Austin Trash Removal: The One Book You Should Read About Hoarding

As an Austin trash removal company, we don’t find many books out there that are relevant to our industry, informative and interesting. In fact, Dirty Secret: A Daughter Comes Clean About Her Mother’s Compulsive Hoarding may actually be the only one.

Ever since the show Hoarders began airing in 2009, America has become fascinated with hoarders. The show was so successful it even inspired a couple of spin offs.

But as we all know “realty” TV frequently doesn’t reflect realty at all and that’s where, Dirty Secret comes in. Written by Jessie Sholl, Dirty Secret tells the story of Jessie’s complicated relationship with her hoarder mother. The book follows the relationship between Jessie and her mother from her childhood to almost present day, carefully examining the way Jessie’s mother’s mental illness affects both of them.

The book focuses heavily on the emotional turmoil children of hoarders experience. The feelings of isolation, the embarrassment and shame, the reversal of the child/parent roles, the mixture of pity and anger towards the parent are all discussed in the book with a refreshing breath of honesty.

Jessie’s mother is a complex character. Her behavior is frustrating and sometimes, downright cruel, but as Jessie shares more and more of her mother’s upbringing, it’s hard not to feel sympathetic for the mother as well. She, too, is a victim of her hoarding.

As Jessie struggles with her feelings towards her mother, she also struggles to clean up the hoard. We don’t want to spoil the book, so we’ll just say that the book does an excellent job of showing the safety hazardous associated with hoarding.

Through the book, there is tons of facts and research regarding hoarders in general. Overall, the book is very informative about hoarders, but it’s never dull. In fact, a few parts are quite humorous.

So if you’re the loved one of a hoarder struggling to understand them or simply a book lover looking for a great read, we highly recommend you check out Dirty Secrets.

And if you do, find Austin trash removal contractor Dirty Work on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you thought! 

Austin Junk Hauling: You Ask, We Answer

When readers find this blog through a search engine, I’m able to see the terms they typed into the search engine to find us. Frequently, these search terms represent users with specific questions and I’ll like to take a bit of time to answer the most commonly searched questions now.

How do you clean a hoarder’s house?

If you need more information on cleaning a hoarder’s house, visit our blog post “How to Clean a Hoarder’s House.” There we provide a step by step guide to safely cleaning a hoard as well as tips and tricks to make the cleaning easier emotionally for the hoarder.

How can you tell if a junk removal company is a scam?

For more in-depth information about junk removal scams, we’we’ve written this hubpage “Austin Junk Hauling: How to Avoid the Most Common Scams.” In essence, if a junk hauling company offers a too-good-to-be-true price or doesn’t have insurance, it’s a scam. Not having any online reviews, refusing to answer questions, giving off the vibe of unprofessionalism (Ex: showing up in an unmarked truck, not having business cards, etc.) or not having a website should also be considered red flags.

Why do people live in squalor and how do you help them?

We’We’ve written before about Squalor Syndrome and how it’s different than hoarding disorder. (Check out that blog post here.) The bottom line is squalor syndrome is a mental illness and treating it will require professional help. People who suffer from squalor syndrome will need intensive therapy from a professional therapist who specializes in the disorder.  It’s not enough to simply clean out their homes. In fact, you probably won’t be able to begin cleaning out their home until they have progressed in therapy and even then, you’ll need a professional junk hauling company’s help.

Has the show Hoarders been cancelled?

The show Hoarders has not been cancelled.

How can I use junk and/or trash for décor? Do you have upcycling ideas?

We love to share ideas for using old junk and trash as new décor! We frequently share upcycling ideas on our Tumblr and Pinterest accounts.

How much does junk removal cost?

Most junk removal companies charge you by the truckload. You can usually pay for a ¼ of a truck, a ½ of a truck or a full truck. Here at Dirty Work, we like to ask our clients to send us a picture of the work they need done. This allows us to estimate how much room the junk will take up in our trucks and give them the most accurate estimate possible. If you’re unsure how much room your junk will take up, send a picture to your junk removal contractor and ask them to do the estimate.

These are the most common questions we see people looking for the answers to, but they are by no means all of them. If you need a different junk hauling question answered, find us on Facebook or Twitter. We’ll get back to you within a day.

