The Secret Lives of Hoarders_ True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter - Matt Paxton [54]
Margaret took a day and a half to make it through the kitchen, but then the crew hit an unexpected snag. As we started cleaning out the mudroom, the crew found a massive rat’s nest, nearly eight feet wide and two feet tall. We halted the cleanup until pest control could come the next day and check for rats. Fortunately, the rats were long gone and they hadn’t left much damage behind except for the giant nest.
Because advanced hoarder houses always have surprises like this, the cleanup plan needs to accommodate the occasional setback and added expense. It is not at all unusual to uncover termite damage, feces, dead animals, and cracks in the foundations in a Stage 5 hoarder house.
Like Aimee, Margaret had to take frequent breaks, mostly due to the mental exhaustion of working in a constant state of anxiety and anger. She would blow up and then need to walk away to calm down. Stage 4 and 5 hoarding cleanups are massive—both physically and emotionally. Margaret had to make decisions about her possessions for the first time in more than ten years, and at her age learning a new skill was a big challenge.
The crew needed breaks too. The house was hot and the air was bad. They were working in oppressive conditions, dressed in long pants and long-sleeve shirts, with gloves, respirators, and Tyvek protective suits.
We spent five days on Margaret’s house, during which time we gave her constant encouragement. By the end of the job, the only things that we were able to salvage were two bed frames, a microwave with the door held closed by duct tape, a scratched kitchen table, a few wobbly wooden chairs, and some clothing. We scrubbed everything, but the floors and walls were permanently dirty. We replaced the missing and broken ceiling tiles (which made some white and some brown), and Margaret planned to have her son-in-law fix the holes in her drywall. The floors were gouged, uneven, and permanently stained with urine, and the bottom halves of most of the doors were still missing because they had been chewed up by the dogs. The windows were dirty and there were no curtains. Her daughter planned to take her shopping to buy some new furniture and linens. Although Margaret was still angry about the cleanup and would never admit it, this was success.
THE CLEANUP PLAN
No matter how large or small the team, it’s important that everyone shares the same vision and goals, especially the hoarder. The written plan, developed beforehand, gives everyone something to refer to if things get tense or arguments break out. It also gives the hoarder a black-and-white reminder of what everyone agreed to. When the pressure is on and a hoarder is panicking, everyone can take a step back, calm down, and refer to the plan to get back on track.
Because cleanups are unpredictable, plans need to be flexible to account for surprises like finding structural damage in a house, or the realization that meeting a predetermined deadline will be impossible. But everyone should agree together on changes and work on implementing the updated plan.
▶ Team Members
Even if it’s a small team, take the time to introduce everyone. Especially with extreme hoarding jobs, not all of the team members may be present at the outset. But the team leader should, at the least, have a list of everyone who will be involved. Knowing the players is most important for anxious hoarders whose suspicions may still be high at this early stage of the cleanup.
This is also a good time to divide up the job and decide who will be working on what part of the cleanup. The team leader should remind everyone that the hoarder is the boss, which is one more way to reinforce trust throughout the cleanup. Any team members who come later in the process should identify themselves to the hoarder so that the hoarder knows they belong there and aren’t just curious