Inside a Level Nine Hoarded House: A Deep Clean and Restoration

🧹Level nine hoarding includes factors beyond visual clutter, such as safety, biohazards, functionality, accessibility, and age.

🏠Hoarded houses often result from a perfect storm of mental illness, anxiety, depression, physical injuries, disabilities, and loss.

🔒Hoarding can create a self-perpetuating cycle, becoming the normal way of living and making it difficult to ask for help or allow others to clean.

♻️Cleaning a hoarded house requires careful consideration of biohazardous items, excessive trash, and ongoing pest control.

💪The restoration process aims to provide temporary peace and relief to hoarders, even if the house may eventually revert without therapy.

What factors contribute to the severity of hoarding?

—Aside from visual clutter, safety, biohazards, functionality, accessibility, and age are considerations. Other factors include mental illness, anxiety, depression, physical injuries, disabilities, and loss.

Why do hoarding situations often worsen over time?

—The cycle of hoarding becomes a self-feeding and self-perpetuating cycle, where depression and the overwhelming nature of clutter prevent individuals from cleaning.

What are the challenges faced when cleaning a hoarded house?

—Cleaning a hoarded house involves addressing biohazards, excessive trash, pest infestations, and prioritizing items for disposal or salvage.

Can a hoarded house be permanently restored?

—Without therapy, there is a high likelihood that a hoarded house may eventually revert to its previous state. However, temporary relief and peace can be provided through professional cleaning and restoration.

How do professionals handle the risk of bed bugs in a hoarded house?

—Cleaning professionals take precautions, such as immediately changing and washing clothes and thoroughly inspecting and treating items that may have been exposed to bed bugs.

00:00Introduction to a level nine hoarded house.

05:59Factors contributing to the severity of hoarding.

10:26Challenges and self-perpetuating cycle of hoarding.

09:27Cleaning biohazardous items and addressing safety concerns.

18:20Temporary relief provided by professional cleaning.

20:44Addressing bed bug infestation and taking precautions.

28:00Long-term prospects and eventual reversion without therapy.

32:00Conclusion and reflection on the restoration process.