Austin Junk Removal: Are You a Hoarder? 15 Questions to Ask Yourself

If you’ve ever watched Hoarders, you may have been surprised at how many of the hoarders don’t realize they have a problem. Many think they’re “packrats” or “eccentrics.” So where’s the line? When does your love of junk become a problem?

If you’re concerned you may be a hoarder, answer these questions:

1. Does thinking about throwing away items cause you anxiety?

2. Do you keep items that you know others wouldn’t see the value in?

3. Do you keep items that should have been placed in the trash?

4. Do you avoid having friends and family over because you don’t want them to see the condition of your home?

5. Are you ashamed of your living conditions?

6. Do you feel a sense of loss when your items are thrown away?

7. Do you feel angry that your friends and family can’t see how valuable your possessions are?

8. Has your love of items caused stress in your interpersonal relationships?

9. Do you fear throwing items away because you may need them some day?

10. Do you frequently acquire new items that you don’t need?

11. Has the mess made your home unlivable?

12. Are your bed, kitchen counters, dining room table and other commonly used areas so full of junk, you can’t use them?

13. Do you have to clear a path through the junk to walk through your house?

14. Are your children embarrassed to have friends see their home?

15. Has the mess gotten so bad that you wouldn’t be able to clean it up on your own now even if you wanted to?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have hoarding tendencies. Contact a local mental health professional who specializes in hoarding disorder.

If you just want more information on hoarding disorder, find Austin junk hauling contractor Dirty Work on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Austin Junk Removal: Hoarding – Genetics, Evolution?

Did you know there are an estimated 1.3 million hoarders in the United States alone?

Psychologists believe there are several different reasons why these people hoard.

One is genetics. Up to 30% of hoarders have a close family member who also hoards. A 2007 study from John Hopkins University School of Medicine studied the DNA of 219 families who suffered from OCD. The findings suggested that a region on chromosome 14 in the OCD families were connected with having hoarding tendencies. If the family suffered from OCD, but not hoarding tendencies, their chromosome 14 was fine, but their chromosome 3 was affected.

This leads credence to the idea that hoarding is genetic.

But some psychologists believe that hoarding is less genetic and more a left over evolutionary practice. From an evolutionary practice, hoarding makes perfect sense. If you never knew when you would catch another meal, wouldn’t you hoard all the food you had?

So which is it? Is hoarding a left over evolutionary trait or a genetic illness?

Probably a combination of both. It seems likely that hoarding is probably a combination of genetic, evolutionary and environmental factors, but more research will be needed to determine a clear cut reason for the disorder.

We’ll keep you posted on any break-through research in hoarding disorder here or on our Facebook, Twitter or Google+. 

Austin Junk Removal: Cleaning Up After a Hoarder Moves Out

If you’ve ever watched Hoarders, you might have noticed that quite a few of the hoarders are actually living in rental properties. Usually, landlords are unaware that they are renting to a hoarder until the hoard becomes completely out of control. Of course, you can evict hoarders then, but you’ll still be responsible for making the home rentable again.

So what should you do if your renter moves out and leaves a hoard? Here’s some steps to take:

Call a junk removal company.

You’ll need a junk removal company to clean out the trash and junk left behind by the hoarder. The task is simply too overwhelming for you to do alone.

Call the SPCA.

Unfortunately, hoarders tend to hoard animals as well as trash. If you notice multiple animals around the property, call the SPCA. They’ll be able to provide care for the animals, but they’re also the ones who will decide whether or not the police should get involved.

Replace appliances.

One of the reasons hoarders live in such unsanitary conditions is that they’re often embarrassed to call in outside help when something breaks. So if the stove broke, instead of calling you, they’ll leave it broken and often use it as another place to store junk. For this reason, you’ll probably need to replace some appliances.

Fix the plumbing.

As I mentioned above, hoarders won’t call in outside help. This includes calling a plumber. More often than not, hoarders will leave homes with plumbing issues. Sometimes, the house won’t have running water at all.

Power wash the outside.

If the inside of the home is filthy, odds are the outside is too. Power wash the outside of the home, the front porch and the back porch. Some junk removal companies such as Dirty Work will be able to power wash the property after they’re done cleaning.

