Hoarding

I work with both clients that have been diagnosed with Hoarding Disorder and with clients that have not been diagnosed but their home falls somewhere on the Hoarding Scale. I also work with family and friends of someone who demonstrates hoarding behavior or whose home is on the hoarding scale.

*Please note: If a residence has an active infestation or significant organic waste, I cannot begin my work until both have been removed. Please contact me for referrals in helping you to do that.

The Clutter Image Rating scale is also helpful when speaking to professionals and describing your residence.

Together, we work to develop and plan to increase safety and comfort in the home in a way that is honoring to both the residents of the home and to the friends and family who care about them. We work not only to reduce potential and immediate harms, but also to improve quality of life for the long run, employing new strategies that are empowering and genuinely beneficial to the residents of the home. As a professional organizer, I specialize in working with clients with hoarding behavior.

What is Hoarding?

Experts on compulsive hoarding use the following characteristics to define hoarding:

The acquisition of, and failure to discard, possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value.
Living spaces that are sufficiently cluttered as to preclude intended use.
Significant distress or impairment caused by the clutter.

What are the signs of Hoarding?

Extreme collection and storage of items in the home and in the yard.
Rooms no longer used for their intended purpose (not sleeping on the bed in the bedroom, unable to cook in the kitchen, toilet not functional or shower unusable).
Accumulation of combustible materials (newspapers, magazine, and rubbish).
Blocked exits (doors, windows).
Narrow pathways in the home.
Rodent or insect infestations.
Rotting and/or expired food or used food containers left rotting.
Human or animal waste.
Long-term neglect of home maintenance.
Non-working utilities, such as heat, running water, sewer, refrigeration.

Good tips to remember:

Hoarding exists on a continuum.
A residence can be hoarded but the resident may not have Hoarding Disorder. Often neurodivergence (such as ADHD, Spectrum Disorder, depression, etc.) can influence hoarding behaviors.
Hoarding is not the same as cluttering.
Hoarding is not the same as chronic disorganization

If you or a loved one struggles with hoarding behavior or a hoarded home, there’s much we can do together. Schedule a free, 20-minute conversation so we can talk about the possibilities.