Am I a Hoarder or a Collector?

10/13/2016 (Permalink)

Collecting or Hoarding

Hoarding When occupants of a home cannot freely move about the home, must climb over debris to get from one room to another, or are unable to use the bathroom, bathe, or safely store and cook food in the kitchen, it poses a significant risk to their health and safety. We often get calls from a family member or friend of someone who has fallen or became ill due to the excess debris in the home. Excessive hoarding is also a fire hazard and a danger to the resident and their neighbors.

Hoarding is a compulsive behavior characterized by a person’s collecting and saving items, leading to an accumulation of physical objects which impacts that person’s life, and oftentimes, the lives of the people around him or her. There is a big difference between hoarding and collecting. Hoarders put themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors in danger by creating fire hazards and unsanitary conditions . In most hoarded homes we discover biohazards and conditions that pose a biological concern that must be addressed so nobody gets ill.

SERVPRO of Malibu specializes in Hoarding remediation when there is a lot of debris, which in most cases includes biohazards. SERVPRO of Malibu safely navigates hazards such as rodent feces, human waste, bed bugs, fleas, animals, mold, years of filth and dust hidden beneath, in or behind the debris. Rodents and their droppings pose the risk of Hantavirus, a respiratory disease that can be fatal if not addressed properly. Our goal is to return your home free of all unwanted debris while finding and safeguarding the items and furniture you wish to keep.