Special MEGA Video for 600,000 Subs! (Originally a Members-Only Video)

This video was made for members-only about a year ago. But in celebration of hitting 600,000 subscribers, I'm releasing it to the public! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

[maryanneveite]

Your “Hi is the highlight of my week, 😂. Your narration is wonderful because your voice is soothing. And I can’t say enough about your compassion and empathy ❤❤❤

[mollynakamori]

Since you are used to "I would've just . . " I'm going to add one. I would've just sat down on the porch and cried. You are a hero and one brave soul.

[giancarloc]

It's irritating when people say "oh you should just redo everything." You're right. People really underestimate the costs of raw materials. Even plywood and drywall isn't cheap.

[MoonstarGem]

As the child of a hoarder who's hit that wall of "I can't devote anymore emotional or psychological pain to this, or I'm going to go insane", yes. All of that. My parents refuse psychological help. I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't be able to take them to my parent's house. It's literally not safe. I had to spend a night there several months ago, and I was coughing for days afterwards from the poor air quality. It's heartbreaking, but it's the honest truth.

[Kinypshun]

The sad thing is that after the cleaning, you can tell it was once a lovely home.

[maryannschwittek]

I totally understand about the clothes. I did Home Health Nursing. I’ve been in houses like this. I bought my work clothes from WalMart or thrift stores. And yes, there were times I came home and stripped on the back porch, and threw the clothes in the garbage. I didn’t want the clothes in my house, or in my Washer/Dryer. I really admire the work you do.

[DrofJustice]

At times when I cleaned my mother-in-law’s hoarder house, I wanted to give up and “gut it.” But it was HERS and my fiduciary duty was to recover the greatest value out of her house to pay for her care. I found that I could make a lot of it look really good with hard work, and then ultimately paint and replace flooring to transform it into something that was a great blessing to the next family and garnered $50, 000 more than the first realtor estimated. Her home and modest investments, carefully managed, covered her expensive full-time care in the final years and then left the children with inheritance. Worth the effort, for sure.

[zeitgeistwoman]

my mom blew up at me over cleaning her bedroom when she was in the hospital! she had paperwork flowing down and behind her bed, so cluttered there was no room to walk, teetering piles, the works, and when she came home she was going to need wound care nurses to come take care of her…

and I preserved her paperwork in scrapbooks for her and tried to show the utmost respect for her things.

But there was a fire hazard underneath her bed… my brother made a jury rigged electrical system with exposed connections that was just waiting for a mouse 🐁 or a piece of metal or paper to fall onto and ignite and kill her in her sleep, so i’m glad i took the heat of her anger 😡 and she was able to die peacefully at home with me caring for her in hospice, surrounded by her loved ones.

Thanks 🙏 for your generosity in releasing this video! I’m really enjoying it!

[RozaneBeyMcCurdy]

How I wish I were watching this video two generations ago when I attempted to "help" my grandmother with her hoard. She wanted everything clean, bright, and new, but she would NOT let me throw anything out. She ended up being evicted, living with her brother - also a hoarder, and died alone in a hospital somewhere.

When I started trying to pare down my mother's home, I realized the extent of her mother's mental illness and it flowing down to her. Fortunately, in one regard, my mother has dementia, so I can readily get rid of things that are unnecessary to keep. By the time she passes, I'll have little more to do than a nominal clear-out, and more time for grieving.

Naturally, I've discovered MY own hoarding tendencies, but have been actively trying to "death clean" now, so people won't have to clean up after me.

If I had the empathy back then which you are portraying now, I would have not held on to the anger and frustration I carried cleaning out hoards for years. You are helping more people than you know, and to all of those haters & "I woulda, coulda, shouldas", they can all suck it.

[jilldavies]

This composite video gave us a much better idea of the extent of the problem, the hard work involved, the difference you are making to the world one house at a time, and (particularly) how you are educating people like me about the mental illness that is hoarding.

I sincerely hope your one millionth subscriber is not too far off. You deserve it. Thank you for all that you do.

[sonja_jade]

So glad you pointed out the armchair quarterbacks who say "Why clean something that's getting replaced?" I'm an interior designer and I can promise you contractors worry about their health when taking out old things.

[NFSHeld]

I love how the answer to a lot of the "Why don't you just ..." questions is "Because I care about other people, too." I commend you for that attitude.

[harleyday]

I LOVE super long videos like this because I have ADHD so putting on something like this while I'm cleaning helps me feel like I'm not doing it alone and it makes it easier for me to finish, so thank you for this.

[SharonOnTheNet]

I wish we could have an update on the current state of this house.
Thank you for all that you do.

[mindyrutkowski]

You are so right about “just gutting the kitchen”, we did all the work ourselves and it still cost 20, 000 for a SMALL kitchen. I have empathy for people with hoarding but I feel even more for the poor animals 😢 I love your videos!!

[jessicaboyd]

I’m convinced you and Clean With Barbie are angels on earth. It makes me feel better knowing people like you two exist.

[normahenley]

Thank you for bringing awareness to PTSD and ADHD! My son was diagnosed about age 12 with ADHD and suffered a TBI, plus PTSD as a result of his tour in Iraq. After he succumbed to Veteran suicide, his wife had to pay for 3 dumpsters in order to get rid of all of his "treasures." We still have things from his childhood that he wouldn't allow me to declutter and/or repurpose and his wife has things as well. It is a definite delicate balance to bring it to their attention and to help them to stop the hoarding. I appreciate you and your videos!

[brendacollinsdeeks]

You have a kind heart to think of the other contractors and family that have to deal with the mess left behind by hoarders. I was one of those family members left to deal with a condo that was an absolute mess when my mother finally went into assisted living. Cleaning out her bathroom was the most traumatic experience of my life! Hoarding Disorder is an underestimated mental condition that impacts the patient and the extended family. Thank you for supporting those who have few resources to turn to for such help.

[aperson]

Cleaning is your way of changing the world for good. You take the dirty and make it clean, the chaotic and make it orderly, the neglected and show it some love and attention. Yes, I said love, you Midwestern tough guy. Deal with it! Who thought you could say "I love you, " to your fellow man with a bottle of Clean Freak and a vacuum. (Empathy for both the damaged and the damage they cause to others. Typical!) I demand this channel hit one million subscribers.

[peppermintea]

Thank you for giving this to non-members prematurely. I especially appreciated the stories of your background. I will still execute my planned campaign of forcing each of my family members to consider following