WHAT IS HOARDING, 1 800 282 2166 Serving Houston
The easiest definition of hoarding is when the amount of acquired clutter prohibits functionality in the home. This means that functional areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and dining rooms cannot be used for their intended purpose. There are 5 levels of hoarding, 1 being minor clutter and 5 being blocked rooms, pathways, animal/human waste, limited ingress and egress, etc. Remember level 5 hoarding cases do not happen overnight, so a level 2 or 3 can quickly become a level 5 if proper methods are not utilized to prevent it. Below are some examples of different hoarding levels.
People who hoard have difficulty discarding items, have problems with too much clutter, and/or have a problem with acquiring too much. Their living spaces are often so cluttered that they can no longer use rooms, furniture, appliances and/or other objects for what they were originally intended. In some cases, animals may be the victims of hoarding behavior, compromising their welfare as well as the safety and well-being of the person and other humans in the household.
Research has shown that object hoarding behavior typically begins at around age 13, although animal hoarding behavior usually begins in adulthood. On average, people seek behavioral health intervention at age 50.
A small number of people come forward for treatment on their own or at the request of family member or friend. However, most cases of hoarding, especially those that become a concern to the community, are brought to the attention of the public health department through a sanitation or code violation.
Approximately 5% or nearly 15 million Americans are sufferers of this complicated mental health problem. There is still a lot to be learned about the association of age when hoarding begins, genetics and brain biology as they relate to hoarding.
1 800 282 2166 Serving Houston & Surrounding Areas The Woodlands Spring Tomball Katy Missouri City Sugar Land Pearland Bellaire League City Pasadena Crosby Kingwood
Lost Item Recovery - We Will Find It!
To many people, a hoarder’s home may appear to be filled with trash. It may be the opinion of outsiders that the best method of action would be to throw everything out and start over. This mode of thought may be one of many reasons why a hoarder may be prevented from reaching out for help: the fear that all of their belongings will be removed without discretion. The reality is that there are typically many items that need to be found and recovered.
Extreme Hoarding Experts customizes a unique cleaning plan for all of our clients, always keeping in mind retaining items within the clutter that a functioning household should have. Extreme Hoarding Experts specializes in recovering items of sentimental value, all legal documents, bills, statements, photographs, and anything of monetary value. The excess clutter is what we strive to address within the hoarder’s home, either by letting these items go through donation, recycling, shredding, or disposal of obvious trash.
Rest assured though, if items are in the home, WE WILL FIND IT!