How To Help A Hoarder Declutter

Hoarding can be described as a “psychological disorder” that causes people to keep possessions they don’t need. They often keep their possessions hidden from others, causing clutter to build up and hinder their ability to use their living spaces or workspaces. Even the thought of having items to throw away can cause them great distress.

Reach out to your friends and family members if you notice someone struggling to get rid of their possessions or living in an overly cluttered home.

Hoarding can be difficult, so it is important to make your friend or relative feel comfortable in asking them to clean out their living spaces. Learn how to organize and clean up their space slowly, but surely.

If you are looking for a way to help a hoarder declutter, the best storage units for them to use are those that are large and have multiple compartments. This will allow them to organize their belongings in a way that makes sense to them, without having to conform to any specific rules. Additionally, the units should be climate-controlled, so that the items inside do not get damaged by weather conditions.

Help For Hoarders

Understanding a hoarder’s needs is the first step in helping them. The following symptoms and signs are indicative of a hoarding problem:

Feeling mild to severe anxiety about losing anything

Repeatedly adding more to the hoard, without realizing there is a problem

Clutter makes it impossible to use rooms in your home for their intended purposes.

A large number of possessions can negatively impact safety, health, and hygiene.

Decluttering To Hoarders: Tips & Tricks

You can find many tips for decluttering online. You don’t know which ones are effective? You and your loved ones can start by creating a simple plan that you both can follow.

1. Begin, Pronto!

Don’t put off what you can do now. The more hoarded you are, the more difficult it will be. It’s important to prompt your loved hoarder into decluttering their space or home immediately.

3. Break down the Tasks

It is easy to feel anxious about decluttering. If you have been hoarding for a while, it can be overwhelming to think about going through all your items.

You don’t have the friend to do everything at once. Take it slow and break down the tasks into manageable pieces that you can complete one at a given time. You can even decide who is doing what task and which tasks you should do together. You can take out huge statues or sofas with their interiors removed.

4. Get rid of the obvious trash

Hoarders struggle to decide which items from their piles to keep. But that’s why you are there: to help them see which ones need to go.

You can carry a trash bag and pick up wrappers, empty bottles, and wilted leaves. You can also recycle your trash in a separate bag. Protective equipment such as gloves and masks are necessary for the event that a dead animal is found underneath your trash pile.

5. Agree to a Decluttering Plan

It’s much easier for your friend or relative to see the clutter that they have once all the junk has been thrown away. A decluttering plan that you agree on is a clear outline of what you should do and how to do it. This will help to reduce the anxiety that hoarders feel when they must decide what items to get rid of.

6. Work Your way down

You should start with the most difficult task. You feel accomplished when you complete each task. This gives you the motivation to continue moving forward. There is no one right way to start decluttering. The hoarder can choose which area to begin with.

It is best to avoid starting with a cluttered room as it can make you tired faster. It is possible to declutter in small bursts. This will make it less overwhelming and allow your brain to focus on the task at hand.

Make It Fun

Decluttering can be a difficult task. It can be exhausting. You can make it more fun by listening to music as you purge. After completing a checklist item, you can reward yourself with food or a short movie.

Everybody has their idea of what “fun” is, so be open to new ideas. To make decluttering more fun, get the help of your friends.