Hoarders - Page 2

[KathinJapan]

Thanks for the online watching link. I have caught some episodes on youtube. My sister is a hoarder, so I am trying to pick up tips on how to talk to her about it. Last summer when I went back to the states I spent 3 hours cleaning the space I was going to be staying in with my kids (this is after traveling 23 hours to get there....) and realize I did not handle the situation well.

I was exhausted and stressed. I basically just wanted to vac. the floors so we could walk to the bed. I spent most of my vacation *home* cleaning. And yeah I have some residual feelings about that

It is terribly sad. It is a disease and the people do need help.
Kathryn

[Freedom~Mama]

This show can be really depressing but it is also very interesting. I also really like watching Intervention, also a really depressing but interesting show.

[Sepia]

Originally Posted by cappuccinosmom

I hope the aftercare funds for counseling and further clean-up will help those families pull through. The situation for all those kids just broke my heart.

me too. This is why I don't watch the show anymore--too sad.

[SleeplessMommy]

Just saw the episode with 17+ dogs and a bunch of cats. It was good for more than an hour of house cleaning

[Eyelet]

Love, love, love this show! It's sometimes painful to watch, but so addicting.

[Annie Mac]

It is fascinating, isn't it? But it seems to me they often set these people up for failure. They get, what, two days of professional help to go through their houses and sort things. Some of these people need to touch every single item before they can let it go, and, well, we've all the seen the sheer avalanche of items there are. No way that's happening in two days.

I think I like How Clean Is Your House a little better. Those people are quite happy to have Kim and Aggie come in and take over -- and it's still good for a "well, my house is messy, but nowhere near that level" sigh of relief, and a brief spurt of cleaning inspiration. Plus, they have good organic cleaning tips.

[SleeplessMommy]

Originally Posted by Annie Mac

... it seems to me they often set these people up for failure. They get, what, two days of professional help to go through their houses and sort things.....

Yes, but its a job no one else will do (unless you have $$$$) and they are real offering help and expert counseling for a disorder with a very low "cure" rate. If the 2-3 day cleanup works, the client has a *clean* house to maintain rather than a messy house to cleanup. Keeping a clean house clean may be daunting for a hoarder, but making a hoarded house clean is pretty un-surmountable for the hoarder.

I know a woman locally who inherited her Mom's house. She lived in Mom's house for 2 years before listing the smaller (former) house for sale. Both houses were fairly "full" at that point. I helped her out just a little - encouraging her to take to the curb an old exercise bike, a particle board grandfather clock, and some other unneeded items. In her "new" house, I talked her into donating her cook books (her diet is cereal + coffee) and self-help books (they didn't work). She sleeps on the floor. I don't expect any of this to change, since she does not see a problem with it.

[mamadelbosque]

I love Hoarders, and saw the first episode of TLC's new "Hoarders: Buried Alive" last night... it really is a fascinating show, and always good to watch when your ready to do some cleaning. Cause' like, yeah... Fascinating, disturbing, depressing all at the same time...

[georgia]

I've only seen one or two episodes, but I really liked them. I saw one where the woman had decomposing cats under piles of garbage. I totally feel for the people and the families. I actually cried when one woman explained how her father was also a hoarder, and he made her get rid of *all* of her possessions once when she was young. Her "things" were they only thing that remained constant in her young life since they were always moving (military family) and he burned them as she watched. Horrible

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I recorded the one from Sunday b/c I forgot it was one I had already seen. It never ceases to amaze me how these people can rationalize things like sleeping in a tent outside their own house because they won't clean up their sh!t so the house can be fumigated for bugs! :smackhead: I mean, really!? And then they want to keep things that are totally infested with bedbugs? Really? Ugh. Gross.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I just started watching the shows. It makes me sad to see the people who are obviously struggling with mental health issues and makes me happy to see them make progress. I can never truly understand their thinking because it isnt who I am but my heart goes out to them.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Oh, I feel for them too. But the people with infestations and/or poop are the ones that really boggle my mind. Well, and the goat lady. But I guess that's where the real OCD part of it comes into play.

[Mackenzie]

We discovered this show last night and during the second episode (we found it on netflix streaming and watched 4 episodes) my spouse looks at me and says "we are cleaning out the garage saturday"

The garage is not even bad, its an (oversized) 1 car garage that we do park the car in, its just that the stuff in there is not organized...

[KathinJapan]

my sister is a hoarder and I need to watch more shows to get tips on dealing with her. Afraid I have gone about it all wrong...

[philomom]

Originally Posted by KathinJapan

my sister is a hoarder and I need to watch more shows to get tips on dealing with her. Afraid I have gone about it all wrong...

It is interesting how these folks think. If they give away any object, they feel like you've cut off a finger or something else vital. Their stuff is literally who they are.

So sad. But motivates me to be extra tidy at home.

[angelpie545]

It's absolutely a mental disorder, but one I feel should be dealt with aggressively. These people are truly victims of something they cannot control, for whatever reason. As much as I think all their things should just be tossed out immediately that wouldn't solve anything-it would just make issues worse since these people feel their "things" are part of them.

[jellybeanandkids]

Am I the only one that wants to yell at the screen: "Throw all your **** out!!!" I know this is a disease, but the hand-holding and coddling annoys me to no end.

It is a great show for motivating me to clean up though.

[Pepper44]

Originally Posted by jellybeanandkids

Am I the only one that wants to yell at the screen: "Throw all your **** out!!!" I know this is a disease, but the hand-holding and coddling annoys me to no end.

It is a great show for motivating me to clean up though.

What I don't understand are the houses that are filled with trash they've just tossed in a corner. I get holding on to things, but trash?? Why?

[jellybeanandkids]

Originally Posted by Pepper44

What I don't understand are the houses that are filled with trash they've just tossed in a corner. I get holding on to things, but trash?? Why?

Exactly. I can sort of get the ones who have a hard time parting with things that they think might be useful or sentimental items or things they collect or whatever.
But the ones where they have animal feces and trash everywhere, so gross and I don't understand why they would want to keep and hoard those things.
I feel so sad for the children who have to live in the filthy home environment.

[cyclamen]

Whenever DP puts this show on I start cleaning and decluttering, lol.  Its a great motivator.  A lot of these shows are just SO SAD.  I feel bad for the kids.  Sometimes DP asks me, "Why do you worry so much about being clean."  And then we watched a few episodes and he said, "OK I get why you are so concerned.  You don't want to end up like that?"  I'm like, "Yeah.  It's unfair to kids to live in that." Even the bad clutter, but especially the filth. I guess I feel harsh because I don't think I should be easy on myself if I am lazy and have piles everywhere.  It's not fair to my daughter.  How can she learn to be clean if I'm not?

My dad is totally one of those people that just lives in garbage and in college I used to do it too.  But never again!  I think a lot of times depression plays a big part, as well as lack of skills. 

The most aggravating one was the family that had bedbugs and had to camp in the lawn because the dad brought so much stuff into the house.  And the first one with the mom who was threatening to leave her family but who was the hoarder.

The saddest was the mom who'd lost a baby at birth and started hoarding because she didn't want to think about her grief.  I felt a ton of sympathy for her, and cheered at the end for her.