Cleaning a Level 9 Hoarder House for FREE!

#autistic

[misspumpkin]

I have a family member who is (rough estimate) level 6 hoarder, not the worst, but she's at a point in her life where she believes she can't change. I've been showing her your videos, and it gets her excited to start letting things go. With the hoarders tv show, she always said that the only way they could get the homes so much better was thousands of dollars and a team of 12 cleaners, but seeing the transformations you give people gave her a little kick in the butt that it is possible with just us. It's slow going, but she's been at it for almost 3 months now, and she's been able to get rid of all the actual garbage and about 15-20% of the useless junk (with her admitting that it's useless and needs to go). Her goal is to have her first floor finished by Christmas, fingers crossed we can help her achieve it (you with your fantastic videos, and me with some time and elbow grease as needed).
Update: She did make it. She actually got the first floor done a few weeks earlier than expected and we found the Christmas tree when we opened the basement to check it out. Y'all! It was amazing to see her face light up when she saw her tree up for the first time in over a decade. Its a really big basement, and that was kinda the initial "dumping ground, " so shes giving herself the entirety of 2024 to complete it. Progress is there though, maybe 65% emptied at this point (June 2024).

[kathleenkaufmann]

I'm a hoarder. I have dug out my old house, sold it, and moved and am actively combating my disease, weekly cleaning and so far, have kept my house reasonably clean for 2 years. I'm also a registered nurse, retired, and I understand what causes hoarding. You gave one of the best and most compassionate explanations for hoarding I've heard. I really like that you have expressed the need for therapy to break the cycle. It is really essential! Thank you for helping these folk and being so compassionate. This is so hard to let someone come in and clean and help. I let them haul away 3 small dumpsters and still should have let more go. Even knowing what was wrong. We can be our own worst enemies sometimes.

[iEmnerz]

Her helping throw things away is such a huge step for healing. It solidifies that she can do this. She can do hard things. That she can heal.

[dboyd]

BTW. After years of therapy for my hoarding, I have NOTHING on my countertops anymore. I have clutter blindness. I am also NOT allowed to bring anything else into the home. I don't buy decor, magazines, books, DVDs, candles, or anything that will clutter my home. I do buy cleaner and paper towels lol. My home may look boring, but it is clean and easy to clean. P.S. I also gave away all my magnets on the fridge. One less thing to buy when traveling.

[werewolf]

Your daughter wearing a "Best Grampa Ever" shirt tells me the sense of humor is hereditary

[nancyfahey]

I was a cleaner for a home health agency while I was going for my cna/hha certificate. I was also a container saver/ hoarder until one of my clients showed me what could happen. She had stacks of used, cleaned containers over our heads with a small path thru her house to get to other rooms.
I gave my husband permission to discard of my collection, just don't let me see it. It worked.

[Cynthiaroach]

There are people who pretend to know what depression is like, and then there’s this guy. The way you explained it is spot on and that is so appreciated. Most people can’t wrap their minds around the idea of mentally not being able to clean. It isn’t laziness. Sometimes we just can’t.

[Lookatmeshine]

I'm a hoarder and have decided that enough is enough. I want a house I love and can entertain and fill with memories. Found this video and your channel is spurring me on to fix my house and my life. Thank you ❤

[laurasara]

For the record, Im a heroin addict. I started with pills at 18 years old, by 24 I shot meth and heroin daily. At 25, I asked a family member for help. I had already tried and relapsed several times, never clean more than a week or two. I took my 3 year old daughter and moved an hour away from my high school sweetheart, best friend, and father of my child. My relative paid hundreds each month for my clinic. It was a rough start, but I stayed clean. My ex overdosed, and died. Our daughter found him. We thought he was clean, being fresh out of jail. I am now 36 years old, and I have not faltered. Not one relapse.

My point is, weighing statistics against the huge inconvenience and financial burden of helping me, my mom would have said no. Like my late husbands family. It would have been reasonable and I’m fully aware of that. No one owed me anything, especially my mother. If she hadn’t taken a chance on me, I am fairly certain I’d be dead too. I’m endlessly grateful, and I know how grateful these people must be for this man’s compassion, time, effort, and expense to take a chance on them. What he’s doing is so important, and so impactful. Regardless of the state of this home a year later.

