Cleaning out a hoarder house: any helpful tips?

[Molpet]

Yeah, some of the houses he ends up in are pretty extreme. He does have several videos where it's more what you describe: just houses that are totally full of stuff. I remember one house there was a room so full that no one had gone in it because a pile had fallen and blocked the door. He said the floors were immaculate because the two feet of stuff on the floor had protected them from a speck of dust, lol.

I wouldn't call myself a hoarder, but I definitely have a very hard time letting go of things, like even stupid things like an empty plastic jug that once held vinegar. (What if I NEED that jug one day and I recycled it?!?!?!!).

One of the best tips for cleaning organizing is to make piles that are categories: like all boots go here, all magazines go here, all fitness equipment goes here. That way you can see it all at the same time and it's easier to make decisions. Holding one blanket can be hard, like, what do I do with this? But if you put 12 blankets all together, it suddenly gets a lot easier to say "Those three I have sentimental feelings about and want to keep, those 6 are nice enough to donate, and those 3 are pretty ratty, so they are going to the humane society."

I fill those vinegar bottles with water for when the power goes out and put some in the deep freezer so it's full but easy to make room when I process poultry. The ice jugs are great to rotate in the cooler with poultry until ready to freeze.

Boxes are my current thing I think I need to keep ..... to put sorted stuff in.

 

[Anon112]

I fill those vinegar bottles with water for when the power goes out and put some in the deep freezer so it's full but easy to make room when I process poultry. The ice jugs are great to rotate in the cooler with poultry until ready to freeze.

Oh, if I had a USE for the jugs, it would be fine. I have many jugs of water (both sealed distilled jugs for drinking and a few I've just filled on my own for the toilet tank).

But this is just me hitting a wall on getting rid of things and hating throwing things away that could be used (in theory).

I did recently find a person at the local library who collects jugs for a spring project where people can come in and start seeds to plant. (I attend a Low Waste Living group, and people bring stuff to swap) I'm hoping that the next time I see her she might want to take some jugs from me. I think it's reasonable to keep like 3-5 around the house. I probably have like 20 or so.

 

[Finchbreeder]

Throwing things out or downsizing is very hard for me too.
Partly because I have lived in my 4 bedroom house for over 30yrs. There is only hubby and me here since the kids moved out 15yrs ago. so lots of room.

 

[Anon112]

Throwing things out or downsizing is very hard for me too.
Partly because I have lived in my 4 bedroom house for over 30yrs. There is only hubby and me here since the kids moved out 15yrs ago. so lots of room.

I find that I expand to have "stuff" that fills the space I'm in. Like, at this point it's hard for me to remember that I used to live in a single room in a shared apartment. How?!

What helps me a little is thinking about how wonderful it would be if some of the things I have could actually be used by someone.

I also did a decluttering push about 10 years ago, and while 90% of what I got rid of I'm glad, I was overzealous and I really regret giving away some of the things (like some dresses my mother gave me as gifts over the years that I honestly didn't wear too often, but they were given in love, they were comfortable and stylish, and I think it was a bit hurtful to her that I gave them away). That often freezes me up now: "Sure, I'm okay giving this away NOW. But what if I regret it in a year and then I can never get it back?!".

 

[Anon112]

I like that this thread is slowly morphing into a hoarder (or near-hoarder) support group, lol.

Sounds like EmmaDonovan will have plenty of business if she wants more houses to clean after she's done with her current project!

 

[cavemanrich]

I really regret giving away some of the things (like some dresses my mother gave me as gifts over the years that I honestly didn't wear too often, but they were given in love, they were comfortable and stylish, and I think it was a bit hurtful to her that I gave them away). That often freezes me up now: "Sure, I'm okay giving this away NOW. But what if I regret it in a year and then I can never get it back?!".

Not sure if this will bring you any comfort BUT,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you gave those things away. Someone was able to use them.
Totally different than throwing away
We donate to Amvets regularly. I think they come by our neighborhood every 5 weeks. DW goes thru clothing articles, that none of our children (all grown and married now) desire to keep.
Also goes thru toys that the grandchildren outgrew.