If someone in your life is a hoarder, then you've likely thought a lot about how you can help them to clean their house out of all of the stuff they are filling it with. If this is the case, then you want to read the information here that can help you know where to start and how to go about helping them.
It starts with counseling
People don't become serious hoarders just because they accidentally end up buying too many things. Hoarders hoard things for a reason, and they usually form strong emotional connections to the things they hoard. Counseling can play a big part in getting your loved one to the point where they would let you help them to clean up their home. If they haven't first worked through some of the issues that led to the hoarding mentality, then you may find a big fight is the only thing that comes from you trying to get them to get rid of some of their stuff.
They will need to feel in control
The more in control you can keep them feeling over what is going to take place when it comes to cleaning out the house, the easier you may find the process being. They must know that you are going to respect their wishes with the things that they are most attached to and trust that you aren't going to undermine their decisions. Therefore, you want to hear them out when they talk and don't try to overrule them.
They need to be a part of the plan
You want to help them to come up with a plan for things. Most hoarders don't like the idea of throwing away many of their things. They may take the cleanup a lot easier if they know their things will be sold or donated. Sit down with them and find out where they want their things to go that they won't be keeping. Help them to pick a date and to choose who they feel comfortable with also being there to physically help.
Rent dumpsters
You want to rent dumpsters and have them dropped off the day before the cleanout. One dumpster will be for the trash, and you want to also rent a recyclables dumpster for any and all recyclable items that are going to go. Make sure you rent a large enough dumpster because you want to keep in mind that it may be hard on your loved one when the company comes to empty the dumpster. It's best if the dumpster doesn't need to be emptied until the cleanup has been completed for this reason. There are many sizes you can choose from, but you do also want to make sure that the property has a large enough spot for the dumpsters that you have delivered. Contact a trash removal company to set up a plan.