Tips For Overcoming The Mess
We know that if you or a loved one exhibit hoarding behaviors, the thought of cleaning the house is daunting. While it will be overwhelming to start with, if you have a plan in place, it will be much easier. Coming up with a strategy is the best way to get it done. Just diving into the mess is going to be too challenging and you’ll be less likely to complete the hoarder clean-out. At Junk Crusaders, we know a thing or two about cleaning large amounts of junk. We have a few tips that might help you develop a sure-fire strategy and be able to tackle this mess with confidence.
Tip 1: Segment the Areas You Want to Clean
One of the best pieces of advice we can give is to segment your home into small sections and tackle them one at a time. Cleaning a little bit here and a little bit there isn’t nearly as effective as working in one area at a time. Segment by location, not by type of stuff. You can tackle segments as small as you’d like to, even if it’s just one shelf or drawer at a time. It’s easy to stay motivated with this method of cleaning because you can see your results as you go. If you just clean randomly, you’ll look around and still see a mess. If you clean one segment at a time, you can step back and see results because that small section you just worked on is now clean!
Tip 2: Create “Destination Piles”
Most likely, you’re going to come across a lot of items you no longer want. You need to have a place ready to temporarily store these items before you take them to their final destinations. Before you ever begin your hoarder clean-out process, have designated areas to start piles for trash, recycling, and donations. That way, you know exactly where to put the things you no longer want. These piles will make it much easier to gather items to haul off later. You’ll have all of your donation center items together, all of your garbage items together, and all of your recycling center items together. We recommend throwing your piles into storage bins for easy transportation later.
Tip 3: Don’t Save it For Later
As you’re working through your segments, don’t just move items from one area to another. Make a pact with yourself that you will put every item where it belongs the first time that it comes into your hands. Setting some items aside to deal with another time is a good way to prolong your cleaning experience, feel less productive, and lose motivation. Every item that you come in contact with needs to be put in its new home. If you can’t think of a good home for it, there’s a good chance you don’t need to keep it any longer.
Tip 4: Implement a 6 Month Rule
While we encourage you to either find a home for or discard every item as you first come across it, we know that sometimes you just can’t make the decision yet. If there are items you’re unsure of, close them up in a box and put them away for 6 months. If at the end of the 6 months you haven’t pulled the items out, get rid of them. This is a great method that lets you see what you actually need and use. Then it’s more clear what you can live without.
Tip 5: Ask For Help
Cleaning and organizing a home that’s especially cluttered and messy is an overwhelming project. Luckily, you don’t have to do it yourself. Recruit helpers to assist you in this process. Friends and family can help you sort and organize items to make the process go by faster. If you find yourself needing more help than that, there are other resources out there to help you. Our team, for instance, can come in and clean out anything you plan to get rid of. If your destination piles are starting to get big, Junk Crusaders could take them to the proper centers so your unwanted stuff isn’t in your way anymore.
Our junk removal offerings are full service, meaning you can just tell us what you want gone and we’ll load it and haul it away to be disposed of. To discuss this service with us, just give us a call or book our team online. We’d be happy to come out and assist with this task! Our team isn’t afraid of a little hard work and knows how overwhelming this can be. These suggestions are a good place to start. Don’t lose motivation as you work, keep going! The results will be worth it.
