Hoarding Cleanup in Wood Dale, IL

Hoarding Cleanup Services in Wood Dale, IL

PuroClean provides you the hoarding help that you have a need for without being ashamed or embarrassed. Homes that may seem daunting and overwhelming due to the amount of clutter, trash, and abundance of personal belongings is one of our many areas of specialty.

The Challenge

Even though guilt and shame can come with the hoarding condition, PuroClean can help. Hoarders, along with their families, tend to remain at home, refuse to invite people in, and hide the hoarding conditions from relatives, well-wishers, and others that have concern and care. If hoarding is not dealt with, it can lead to very dire consequences.

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of hoarding may include:

• Excessively acquiring items that are not needed or for which there is no space,
• Persistent difficulty throwing out or parting with your things, regardless of actual value,
• Feeling a need to save these items, and being upset by the thought of discarding them,
• Building up of clutter to the point where rooms become unusable,
• Having a tendency toward indecisiveness, perfectionism, avoidance, procrastination, and problems with planning and organizing

Excessive acquiring and refusing to discard items result in:

• Disorganized piles or stacks of items, such as newspapers, clothes, paperwork, books, or sentimental items,
• Possessions that crowd and clutter your walking spaces and living areas and make the space unusable for the intended purpose, such as not being able to cook in the kitchen or use the bathroom to bathe,
• Buildup of food or trash to unusually excessive, unsanitary levels,
• Significant distress or problems functioning or keeping yourself and others safe in your home,
• Conflict with others who try to reduce or remove clutter from your home,
• Difficulty organizing items, sometimes losing important items in the clutter.

Hoarding – A Hazardous Situation

For many people, over a period of time, hoarding can slowly grow out of control and become impossible to manage. For most individuals, it can be quite hazardous cleaning up and restoring a hoarder’s premises. Hoarders have a very difficult time parting from their belongings. Furthermore, dealing with materially interested caring people, as well as family members, can create arguments and burn bridges that may last for years.

Hoarding presents a high level of danger and risk to property and more importantly life.

• Health hazards
• Trip hazards
• Hazardous to Those That Help
• Fire hazards
• Access and egress in case of emergency
• Putrid odors
• Deferred maintenance
• Obscured damage
• Cleaning Hazards

Excessive contents can hide serious problems such as:

• Water losses,
• Roof leaks,
• Exterior moisture penetration,
• Cause extensive and long-term damage,
• Structural integrity risks and failure issues.

Statistics show that hoarding affects “as many as 1 in every 20” individuals and is more common in older age groups, increasing with age. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), up to 5 percent of the world’s population display traits of clinically diagnosable hoarding. The National Study Group on Compulsive Disorganization guideline for comprehending the level of hoarding and its impact on a house:

Hoarding Level 1: Small areas of clutter, all doors and stairways easy to access, three or less locations of animal waste in the home and no smells; this is what’s considered safe and sanitary.

Hoarding Level 2: Dirty food prep surfaces, noticeable pet waste on the floors, garbage bins that are overflowing, signs of mildew in kitchens and bathrooms, light smells, 2 or more rooms inhabited by clutter, over 6 months of a malfunctioning healing, cooling or ventilation system, and at least one blocked exit.

Hoarding Level 3: Clutter becomes a problem inside and outside of the house at hoarding level 3. There are some major problems such as structural damage, smells that are very strong, and rooms becoming entirely impossible to use.

Hoarding Level 4: During hoarding level 4 social problems become markedly more apparent. There will be extreme problems like sewer backup, kitchens and bathrooms becoming nearly impossible to use, animal waste all over the floor, and much more. Everywhere you look mold and mildew are easily visible, and it is nearly impossible to live in multiple rooms.

Hoarding Level 5: This is the most extreme level of hoarding. There is a severe amount of structural damage around the property and smells run rampant. Basic necessities such as electricity and running water are gone, and the property needs severe restoration to become livable again. There are pests around, and garbage can make it very challenging to access certain parts of the house.

The Solution

The approach to cleaning up a hoarder’s home or building can be daunting for many reasons. Calling PuroClean is a good start. Our professional teams will work with compassion and empathy in developing a plan and executing the plan with you, family members, or caregivers as well as any other materially interested parties that want to provide the best care. As part of our services, PuroClean will ensure that no clutter is left behind for sentimental reasons, that everything is cleared, bagged properly, transported, and disposed of in a specialized manner, befitting the hazardous material it may be. PuroClean’s top priority is to ensure that their highly trained employees, the occupants, other materially interested parties, and the environment are properly protected.

