We’ve all seen and been horrified by television programs showing graphic images of the homes of hoarders. But for an ever-increasing number of people in our communities, hoarding is a real and personal issue. There are many risks that come with hoarding and while the reasons that people hoard are complex and varied, there are solutions to the problem of cluttered homes filled with unnecessary items.
If your home, or the home of someone
you know, is being overcome by hoarding, an enormous clean out is essential.
When doing this, you need to be ruthless. Throw out absolutely everything that
is not used or needed and don’t hang on to it believing you will use it or sell
it one day. Getting rid of superfluous items is actually therapeutic and does
so much good for your physical and mental health. It will also make you safer
in your own home.
There will be items that you treasure
and really don’t want to part with. Equally though, keeping these items may
take up valuable space in your home and even encourage you to start
‘over-collecting’ once again. The perfect solution is to move these items into
a storage facility. Fort Knox Storage facilities
provide storage units of varying sizes that are ideal for storing items that
you cannot keep in your home, but do not want to give or throw away. By moving
these items into a clean, sanitary and accessible storage environment, you can
also feel comforted in knowing that you still have them, but are not cluttering
up your home.
Why is such a dedicated approach to
de-hoarding needed? What are the risk of hoarding?
Homes that are full of items, including
papers, fabrics, cleaning products, plastic, and so much else, are dangerous.
Fire risk is increased
A serious fire hazard exists when combustible
materials, such as newspapers, rubbish and clothing, have accumulated. In a
home with an abundance of combustible materials, a very hot fire can travel and
spread very quickly. Also, trying to escape from the home of a hoarder in the
event of a fire can be perilous or even impossible as hallways, doorways and
windows are likely to be obscured. It can also be very difficult for emergency
services personnel to gain entry to the house.
Risk of structural damage is
increased
In many home of hoarders, items are stacked
from the floor to the ceiling. The weight and volume of these items can cause
structural damage to the building and this can be a huge risk to other occupants
of the home, as well as buildings nearby.
Heightened risk of disease, injury
and infestation
Cleaning is almost impossible in the homes of
hoarders. Unsurprisingly, this leads to unhygienic and unhealthy living
conditions where the risk of disease is significantly greater. Running water,
heat and refrigeration can also be lost in the home of a hoarder as a result of
irregular and ineffective home maintenance. It is common for toilets and sinks
to be unusable and your risk of injury is increased. Because garbage is kept
and usually not disposed of in the homes of hoarders, infestations of vermin
and insects are common.
There are so many risks that
accompany the practice of hoarding. Hoarding is much more than a significant
collection of some sort. Hoarding, instead, is defined when items are
excessively stored in and around the home.
Have you dealt with someone who’s had
issues with hoarding? How did they overcome it? Leave your advice in the
comments below.
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