What if your house was deemed an illegal dumping site? While working at WSIL in Southern Illinois, I covered a story about a lady who collected so much junk, it spilled onto the main road. When the county wanted to expand the road, they had to move her out. She received $64,000 for property that failed to include indoor plumbing (she would use an out house), and to re-locate.
I tried walking around the property. It was difficult and hazardous. On one hand, it was someones home. On the other, it’s a dump site– even if it was junk dumped there by one person.
She was a hoarder. At the time, I didn’t know it and I certainly didn’t understand. Today, I watched three episodes of A&E’s program “Hoarders.” The show begins with this definition: ”Compulsive Hoarding is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous or unsanitary.”
I had no idea people felt that attached to items that held no real value. To them, throwing something away would feel like throwing away a loved one. Some people seem to associate the items given to them by friends and family with those friends and family members. Example: If my mom gave me a box of chocolates, I would continue to keep the empty box even after the chocolates were gone because throwing away something she gave me would mean I didn’t love her.
Other people found value in everything. Many of the items are useful, but because there is so much stuff, it’s just junk. Sure, a stud finder is useful (Hoarders [2009] “Patty; Bill“), but you don’t need a ton of them. I kept hearing, “I don’t want to throw it away because someone could use it.” But they declined to donate the items to a person in need.
Some of the people– or hoarders– featured had to touch every single item before throwing anything away. One person (Lauren from Hoarders [2009] “Kerrylea; Lauren“) had to think about getting rid of an old nail repair kit for several minutes before coming to the conclusion that it’s useless.
I also learned that hoarders have to throw things away for themselves. If they left for a few days and came back to discover someone cleaned their home, they would have a melt down. Paul (of Hoarders [2009] “Paul; Missy & Alex“) started to talk about killing himself as crews tried to remove dozens of junkers from his front yard. He saw the monetary value of scrap metal. But instead of taking the metal to the junkyard for money, he only collected it until it filled every square foot of his two-acre property. He even went to jail for the clutter.
Other people have had their children removed from their home because of hoarding. When told to get rid of their junk or never regain custody of their children, the junk wins. It’s sad. It’s a disease– there’s no doubt about that. But how can it be treated?
After watching these six stories, it was apparent there is no cure. It’s hard to figure out if it’s part of depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, some other condition, or a combination of conditions. It’s also hard to tell whether it’s a skill they failed to learn during their childhood. In many of these episodes, professional organizers and cleaning crews had to wait around for hours while the hoarder sorted through one box. Agonizing!
I have several friends who are certified professional organizers. (Read my friend Deb Lee’s post about “Hoarders“). I can’t imagine the situations they must face. How do you help a hoarder get organized? And even if a house is thoroughly cleaned and everything is put in its place, does it stay that way? Probably not.
I didn’t think I could relate to a hoarder. I’m one of those people who often gives things away or throws things away with the philosophy that if I had to, I could always buy new. But I too have hoarded before.
When I moved into an extended-stay hotel in Dallas, I began hoarding towels. Maids gave me four new towels, twice a week. I hid them in the closet because I was afraid that one day I wouldn’t get any more towels. I was ashamed of what they would think if they opened the closet and found stacks of clean towels. So one week before I moved out, I threw them in the bathroom so it looked like I had a pool party with a bunch of friends. The mound went up to my waist and it was hard to open the door all the way. Sounds weird, but it made perfect sense at the time.
And my fiancé tells me that his grandmother had a box labeled “strings too short to use.” She just couldn’t throw them away. The strings and the towels are little things. We are not considered hoarders. But when that type of collecting gets out of hand, it becomes a monumental problem.
It’s hard to watch Hoarders. You see loving parents who simply cannot help themselves. Families are torn apart. And the mess is often disgusting (Yes, you may see rats). But I hope you spend some time watching an episode or two. It will certainly change the way you look at clutter and interact with someone who loves to collect.
I set my TiVo to record the new season of Hoarders. It premiers November 30, on A&E. (Another one of my favorite program on A&E is Intervention.)
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Patrick and I visited the 