Hoarding cleanup is another division of PuroClean’s biohazard remediation services, and involves a high level of forensic restoration and cleaning services in which our PuroClean franchises* have been specifically trained in. We know how to bring back a house and make it appear as great as before, even after hoarding problems.

The Cleaning Process – The PuroClean RapidDefense™ Program

Forensic cleaning is defined as the removal of biological contaminants to prepare surfaces, both vertical and horizontal, for professional disinfecting. There are two phases to the forensic cleaning process. First, all surfaces are dry cleaned with disposable microfiber pads to reduce both the bio load and the soil load to prepare them for wet cleaning.

Next, wet cleaning process involves the application of an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant/cleaner dispensed through a foaming unit and manipulated via mechanical action using disposable microfiber pads.

As we are not cleaning for appearance but for health, all surfaces may be clean to the eye, however, testing the surfaces is an essential step to ensuring we have accomplished our goal, that we have cleaned for health.

How Hoarding Can Affect Insurance Claims

Homes that are in poor condition after hoarding problems can be susceptible to insurance coverage issues due to lack of maintenance and degradation that occurs in these environments. Some insurance carriers, brokers, and agents will provide a list of concerns and issues detailing what safety and maintenance fixes to retain policy coverage. Failure to address these issues can lead to a loss in insurance coverage.

While calling in professionals like PuroClean and their expert crews to assist in sorting through a house and providing cleanup services may not be easy, it may be required to help with the daunting tasks related to the cleanup and remediation.

PuroClean’s biohazard remediation services are available near you and around the clock 24/7. Call PuroClean anytime at (630) 477-9120.

Providing Hoarding Cleanup Solutions Calls for Empathy and Compassion

The goal with any new project that PuroClean is hired for, is to make sure that everything is addressed according to the needs of the client and return the property over in a healthy and safe manner. Our technicians are careful, empathic, and compassionate for all those involved with the project, while helping all who are coming to terms with this problem. PuroClean wants to ensure open communication and while showing concern and empathy for all materially interested individuals dealing with these sensitive and concerning scenarios.

PuroClean of Wood Dale, IL approach to hoarding cleanup:

Initial inspection – Every job starts with a first inspection and assessment to establish Health and Safety as the top priority. Next, PuroClean will make a plan of remediation, restoration, and cleanup according to the project details. Because every hoarding situation is unique and different, so too is the need for building a strong working schedule that helps move things along expeditiously.

Safety – Concern about protection is very important when working on a cleanup and remediation project. PuroClean makes it part of our responsibility to implement first aid kits, insect repellants or control solutions, flashlights, and fire extinguishers so that they are easily ready and accessible. We will also use the proper personal protective equipment for all of our employees.

Giving all the cleaning supplies – During the entire cleaning process, PuroClean uses various equipment and cleaning supplies. Our company response vehicles are equipped with all required items, equipment, PPE, cleaning solutions, and all other tools that may be needed to tackle the daily tasks.

Staging a dumpster – Dumpsters are very important while conducting a hoarding cleanup, and PuroClean will consult the property’s responsible party for assistance in locating an open area for a dumpster to be placed safely. This will also be done in an effort to minimize any possible damage resulting from placement and removal. Dumpsters allow the PuroClean technicians to place all “to be disposed of” contents from the property fast and efficiently.

Decluttering – The decluttering process of the entire home does take some time. Gradually, individuals pay notice to the ongoing progress and it inspires them to keep going. Taking away all the clutter from an individual area is an easy task, but only once it commences fully and with open communication with everyone involved.

Sorting the contents – Two piles are created for all salvageable items: one pile is “keep” and the other is “donate”. Local laws, rules and regulations must be checked for any items that may require special handling. Guidance from local laws are followed when bagging up and throwing away all trash and debris.

Repairing and cleaning the house – When the entire house is clutter-free, remediation and repairs are started if needed. These can include:

• Restoration services (after fire, water, mold, or biohazard damage),
• Forensic cleaning with application of disinfectant that includes the house and any salvageable items and contents.
• Surface prep and repainting,
• Re-carpeting.

Hiring PuroClean brings the best highly trained team and cleaning services focusing on top-quality care for all. We have the highest quality of services, and our speed and compassion during the remediation and cleaning are unrivaled. No matter how challenging a cleanup might appear, we are willing to put in the work to keep our customers happy.

*It is crucial to know that not all PuroClean offices offer biohazard restoration solutions. If there is a need for a cleanup for a hoarding problem, take time to contact the main office at 1-800-775-7876 to connect with the closest PuroClean Franchise near you.