Many people at one time or another get behind on cleaning their homes. You walk in one day to find piles of mail, laundry, and dishes left out on the counter. Or maybe you open your garage door for the winter and find that all your “stuff” gets in the way of finding room for the car. Going up to the attic or down to the basement, you can barely walk because of all the stuff you store for memory’s sake or you might need it in the future. These experiences are normal. Life can get busy and cleaning out clutter seems overwhelming or something you will get to later. But eventually, you address the mess by sorting, organizing, and getting rid of things you just don’t need. Many people live with a fair amount of mess, but the home is safe to move around in.
Hoarders have a completely different mindset. Hoarding is accompanied by varying levels of anxiety and, often, depression as well. Neuroimaging studies have revealed peculiar commonalities among hoarders including severe emotional attachment to inanimate objects and extreme anxiety when making decisions.
According to an article in Psychology Today, the following symptoms are diagnostic of hoarding disorder:
- There is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their value or lack thereof.
- The difficulty in discarding possessions is due to distress associated with getting rid of them.
- The difficulty in discarding possessions leads to a clutter of living spaces and compromises the use of living spaces.
- Hoarding creates clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning, including the ability to maintain a safe space.
Many hoarders also suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or mania. The combination of anxiety and OCD can be serious and call for medical attention. So how do you know if your hoarding has crossed the line from harmless to harmful?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you avoid throwing away possessions ( newspapers, magazines, paper and plastic bags, cardboard boxes, photographs, household supplies, food, and clothing)?
- Do you experience severe anxiety about discarding possessions or are you suspicious of other people touching your possessions?
- Do you have trouble making decisions about organizing possessions?
- Do you feel overwhelmed or embarrassed by possessions?
- Obsessive thoughts about possessions such as fear of running out of an item and needing it later or checking the garbage to see if an item was accidentally discarded.
- Has your home lost living space and poses a health hazard?
If this is you or someone you know, there is effective treatment available from qualified mental health professionals, who can help. Start by reaching out to your primary care physician or contact the Behavioral Health Network, Inc., 417 Liberty Street | Springfield, MA 01104, (413) 747-0705.
Ready For Clean Up
Cosmic Kleaning is Springfield, MA’s leading professional cleaners, who specialize in hoarding and estate cleaning. We are in the business of helping people find solutions and restore homes to suitable environments. We are mindful of each situation and pay close attention to requests in order to treat every cleaning job as unique as each customer. Our professional hoarding cleanup services are a vital part of helping an individual with an overwhelming problem. Hoarding situations potentially present hazardous situations that need to be handled professionally and with extreme care. Garbage, food, and other waste can produce health risks to humans and pets. Homes with a hoarding problem also tend to attract insects, rodents, mold, and mildew. This adds to the danger of the situation.
Cleaning the home of a hoarder can be emotional and time-consuming. This complicated task requires effective planning, detailed execution, and the right equipment. At Cosmic Kleaning we are experts in debris removal, biohazard disposal, content cleaning for salvageable items, and overall deep cleaning. Deep cleaning includes sanitizing and deodorizing services. From Springfield to Worcester, we are Western Massachusetts leading cleaning company for hoarding situations.
Count on the experts at Cosmic Kleaning to:
- Carefully plan and coordinate the cleanup
- Remove clutter and organize
- Sanitize and properly dispose of debris
- Notify owner of potential health risk
Our Training From the World Health Organization
- eProtect Respiratory Infections
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Treatment Facility Design
- Emerging respiratory viruses, including COVID-19: methods of detection, prevention,
response, and control
CDC Guidelines We Adhere To:
- CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting for COVID-19: Guidelines for Janitorial Staff
- CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting after a confirmed COVID-19 case
- CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting for Community Facilities
- CDC Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces,
Business, Schools, and Homes - Coronavirus & Workplace Hygiene
Safe – Effective – Flexible – Affordable
Cosmic Kleaning offers hoarding cleaning packages suited to our customers’ needs. We work with the homeowner, family members, and social workers to ensure that the cleanup goes smoothly and that feelings are taken into account. We respect each home we clean and want our clients to be satisfied when we are finished. Contact Cosmic Kleaning today at (508) 951-3027.
Areas We Serve:
Hampden County
Agawam, Blandford, Brimfield, Chester, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Granville, Hampden, Holland, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Montgomery, Palmer, Russell, Southwick,
Springfield, Tolland, W. Springfield, Wales, Westfield and Wilbraham
Berkshire County
Adams, Alford, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Egremont, Florida, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mt. Washington, New Ashford,
New Marlborough, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield,
Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, and Windsor
Norfolk County
Avon, Bellingham, Braintree, Brookline, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Dover Foxborough, Franklin, Holbrook, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Milton, Needham, Norfolk, Norwood, Plainville, Quincy,
Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, Walpole, Wellesley, Westwood, Weymouth, and Wrentham
Worcester County
Ashburnham, Athol, Auburn, Barre Berlin, Blackstone, Bolton, Boylston, Brookfield, Charlton, Clinton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Fitchburg, Gardner, Grafton, Hardwick, Harvard,
Holden, Hopedale, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leicester, Leominster, Lunenburg, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northborough, Northbridge, Oakham,
Oxford, Paxton, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Southbridge, Spencer, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sutton, Templeton, Upton, Uxbridge, Warren,
Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Westborough, Westminster, Winchendon, and Worcester