged a clear out for hygiene and safety purposes from their point of view, no emotional support was put into place at the time, 5 years and an inheritance later things were a lot worse. 3 years on from that point, things are a lot better than they were but its a work in progress. Its been 2 years of chipping away with the emotional support in place and some bits are dusty mainly shelves which I find hard to get to but its a lot different than it used to be.

To get an idea on the level of hoarding have a look at hoardingdisordersuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/clutter-image-ratings.pdf

@ me if you have any questions as happy to help

Hollowvictory · 09/03/2019 14:37

Need to hire industrial cleaners and a skip. Not a normal cleaner

Hollowvictory · 09/03/2019 14:37

3 hours per room sounds woefully insufficient

Stuckforthefourthtime · 09/03/2019 14:43

Oh dear. I would walk away. Run actually. You wouldn't be taking on a cleaning job so much as getting dragged into a mental health crisis

Don't. The only way hoarders can be helped is with specialists working in conjunction with mental health professionals, and even then the 'success' rate is woefully low, especially because so few hoarders are truly ready to stop.

If she just wants cleaning around the hoard then that might be possible, but don't even think about getting involved in any tidying or decluttering m

slipperywhensparticus · 09/03/2019 14:44

She needs to pack up her things you clean then she unpacks

TowelNumber42 · 09/03/2019 14:46

How desperate are you for the job?

SuperSange · 09/03/2019 14:47

There was a thread on here a few months ago about a lady who was cleaning up a hoarders house. Might be worth a read before you get involved.

Original poster
FleabagIsGreat · 09/03/2019 14:52

I mean 3 hours to actually clean not declutter.
She knows she is a hoarder & said ‘ don’t be surprised if when you come back the week after you’ve cleaned it’s back in the original state’ .
I think it was a big step for her to call me. She said she put the phone down several times before telling herself she can do it.
She is lovely & ironically a specialist in her field that would see these conditions IYSWIM

OP posts:
Loopytiles · 09/03/2019 14:54

I would decline the job.

smurfy2015 · 09/03/2019 15:08

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3335997-Please-will-you-kindly-support-and-advise-me-as-I-try-to-help-a-friend-sort-out-his-home

This is the thread SuperSange mentioned, if you take the job go into it with your eyes open as it may end up decluttering as well as trying to clean around