Most families have one. Some say it’s a bit of a disorder, like compulsive gambling, and you never know when you see someone in the street, they may have it too. It’s called hoarding and it’s an affliction that causes a lot of clutter, and even tons of mess.

Hoarding wouldn’t be so bad if the hoarder could be convinced to let go of some of the accumulated possessions, or at least do something about keeping them stored in a safe place where they don’t pile up and get in the way.

A hoarder could be reluctant to admit that he or she is one. Woe betides the person that confronts a hoarder and tells them like it is. It isn’t something to relish, telling a hoarder to clean up their act.

One may be tempted to tell the hoarder that its fine to keep all the stuff in storage elsewhere and point out that by hoarding the house is unattractive.

Fortunately, nearby storage facilities such as Stop & Store Penrith are easily located just on the outskirts of Penrith, within close reach of neighbouring communities. Here a storage room large enough to accommodate the contents of a one bedroomed apartment can be used to store whatever is being hoarded unnecessarily.

Approaching a hoarder to discuss this move requires a bit of tact. Let’s see how best to approach the subject.

Hoarding: How to Tackle the Issue

We see many programs on television about the misery and distress that hoarding can cause in a family situation. Hoarders are known to accumulate so much because of their need to hold onto everything they own. Even old cartons, bottles, packets that contained food are kept for that “just in case” moment. Trying to convince a hoarder to get rid of things that may never be used is a challenging task.

Tactically if you would like to tackle the problem and get the hoarder in your circle to do something positive about their habit, here are a few guidelines to follow:

  • Make hoarding as difficult as possible by not supporting the habit.
  • It’s not your job to do any cleaning of the mess the hoarder is causing
  • Don’t expect immediate results and try not show your frustrations with the slow pace of improvement
  • If there is disagreement about something, be diplomatic
  • Tackle the issue covertly, to avoid head on clashes about the hoarding
  • Be aware that the hoarder could be in denial or even have some health or psychological issues

While you probably can see the result that you’d like and are dying to clean up and throw things away, it’s not your place to do so.

A self storage room would help in a big way, as affordable a cheap storage room in Penrith this can be considered as the best solution to keep unwanted goods out of the way until they are needed. It could serve as a solution by being an intermediate step to reducing the excess in the house.

Cleaning up a Hoarder House

Following advice from those that have succeeded in cleaning up a hoarder situation it is apparent that a lot of diplomacy and patience helps to get the job done. The first thing to remember is that hoarders generally become antisocial. This is because the state of their living conditions becomes progressively dirtier and sometimes the smell in the house becomes unconducive for having people to visit.

Clothes and personal effects are not kept in good condition and are not stored well. The living areas, kitchen and bathrooms have piles of dirty appliances with plates, glasses and cups being washed only when they are needed.

It becomes difficult to confront a hoarder with the situation, so it may help if you show some love and good intentions, you are there to help.

The hoarder could have become a bit of a recluse, so getting a conversation going may be difficult. On top of this they are likely not to be proud of their mess and living conditions.

A tradeoff to having a cleaner environment and being organized and maintaining a better living style can be introduced as a concept.

Once the hoarder accepts that a simple cleanup is needed, then this gives you the opportunity to help do so.

Getting Ready to Use Your Storage Room

You will need to separate the trash from the items that may still be needed. Two piles will help and getting the hoarder to acknowledge the trash shouldn’t be too difficult.

Once the junk is removed from the house it’s time to attend to the sanitary aspects:

  • Use a strong disinfectant to sanitize from ceiling to floor.
  • A good scrub of working surfaces is essential: such as the kitchen and bathroom.
  • Add some good smelling deodorant to get make the smell of the house more attractive.

Then pack up the balance of rarely used items into  a self storage room while you both decide what to do with everything. Chances are that over time the hoarder, with less used items out of sight, will forget about them, and they can be thrown away.

How a Self Storage Room Works for You

If you are looking for a place to store the items from such a situation, the look no further than self storage.

While security may be a concern, there is no need to worry. You have an option of using two locks to secure the heavy-duty bar across the door of the self storage room, while we monitor it day and night.

Stop & Store Penrith is well positioned in the Cumbria to provide self storage to the community. The location is very handy, on the A66 just outside Penrith.

When renting a storage unit from us, it can be done by phone, email, or online through our website, by going to  https://www.stopandstore.co.uk/penrith-storage/. We take your details and do everything electronically for your convenience.

Call us any time at 01768 800291 and our friendly Stop & Store staff members will be pleased to assist.