Having a hoarder situation can be scary as well as dangerous. There could be animals somewhere within the piles of junk, either living or dead. There could also be a number of toxins from different chemicals, either individually or mixed together, that could cause issues. And sometimes just the smell from the situation can be overwhelming. These are biohazard cleanup tasks in every sense of the term involving moving large amounts of material – under which mold, bacteria, fungi, and any number of other microbial health hazards could be waiting underneath. Having a company that can clean up hoarding in Oakland, Ripon, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Stockton is important, but it is also important to keep courtesy and respect in mind as well. These can be difficult situations to handle, and it is best to work with the families and not against them to get things cleaned up.
Tips on Hoarding Cleanup
Performing a hoarding clean up situation is not something that gets done in just a couple of hours. Often there are other issues to deal with beyond just the hoarding aspect, including animals like rats or mice, as well as cockroaches and other insects. There are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when working on a hoarding situation. First is to always come prepared with gloves and a facemask. Depending on the situation, it might be advisable to wear a full bodysuit. There could be any number of biohazards that could be lurking in the home, so safety is paramount for yourself.
The hoarder themselves may still be living, and trying to work through their issue of hoarding. Typically this means that when sorting through things, there will end up being three categories of items: keep, donate, and trash. The keep category will obviously be easy for the person to fill, but the general rule should be that if it hasn’t been used in a year or longer, or items that are damaged, should all go into the trash category. There might be a few things that readily can be donated, but that usually comes in a second round of going through just the keep category to donate those things that are useful but have a second or third copy of it.
Keep in mind that the hoarder should have compassion shown to them, as this is a hard thing to go through when they have wanted to keep the things they have. And don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially from professionals such as 911 Hazmat Cleanup. They have experience with these situations and can help provide another caring outside opinion on how to get things back to normal.