The Secret Lives of Hoarders: True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter (28 page)

I truly appreciate the support of my friends and family on this journey. I owe my uncle John for driving across the country on my first business adventure and teaching me the joy of figuring it out along the way. The women in my life pushed me to be the man I am today, and I love them all: Nanny, Be-Be, Jane, and Spiker. Be-Be taught me much more than she will ever know, and I appreciate the wonderfully eccentric lady that she is. My mom always believed in me even though she just wanted me to get a real job. I know that she is proud and that's all I ever wanted. This book was born around the same time as my son, and I want to thank my wife, Sarah, for encouraging me to continue to work on the book and the show when I just wanted to stay home with her and Cooper. I love you both so much.

Finally, Colin, Woody, James, Cabell, and Page at Clutter Cleaner are all truly my brothers. From our very first house to whatever adventures lie ahead of us, I am proud of the men they have become. A special thanks to our clients, who have taught me so much by sharing their deepest thoughts and secrets with the crew and me. Their stories and lessons will live on in this book and help other families understand, heal, and grow.

Page numbers in
italics
indicate photographs; those in
bold
indicate charts.

abuse and hoarding

acceptance of cleanup, importance of

accepting responsibility

accomplishing the cleanup

ADD/ADHD (attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder) and hoarding

addiction and hoarding

Adult Protective Services (APS)

advocate for the hoarder

Aimee's case

ambush approach

American society and hoarding

animal control

animal hoarders

anxiety disorders and hoarding

anxiety (expressing) by hoarder

appraisers

APS (Adult Protective Services)

Asperger's syndrome

assessing the cleanup

asthma

attachment to possessions

attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (ADD/ADHD) and hoarding

auctioneers

authorities and planning the cleanup

avoiding reality

backsliding

“beating the system,”

beginning cleanup.
See
where to begin

beginnings of hoarding

Ben's (“pizza man”) case

Blondie (rock group)

books on hoarders

born-again mentality

boundaries

setting for staying clean

struggling with

Brad's and Ellen's case

building inspectors

cleanup

planning the cleanup

team, recruiting the

bulimic hoarders

burden of cleanup, sharing the

Candace's case

cases of hoarding

Aimee

Ben (“pizza man”)

Brad and Ellen

Candace

Daisy

Don

Jackson (and Mike)

Janelle

Jim

Katrina

Kurt

Li

Lucy

Marcie

Margaret

Mario

Michelle

Nika (and Andre)

Pat

Rick

Roger (and Kathy)

Rose

Roxanne

Thalia

Timothy

Wendy and Sam

Will

celebration after cleanup

Chabaud, Suzanne

Cher's doorknobs

Child and Adult Protective Services

children of hoarders

children who hoard

“chore” charts

church as support network

city, county, state officials

cleaners (professional) and junk removers

cleanup

building inspectors

celebration after cleanup

cost issues of

dates and

disposing of hoarder's stuff

document shredding

“donation” piles

dumps/dumpsters

emotional roller coaster of hoarding and

expectations for

fire list

goals for

hazardous waste

homework for hoarder

“keep” piles

logistics of cleanup

“maybe” piles

morning meetings

portable storage

positive reinforcement for hoarders

process of cleanup

resources for

role of hoarders in

scheduling

scrap metal

“sell” piles

setbacks

supplies

“trash” piles

trust, importance of

“we” goals

when not to

See also
cases of hoarding; hoarders; planning the cleanup; reactions from hoarders; Stages 1 through 5 (Clutter Cleaner Scale); staying clean; team, recruiting the

clergy

clothes hoarders

Clutter Cleaner

Clutter Cleaner Scale

“cockpit” (small livable space)

collaboration: case with a somewhat happy ending

collectors

colors (team)

Comfort Zone Camp in Richmond, Virginia

community support services

co-morbid disorders

compliments (perceived) of DIYs

“compulsive disorders,”