Paint the inside.

Once you’re gotten all the junk out of the house and everything fixed, paint the inside of the house. It’ll make the entire place look and feel cleaner.

Clean or replace the carpet.

Hire a professional carpet cleaner to deep clean the carpet. Unfortunately, a lot of times the carpet will be so stained that you must either replace it or pull it up.

Landscape.

Once you have the house completely cleaned out, consider adding some landscaping to the home to restore its beauty.

If a hoarder is moving out of your rental property and you need the services of an Austin junk removal company, find Dirty Work on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Austin Waste Management: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Hoarders

Ever since Hoarders became prime time entertainment, public awareness of hoarding disorder has been on the rise, but we bet you didn’t know these 10 things about hoarders:

• Hoarding behaviors begin when a child is around 13 or 14 years old.
• Only 15% of hoarders understand that their behavior is irrational.
• Hoarding is a factor in 6% of all fire-related deaths.
• Only 40% of hoarders hoard animals.
• More than a million people in North America have been officially diagnosed as a hoarder.
• 24% of hoarders consider themselves to be depressed most of the time.
• 64% of hoarders feel that their clutter has affected their ability to form relationships with other people.
• 1/3 of hoarders earn less than $15,000 a year.
• As many as 1 in 20 people could be hoarders.
• There are three types of animal hoarders – the overwhelmed caregiver, the rescuer hoarder and the exploiter hoarder.

Want to learn more about hoarding disorder? Find Austin waste management contractor Dirty Work on Twitter, Facebook or Google+

Austin Waste Management: Inside a Hoarder’s Brain

If we asked you why people hoard, what would you say?

Would you say people hoard because they have an extreme attachment to their stuff? Because they’re lazy? Because they’re mentally unwell?

What about because the brains of hoarders actually function differently than the brains of everyone else?

According to research released from the University of California at San Francisco that is exactly what it is. Researcher Carol Matthews has conducted several studies that mimic the brain activity associated with sorting, categorizing and simply thinking about throwing away your stuff. People who suffer from hoarding disorder showed increased brain activity in the region of the brain associated with decision making during this study. In layman’s terms, the hoarder is actually having a more difficult time making decisions regarding sorting, categorizing and throwing away junk.

According to the study, the most likely reason hoarders show more brain activity is because of their greater emotional attachment to their stuff. All of this combines to make making a simple organizational decision exceptionally hard for hoarders.

Another study found that hoarders experience more activity in their brain while dealing with their own stuff and less when dealing with someone else’s stuff. Add this to the previous research that suggests that hoarding is genetic and it’s easy to see why hoarding disorder can overwhelm a hoarder’s life: they’re brains are literally working against them.

To keep up with all the latest hoarding research, find Austin waste management contractor Dirty Work on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Austin Waste Management: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Hoarders

As an Austin waste management company, we’re asked about hoarders a lot, which isn’t very surprising given the success of the television show Hoarders. So how do we deal with hoarders? What’s a hoarder’s home really like? And what’s the craziest thing we’ve seen in a hoard?

We’ll answer all those questions and more here! And if we don’t answer a question you want to know the answer to, find us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+. We’ll be happy to answer it there.

Question #1 – Are real life hoarders like the ones on TV?

Simply put, yes. The show does a good job of showing the extent to which hoarders are imprisoned by their junk.  It accurately portrays the struggles hoarders face in going about their day to day life while surrounded by an overwhelming mess as well as the extreme safety hazards associated with hoards.  But the show does feature more sensational hoards than we usually encounter. For example, we often clean up hoards that are full of trash, but we’ve never encountered a case of a hoarder hoarding bags of poop, like the one featured on Hoarders that we choose for one of our top five “Most Insane Hoarders’ Moments.”

Question #2 – How do you clean up a hoard?

To clean up a hoard, we’ll send over a team of our junk removal experts. Different hoards will require different levels of safety precautions. For example, pet hoarders often have toxic levels of ammonia in their homes, which would mean our team would have to wear masks. After preparing, we’ll start moving stuff out of the home, where we will separate everything in the home that can be recycled or donated from the trash. Unfortunately, a lot of the time the items in a hoarder’s home are so damaged and dirty, they can’t be donated.

