Hoarding cleanup: what to expect

Hoarding cleanup is a specialty inside estate cleanout work. The volume is higher, the sorting is slower and the resident is often still living in the home. The companies that do it well treat it as a care job first and a hauling job second.

How it differs from a normal cleanout

• Pace. Items are sorted individually and the resident is consulted. A crew that fills a truck in an hour is not doing hoarding cleanup.
• Safety. Crews wear respirators and protective suits when there is mold, animal waste or structural damage. Floors are checked before they are walked on under load.
• Biohazard handling. Some homes need licensed biohazard remediation before an ordinary crew can work. The company should say so at the walk-through, not after.
• Discretion. Unmarked trucks and plain uniforms are common and worth asking about.

The process

1. Assessment, usually with the family and, where possible, the resident.
2. A plan that names the order of rooms and what the resident keeps.
3. Clearing pathways and exits first, so the home is safe to work in.
4. Room-by-room sorting into keep, donate, recycle and dispose.
5. Cleaning, deodorizing and, if needed, pest treatment.
6. A follow-up visit; relapse is common and a scheduled check helps.

Choosing a company

Ask whether the crew has done hoarding work before, whether they coordinate with a therapist or social worker when one is involved, and how they handle the resident's refusals. Ask about insurance and biohazard licensing. Then ask for a reference from a family who used them.