Compulsive Hoarding Center in Sacramento, California

control

importance to hoarders

pushing for control by hoarder

conversation, starting the

cost issues of cleanup

coworkers

craft hoarders

credit cards

Daisy's case

dates, cleanup

deadlines for cleanup

de-cluttering

defensiveness of hoarders

dementia and hoarding

denial

depression and hoarding

desire to change, importance of

disposing of hoarder's stuff

DIY (do-it-yourself) hoarders

document shredding

do-it-yourself (DIY) hoarders

“donation” piles

Don's case

dumps/dumpsters

Dumpster diving

early- to mid-stage hoarders

See also
Stages 1 through 3 (Clutter Cleaner Scale)

easy love

eBay

effective teams

elderly housebound people

Ellen's and Brad's case

emotional triggers

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

“everything has a home” rule

executive function of brain and ADHD

expectations of cleanup

fake future

“false triggers,”

family members

staying clean

team, recruiting the

family pattern of hoarding

“fat” clothes

fear and hoarding

“fighting the system,”

finances, management of

financial mess from hoarders

fire list

follow-up rules, staying clean

food hoarders

freaking out by hoarders

friends

staying clean

team, recruiting the

future, fixated on

future focus for cleanup

future plans of DIYs

gambling

genetic theory

goals of cleanup

Goodwill

“great walls” of clutter

grief of hoarders

guns

habits of hoarders

Hale, Lisa

hazardous waste

health goals of cleanup

Hearst, William Randolph

“hoarder hangover,”

hoarders

American society and

beginnings of

books on

bulimic hoarders

Clutter Cleaner Scale

“cockpit” (small livable space)

de-cluttering

early- to mid-stage hoarders

emotional roller coaster of hoarding

“great walls” of clutter

hoarders-in-training

hope for

individual's physical and mental health vs. stuff

late-stage hoarders

layers of trash

messiness vs. hoarding

numbers of

outside hoarding

“recovery,”

resources for

self-image of

“spaghetti,”

stereotypical hoarders

stuff vs. individual's physical and mental health

support groups

treatment centers

unhappiness of

where hoarders hoard

who are the hoarders?

yard hoarders

See also
cases of hoarding; cleanup; planning the cleanup; positive reinforcement; reactions from hoarders; Stages 1 through 5 (Clutter Cleaner Scale); staying clean; success, elements of; team, recruiting the; what hoarders hoard; where to begin; why people hoard

home shopping networks

homework for hoarder

hope for hoarders

hunt-and-gather rush

ignoring the rules

individual's physical and mental health vs. stuff

information hoarders

in = out

Institute for Challenging

Disorganization

interventions

introducing team to hoarder

involved, getting

Jackson's (and Mike's) case

Janelle's case

Jim's case

Johns Hopkins University

junk removers and professional cleaners

Kansas City Center for Anxiety Treatment

Katrina's case

“keep” piles

Kurt's case

Lakeside Center for Behavioral Change in Fargo, North Dakota

lashing out by hoarders

late-stage hoarders

See also
Stages 4 through 5 (Clutter Cleaner Scale)

layers of trash

legacy cleanup

legacy of hoarding

limits.
See
boundaries

Li's case

living goals of cleanup

living with a hoarder

logistics of cleanup

Lucy's case

Marcie's case

Margaret's case

Mario's case

“maybe” piles

mechanics

medications for hoarders

memory keepers

mental disorders and hoarding

messiness vs. hoarding

Michelle's case

Moore, Elizabeth

morning meetings, cleanup

neighbors

planning the cleanup

team, recruiting the

network for staying clean

Nika's (and Andre's) case

“no quitting” rule

notes for positive reinforcement

numbers of hoarders

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and hoarding

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Clinic at University of California

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and hoarding

“old habits die hard,”

online information

organizers, professional

“outside” friends

outside hoarding

overfocusing and ADHD

panic disorder

past, fixated on

patience, importance in cleanup

Pat's case

people affected by hoarding

personality and hoarding

personal space

pest control

phobias

planning the cleanup

acceptance, importance of

accomplishing the cleanup

assessing the cleanup

authorities

building inspectors

burden, sharing the

children of hoarders and

control, importance to hoarders

conversation, starting the

deadlines

elderly housebound people and

expectations and

future focus for

goals and

health goals

living goals

living with a hoarder and

neighbors of hoarders and

patience, importance of

people affected by hoarding and

professional cleaners and junk removers

questions to answer before cleanup

readiness of hoarder for

rewards, sharing the

role of hoarders in

sharing burden and rewards

social workers

spouses of hoarders and

starting the conversation

talking to hoarders

timelines

wellness goals

written plan for

See also
cases of hoarding; cleanup; hoarders; team, recruiting the

players.
See
team, recruiting the

police

pornography

portable storage

positive reinforcement cleanup and

staying clean and

post-traumatic stress disorder

process of cleanup

professional cleaners and junk removers

professional organizers

psychiatric issues

pushing for control by hoarders

questions to answer before cleanup

quitting, stopping

“rattlesnake” hoarders

reactions from hoarders

anxiety (expressing)

control (pushing for)