Question #3 – How prevalent is hoarding?

We don’t see extreme cases of hoarding that often and that’s pretty consistent with national data on the frequency of hoarding. According to researchers, there are less than 1.4 million hoarders in the United States.

Question #4 – What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen in a hoard?

Hate to disappoint you, but as I mentioned earlier, the show Hoarders showcases sensational cases of hoarding. The ones we see are much more mundane. There’s usually nothing there but a bunch of junk and trash.

Want to learn more about hoarders?

Check out our other blog posts and Squidoo pages:

The Truth About Hoarders

What is Squalor Syndrome?

The 5 Worst Things to Say to a Hoarder

The 5 Best Things to Say to a Hoarder

Austin Junk Removal: What is Squalor Syndrome & How is it Different Than Hoarding Disorder?

Thanks to A&E everyone’s heard of hoarding syndrome, but few people have heard of its counterpart squalor syndrome.

So what is squalor syndrome and how it is different than hoarding?

Squalor syndrome occurs in individuals who choose to live a life of squalor even though they have the money and resources to live a more traditional lifestyle. People who suffer from squalor syndrome live in unsanitary conditions often surrounded by trash, rodents, bugs, dust and dirt. They may actually have quite a bit of money, but they will not use it to improve their living standards. They will also neglect personal hygiene and may refuse to accept basic health care.However, they have no compulsive need to hoard items.

It’s this motivation that makes squalor syndrome different from hoarders.

People with squalor syndrome are motivated by living a life of deprivation. But people with hoarding disorder are motivated by living a life of acquisition – they have a constant need to acquire more junk.

Hoarders actually often start out with a clean, organized hoard. It’s only after their hoard becomes overwhelmingly large that their home falls into squalor.

Another one of the trademark signs of both hoarding disorder and squalor syndrome is a lack of social contact. Both hoarders and people with squalor syndrome will be isolated from their family and have little to no friends. Most are single.

Someone with squalor syndrome, however, will be fine with this lack of social contact and won’t report feeling lonely while someone with hoarding disorder will only be socially isolated as a result of being embarrassed of their living conditions. Hoarders will often socialize outside of their homes.

Lastly, hoarders usually don’t neglect their personal hygiene to the point that those with squalor syndrome do. A person with squalor syndrome will neglect even basic components of hygiene. Their clothes are often dirty, their hair is unwashed and often they even emit a foul body odor.

Fortunately, if you know someone with squalor syndrome, there is help available. We’ll be posting tomorrow about the different treatment options available to someone with squalor syndrome.

In the meantime, find Austin junk removal company Dirty Work on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn.

 

Austin Junk Removal: Should Texas Create an Animal Hoarding Law?

We recently stumbled upon a great opinion piece in the Grand Forks Herald discussing the difficulties of prosecuting animal hoarding cases (You can read it here). The author, Tom Dennis, points out that prosecutors are often reluctant to get involved with cases of animal hoarding for three reasons:

• People think of hoarders as harmless eccentrics, hence the commonly portrayed “crazy cat lady,” and often don’t realize the harm hoarders inflect on their animals.
• Hoarders usually don’t actually intend to hurt their animals. Most hoarders are motivated out of love. They believe they are providing a home for animals that would otherwise end up on the streets or euthanized at the shelter. They often suffer from undiagnosed mental illness and are deeply attached to their pets.
• Hoarders currently can only be charged under animal cruelty laws. This means prosecutors must charge animal hoarders with multiple charges of animal cruelty for each hoarded animal.

This last point has the most severe consequences for prosecution of animal hoarding. Charging animal hoarders with multiple counts of animal cruelty is a long process that takes up quite a bit of man power and resources.

For this reason, some states have passed animal hoarding laws. These laws identify and define animal hoarding as a separate type of animal cruelty and allow prosecutors to charge animal hoarders with only one crime. This decreases the amount of paperwork associated with charging animal hoarders.

Texas currently does not have any animal hoarding laws. It doesn’t look like that will be changing anytime soon, but we’re curious as to what our readers think…

Should Texas pass an animal hoarding law?

Let us know in the comments or find Austin junk removal provider Dirty Work on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.