[wellarmedwife]

I found it fascinating that while the rest of the kitchen was a hot mess, the plants were clearly well tended. Credit to them for taking the first step

[saskiabuchner]

This is the only cleaning channel, where my no. 1 reason for coming back is not the cleaning or even the transformations. It's the smack talking and the passion for helping others without making it a big deal of it or trying to make others see you as an angelic saviour. Stupid though, that we still see you like that. If there where more people like you around this world it would be a better place. Lots of love from germany 😘

[thisismyyoutube]

I just found your channel and love it!

My mom hoards, and it has gotten worse since her husband died. All of us kids were really focused on getting her to throw things away which of course, just made her more anxious. Every time I went home I got anxious too, because it was just so overwhelming.

The last time I went, I just decided to vacuum, sweep, and clean up the yard of branches and debris. I trimmed bushes and bought some cheap solar lights to light up her mailbox and pathway to the house. She was so delighted.

She started asking me to help her with some stuff inside. She asked me to help her reorganize two bedrooms. Just some little things, They looked so much better when we were done and she was very happy with it. I think knowing that I wasn't going to try and make her throw things away made her more open to talking about things. She even showed me a dead mouse on a glue trap behind the microwave and asked me to get rid of it. It was mummified.

Since then she has been getting rid of some things on her own. Anything she asks me if I want, instead of saying, "I don't need that junk, you should just throw it away." I thank her profusely and take it. If I don't want it, I just drop it off at Goodwill.

At any rate, watching this really inspired me and next time I go I will clean the cabinets!

[PlancoandChill]

Probably the first time I have ever openly admitted this. I live in a hoarded house. We have had losses on both sides. My partner lost their mother and I lost my father and then step father. Then our garbage service got complicated. Then the trash built up and then stuff from my partners moms house and stuff from my dads arrived. It got worse and worse. Every day I want to clean it up and every day I dont. I have medical problems and I am very overweight.
Some time soon we will get a dumpster. This will break the cycle. I am in therapy and honestly starting to improve a lot.

[jilldavies]

Your empathy and understanding of the hoarding disorder humbles me. You are a wonderful man. Thank you for the good work you and your team do.

[sharonstuebi]

I have had so much horrific trauma in my life starting at 3 years old. I have been homess 6 time's. I dont think i was ever a typical hoarder but i went thru a time that if i didnt have 80 rolls of toilet paper i would truly freak out. Now im down to 6 packs of baby wipes. If an item isnt multifunctional it doest get into my home. Only thing on my counter is mt recipee box, my cookbook stand, one trivet for hot pans, salt, pepper and a pretty oil dispenser. Of course a soap dispencer and a sponge.
I have lost so much and had to start over so many times. I have a strange detachment to stuff. I also have what you described in another video. I will give things to others . It gives me sooo much joy. But i struggle to get things for myself. I have an amazing adopted son who is my full time caregiver. He allows me to do what i can, and picks up the difference. We are a great team. My house is incredibly organized due to my ocd. And clean because my son cleans. We just started a wall photo gallery. I lost all my baby photo albums. And the rest got left behind. For christmas this year my sister gave me many photos. ❤
Anyway, im so glad i found your channell. And you make me belly laugh

[ourygrip]

After years of amphetamine abuse, drinking everyday, trash hoarding and having my house look like this.... after a year off speed I have become obsessed with cleaning and working on my house. I love watching these videos while cleaning at night. Its become super therapeutic. Love it.

[jantona]

I'm not a hoarder. I don't think my home is even particularly dirty, especially compared to something like this situation. But it easily gets overwhelming for me to confront cleaning it all. Seeing the two of you work through this space methodically and improve it so much is really inspiring me that I can do it too!

[Tazzie]

I really appreciate how respectful your cleaning style is - I've seen people act like they forgot this is someone's home, and you never seem to do that.

[lauriepicerno]

I really admire how even with the amount of work you have to put in to clean these houses you take so much care to make it as pleasant visually as you can. I can only imagine how grateful the homeowners are ❤

[leslieshand]

I’m an Air Force brat. I have moved 23 times.i really didn’t think I was a keeper of things. Then last year, my health has forced me to sell my home and downsize. I was SHOCKED at what I had kept. With help from friends, 18 bags of clothes, towels and bedding were donated. 33 clear bins are packed and labeled, things I absolutely want to keep. My realtor saw it before and after and asked me to speak to his wife lol.
I hope after all your hard work, this couple can live somewhat clutter free.