Top 5 Self-Help Tips for Hoarders

The build-up of clutter in the home can hamper your quality of life in a variety of ways. From posing a potential safety threat to negatively affecting your mental health, dangerous clutter can bring with it a deep-seated sense of shame and separation.

With an estimated 5% of the UK population dealing with a form of hoarding disorder, it’s important to first recognise that you are not alone.

Often developing in childhood, evidence of compulsive hoarding can be found across all age ranges. In fact, multiple clinical trials have found evidence that the severity of hoarding actually increases with age, with those suffering from the disorder often struggling to cope with feelings of depression and isolation. 

Starting your journey towards a safer and cleaner household can be difficult, but know that there is always professional support when you need it. Our discreet and friendly hoarder clean up team will work closely with you from start to finish, helping you to achieve the results you are looking for with a service tailored to your individual needs. Get in touch today on 0208 0586 425 or via email at enquiries@hoardercleanup.co.uk to get started.

Below, we’ve put together 5 self-help tips to help guide you on your journey to a clutter-free home. Remember, even small steps can over time add up to big wins.

Tip 1: Speak out to friends & family

The sense of isolation that stems from a hoarding disorder can feel overwhelming, often leading to you spending less time socialising with family and friends. This in turn creates a vicious cycle that can cause your relationships to suffer.

Learning to speak to a friend or family member is a wonderfully effective way of talking through your feelings and issues, helping you to work together with the other person to spark a change. 

Those who are close to you will not judge you for expressing yourself openly, and you’ll most likely find that just the act of talking will help you to relieve stress and help how you feel. Whether you choose to ask the other person for advice or for an extra pair of hands to remove the clutter, the choice is entirely up to you.

Top Tip:If you’re worried about how your family or friends may react or have had a negative experience speaking to them before, we recommend joining a local support group, where you can discuss how you feel with others in a similar situation.

Tip 2: Seek professional assistance

With experience assisting in hoarding scenarios of all sizes and forms, we suggest considering getting professional help for your situation. 

Depending on the amount of clutter in your home, it may also be a risk to your health to attempt to remove it yourself, for example, if clutter is piled up high. Your local hoarder cleaning service will arrive and assess the situation, creating a personalised cleaning plan for your individual needs.

Working with extreme cleaning professionals will also grant you peace of mind, knowing that your valuables will be handled with care and that you will have the final word over which items are kept and which are removed. 

Following the removal of the unwanted items, the area will be thoroughly disinfected and sanitised with specialist equipment, as bacteria and pests thrive in cluttered environments. At last, you will be delighted to enjoy an uncluttered environment – with advice and assistance from industry experts.

Tip 3: Set small, achievable goals

“Too often we convince ourselves that massive results require massive action.”James Clear, Atomic Habits

Feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand is completely normal. In such a case, it is important that you break down the task into smaller goals that you can easily achieve. 

Attempting to do a lot in one go, such as removing clutter from an entire room, can easily leave you feeling demotivated if you fail to do so. Smaller goals include throwing away one item every day or moving three items to a discard pile that you will remove at the end of the week. This will help you get accustomed to the feeling of getting rid of unwanted objects. You can then increase this number over time. 

Small habits that are established and followed every day will help to give you a sense of satisfaction without being overwhelming. This is a great way to stay motivated as you tackle the clutter in your home.

Tip 4: Keep a diary

Writing in a diary can help you in many ways. It can be a place to write down your daily goals, as well as somewhere you can express your feelings openly and without judgement. We recommend making it a habit to write in your diary every day.

Taking inspiration from our previous point, you can simply write two or three lines in your diary per day, or however much you need. You can also look back on previous pages in your diary to find patterns in emotion and behaviour, helping you to avoid potential triggers.

Consider asking yourself questions like:

• How do I feel when I am in a cluttered room?
• How would I feel without clutter in my home?
• What could I be doing with the space?
• Who can I talk to about my feelings?

Tip 5: Be proud of every win, no matter how small

Speaking out to friends and family, recording your feelings in a diary, and seeking professional assistance are small wins that can create big change. Learning to celebrate these achievements and the positive outcomes that come from them will help you to feel more comfortable in your new environment. 

By building upon and celebrating these wins for what they are, you can look back on them whenever you feel the trigger or urge to collect more objects. Judge yourself positively and you’ll promote positive outlook in the future.

Summing up:

Just by reading this, you’ve already taken the first step to learning to manage your attachment to your belongings. Here are three key takeaways to consider:

• Talk about your feelings with friends and family. This can be a wonderful way of letting off pent-up stress.
• Keep a diary where you write about your daily goals and wins, which will be something you can look back on when times are difficult.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Professional assistance is here when you need it.

Our experienced cleaners will work closely with you from the outset to achieve your desired results. To learn more about how we can help, get in touch today on 0208 0586 425 or via email at enquiries@hoardercleanup.co.uk .