Goodbye to Bad Trash

3 Tips For Using A Hoarding Junk Hauling Company To Clear Junk Out Of A Relative's House

by Micheal Curtis

If you have an older relative who is a hoarder, and they need to get rid of things so that they can move into assisted living or a nursing home, you may be overwhelmed with all you have to do. You may not even know where to start. Call a hoarding junk hauling service for help. At the least, they will haul everything you're throwing out to the dump, and they may also have advice on how to sort through all of the junk. Here are some tips for dealing with hoarded junk.

1. Start By Sorting Things Into Piles

If there is no clear space to work inside the home, set up an area to work in the yard so you can sort things into piles for valuable items to save, things to donate that are in good shape, things to throw away, and things to recycle.

First, you may want to ask the hoarding junk hauling company if they only take things to the dump or if they can handle recycling items too. You may also want to ask your relative if they want to try to sell items in good shape, especially if they have valuable antiques.

However, that depends on the condition of their belongings. Hoarders often allow things to be ruined due to the way trash is jumbled with valuables, so there may not be much in the house worth saving.

2. Pick Out Trash From The Hoard

By gathering up things and dumping them outside, you create more room in the home to work. The junk hauling crew may enter the house and take out old appliances and furniture as long as there is enough space to get furniture and move it around. Getting furniture out of the room creates even more space so you can bag up trash indoors and eliminate the need to take it outside to sort through.

A problem often encountered when cleaning a hoard is that things aren't usually organized. Plus, the entire hoard may be messy or contaminated. You may need to spend a lot of time picking out the trash so you can see what can be saved. Picking through trash indoors keeps things from blowing around outside and it might keep you from attracting pests while you're creating your sorting piles.

3. Understand The Services You Get

Hoarding junk hauling companies vary in the services they provide. Find out if the company also offers help in sorting items so you can get rid of trash quicker. They don't need to know the value of things if the items are contaminated. Fabrics and porous items will most likely need to be thrown out if they are covered with rodent droppings, urine, mold, or feces.

It's also good to understand how the service charges. Some charge by how much room the junk takes up on the truck instead of by weight. This is helpful to know because you might have a light load on some days and you might need multiple trucks on another day.

Make sure the company will lift and move heavy things like the refrigerator so you don't have to move them to the curb yourself. Hoarding cleaning companies often provide more helpful services than a simple junk hauling company, and that can make your job easier.

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