Sandra asked 6 years ago
A few months ago I opened up to my family about me being a compulsive hoarder, I tried seeking professional help but longed to tell my family as I knew they were the only people that would truly understand.
For years, I have been pushing my family away and would not let them into my home due to being embarrassed by the state of it, once I told them about it and showed them around my home, it felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
I have received so much support over these past few months from my family and friends, they have helped me remove sentimental items from my home so that I can begin the house clearance process.
I am now ready to finally have my home cleared so that I can start fresh and hopefully begin a new life and have people around again.
I live in a town house in Hillingdon, it has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a lounge, a living room, an open-plan kitchen, an office and three large storage cupboards, all spread out over three floors.
Looking from the outside, you would never know I was living in a cluttered house, I always maintain my front garden and just keep my curtains closed at all times so that the clutter blocking the windows can’t be seen.
The first floor has a small porch entrance with a shoe rack and a few plant pots to be removed.
Entering a large hallway from the porch you are met with stacks of boxes reaching waist height, I don’t even know what is in these boxes, they have been there that long, there is also a huge pile of unopened mail in the corner and dead plants on shelves.
From the hallway is the lounge to the right, this room never gets used, there is large bay windows with the curtains drawn, letting in no sun light, there is a three seat sofa, two reclining armchairs, a large metal topped desk, a towel rack, a large sideboard, a nest of tables and a television stand, this is all buried underneath mountains of newspapers, empty cardboard boxes, boxes of ornaments, boxes of Christmas decorations, stacks of books etc, I would say the clutter is piled half-way up to the ceiling, you can’t see the carpet.
The back of the hallway leads to an open-plan kitchen, there is a large dark wood Welsh dresser to the left, it is covered with crockery and ornaments and full inside, there is a bar in the corner with four bar stools, there is an American style fridge freezer, an under counter fridge, a washing machine and a tumble dryer, all the cupboards are filled with food, crockery etc, there’s a circular mahogany dining table with four chairs, stacked on top is about 30 boxes of bric-a-brac and in one corner there is about 500 cook books.
At the top of the stairs on the second floor is a bathroom, there is a chest of drawers and a blanket box to be cleared from there.
Next door to the bathroom is a storage cupboard, it is filled with towels, bedding and coat hangers, you can’t access the storage cupboard until clutter from the upstairs hallway has been cleared, the upstairs hallway is the same as the downstairs one, with boxes piled high.
Up a few steps to the left is a spare bedroom, this is piled to the ceiling with loose clutter and boxes containing old toys, clothing, paperwork etc, buried under the clutter is a single bed and mattress, a double wardrobe and a chest of drawers.
Further along is my office, this has a large pine corner desk, a computer, two metal filing cabinets and a chest of drawers, there is roughly 30 boxes containing paperwork, books, stationery etc.
Next door to the office is another storage cupboard, filled with Christmas decorations, again, this can’t be accessed.
At the end of the hallway is another spare bedroom, there is a huge amount of clutter and stacked boxes blocking the door, inside is a double bed, two wardrobes, two bedside units and a chest of drawers, the bed is piled to waist height with mountains of clothing, the floor space has been covered with loose clutter including books, paperwork, shoes etc.
To the right is another staircase with a landing at the top.
Off the landing is another bathroom and another storage cupboard, the bathroom has been used for storage.
To the left is my main bedroom, inside is a king-size bed and mattress, three wardrobes, two bedside units, a chest of drawers and a dressing table, all the wardrobes and drawers are full to the brim with clothing etc, there is roughly 20 boxes of shoes, 20 boxes of magazines, and stacks of books.
I want absolutely everything cleared, all furniture, all carpets and all white goods.
My family have planned to redecorate and furnish my home for me once it has been cleared, I am overwhelmed by the support I have received from them, maybe if I confided in them sooner I wouldn’t be in this mess.
Any recommendations of house clearance companies in Hillingdon would be much appreciated.
Thank you, Sandra.
Alice B answered 5 years ago
Good Afternoon Sandra,
After recieving support from my family and friends, they helped me through my hoarding stage and arranged to have my home cleared and cleaned.
Last year I opened up to my mum about being a hoarder and let her see the state in which my home had become, my mum never judged and instead gave me support and helped me through, she helped me to learn to let go of items which I thought held sentimental value.
It took six months for me to finally learn that none of the items were sentimental to me and held no significant value, I was hoarding things such as newpaprs, magazines and even rubbish, my mum and family were very patient with me, they never rushed me and allowed me to get through it in my own time.
Whilst I was slowly uncluttering my home, I was living with my mum, I found that once I seen one room clear, I was able to let go of everything so that I could have a fresh start.
My mum done some research to find a specialist company who can help with this type of hoarded house clearance, she found The Cluttered House Clearance Company who came to clear my three story town house in Hillingdon.
My mum and dad were very supportive throughout the whole process and i recieved support from close friends too, my mum bought me new furniture, appliances and carpets as my old ones were falling apart.
I am forever grateful to them.
Once the clearance date came around I grew more and more nervous, my mum and I met the specialists at my home at 9am, the team made me feel at ease right away, they explained that I did not have to be present for the house clearance being carried out as it would be difficult for me, they kept me updated via phone as they were clearing.
It took two days to completely clear my three bedroom house of all clutter, furniture, appliances, carpets and curtains.
The team worked very fast, they managed to clear the first floor and half of the second floor on the first day, this all included mountains of rubbish and clutter piled to waist height, they informed me that they managed to donate one van load to a local charity in Hillingdon.
On the second day, the team cleared the rest of the second floor and my master bedroom which was on the top floor.
The whole process from start to finish was made easy for me, looking back I am now able to laugh at the silly things I was hoarding, I now throw away rubbish straight away and keep my house as minimalist as possible.
The team showed me around on the second day once they had finished clearing and cleaning my hoarded house, it had been a long time since I seen my home empty, they provided an outstanding service and I can highly recommend them to clear hoarded and cluttered houses in Hillingdon.
You can find their contact info at http://www.clutteredhouseclearace.com, My mum arranged the whole clearance with Tiffany from head office, she gave us extensive details on the service and broke down for us exactly what the clearance and clean entailed.
You can contact Tiffany at clutteredclearances@yahoo.com.
I hope this information helps you and good luck in the future.
Alice B
Lauren answered 5 years ago
Hi Sandra, I can confirm with Alice, I also used The Cluttered House Clearance company to clear my hoarded and cluttered house in Hillingdon last year.
Unlike yous, I had no support from friends and family but managed to get through it, I couldn’t be happier since having my home cleared, I now live in a smaller property in Hillingdon.
I do find that I buy the odd random thing from time to time, but have came up with the motto “if you don’t need it, don’t buy it” this motto has helped me when it comes to shopping so that I don’t impulse buy.
I am so glad I used The Cluttered House Clearance Company to clear my home, their team are very professional and never judged my situation once, they made me feel at ease.
Lauren
AFTA Staff answered 5 years ago
Hiya, hopefully I can add further assistance.
We have a member that is fully licensed with the UK Environment Agency and also fully insured to undertake the clearance of hoarded and cluttered houses.
They cover all UK areas and list costs and prices on their website.
Check our members page here The Cluttered & Hoarded House Clearance Company
Hoarded house before and after pics | Hoarded house clearance how much? | Hoarded house clearance FAQs
Hope this helps Andy (AFTA Staff)