Hey guys! Here is my more detailed explanation on the 5 levels of hoarding I just uploaded. ua-cam.com/video/m5pNMlUfYNQ/v-deo.html hope you like it!👍🏽
This is the job I want. Except I'd do decor, organization and cleaning. And explaining how to maintain. And do a check. Keep it simple and minimal. Depends on each person and their mental health.
@K R Tim and Tina, Juvenaire and AllAces all do hoarding cleanup off the top of my head. Can't say how their prices or reputation match up, just know their names lol good luck
My mum has been a level 1-2 for all of my life...its not as bad as you see some people in shows but when you're a 7 yo and the landlord is coming for an inspection, you shouldn't be the only person cleaning up...I had to show my mum how I was temporarily shoving random stuff behind the couch to hide it. And I'd do a pretty good job...looking back it's slightly effed. No matter how much you hide random rubbish, it's much better to throw shit out than to rearrange it
Fucking same omg. Nothing more stressful than them monthly hud inspections while she sat on her ass and made us clean till 4 in the morning and then go to school two hours later still smelling like cleaning supplies and filth. I’m not a neat freak by any means now but I definitely organize my stuff better and absolutely never tolerate anything that could smell up a room
Not everyone is that messy.... some of us stock our "hoard" in a neat way because we're aware of fire escape safety rules 😅 also, I personally hate seeing piles of clothes it just irks me so much, so I'd say not everyone is a level 1 hoarder. Some of us are actually neat and do our chores (despite mental illness and neurodivergence)
My sister is a level 3 hoarder. we got involved because she has 3 kids that live with her, and they always wore the same clothes and stunk constantly. Which aroused our suspicion that something wasn't right let me tell you. Every Room was covered in trash,condoms, tampons, pregnancy tests, rotting food, bags upon bags of garbage, clothes, baby bottles that were filled with rancid milk and it had its own eco system I mean a SWARM of fruit flies, house flies, their maggots, fleas, and lice. We had to bring ppe obviously head to toe covering. It took 3 days with 6 people working 15 hours a day to get it to a level 1 and like 3 fumigation bombs at the end to make it "liveable". She was grateful but it's truly a sickness. She's since moved out but we are pretty sure it's continuing at her new apt. Edit( Her bed was legit rotting because there was so much piss and bugs and general decomposition going on, black mold, everything was covered in a thick layer of sweets from the kids, Writing on every wall. I was the only family member who wanted to call cps but everyone else said that the system would just traumatize them. Not understanding that's exactly what she's doing to her own children.
Sounds like we share the same sister 🤦🏽♀️.. but I love her to death.. and it’s like we should of seen it coming because of how she kept her room when we were little.. I remember my mom lifting up her twin bed and there being piles of trash and dirty dishes mixed with dirty clothes and just random things.. it is an illness.. crazy thing is.. my mom has ocd..
My mom was the same, showed me how anything can be an addiction or prison when the true prison is in our heads. At least I’m clean careful with how I spend my money and time. Hope you’re well ❤
ikr. living in a 3-4 house, it made me become a guy with a heart of stone when it comes to cleaning/throwing stuff away. if it seems useless to me, = trash.
Pretty sure I cleaned out a level 4 for like 10 dollars an hour. He gave me a mask and sent me in there when i was like 15 😭 the house I cleaned looked almost exactly like the pictures. There was a kid living in that house from the stuff I picked up and it’s just sad to see that a kid had to live in those conditions. The kitchen was the worst part with the fridge leaking and sending mold all over the floor. There were not one, not two but THREE ceramic litter boxes full full, like nothing could get in there bc it was so full. It looked ransacked but boss said the people were evicted. Weird experiences
@@KinDiedYesterday I didn’t know what I was getting myself into tbh, I first cleaned out an old elderly couples home which was very safe, then my second house was… that. Thanks for the concern but I seem to be fine now. He also said I could keep anything I found if he approved!
@@fedcab4360 in any situation where you don't know what you're picking up you could probably contract a disease. And it would be an unknown disease because you wouldn't know what you're getting into. Also, there's always the danger of accidentally poking yourself on a hypodermic needle, or anything that's rusty and could cause tetanus, or any other number of things that could make someone sick such as mold...
I've lived in a level 2-3 all my life at different homes. My mom makes me clean everything since I was 5, while she piles it all up as if I did it. When I was very young she would sweep her trash directly into my bedroom and leave it there since we had a connected door. Even now when we live in a hotel room (eviction 4 years ago when I was 16), she throws her shit around and doesn't lift a finger to help. I ultimately gave up, every time I try to clean I have a breakdown or I just lose the motivation. I did literally everything since a young age, including cleaning shit, piss, and even blood without any help on many occasions. I do the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and more. Even when I was in school or had a job. Overall, I wish we could hire a cleaner because damn. This shit is the WORST. It's nasty, and it makes a person feel even worse.
@@Tofu_soupThat would be pure biohazard; something like a meth lab blowup where the only option is completely demolishing the lot and starting from scratch
@@Tofu_soup Level 8 is when they take an excavator and pile up the debris after a tornado rolls through. Then some guy digs a small cave system in the debris to live next to all the free stuff.
My family's house is a level 2/3. No matter what I've tried, getting it clean is so hard. Throwing away things is hard for my family, so they fight back when I try to clean. I hate it there.
This, I always keep gifts or knickknacks even if I don't like them bc well I could repurpose it right? I keep tell people to only give me useful stuff, socks, blankets, hell ironing supplies and drink mixes because at least then I know even if I have a lot of them it's not bad like the pounds of random fabric I have that I have no use of but can't throw away..
I don’t know if you got out yet but if not just hold on a little longer! My family was the same and those last few years were pretty hard. I’m married now, we just had our first baby and life is amazing! Because of the home I grew up in it made me SUPET clean. I hate that I had to live that way but I can see the good that’s come out of it.
My grandma was a level 2 to 3 her whole life. This is what we started doing. shelves. Put in shelves and display knickknacks your fam are far too attached. Then the stuff they constantly forget about and is clutter... slowly start taking it to the fump. Throw away trash and garbage. Eventually we were able to get it manahable and okay looking
I used to have a genuine fear and anxiety that I'd leave the house and come back to find my mom has surprise cleaned my room. One of the last times she forced me to clean with her, she took a picture of my room and forced me to look at comparison between my picture and horder house pictures and it looked almost the exact same. One day I just kind of stopped living that way somehow. I'm by no means clean and I still struggle with dishes and all that, but at least I don't find hundreds of live baby maggots on the unused half of my bed from garbage and month old dishes anymore
@@christinarobleto1786 I have no idea. At this point, I'm still messy but absolutely nowhere NEAR like that, thank god. I'm actually very bothered by too much mess now
My mother is a level 4 hoarder. It started with her drug addiction leading to the messy house and in order to make money for the drugs she rented the upstairs to my uncle and he broke glass objects, let his dog use the bathroom on the floor, and broke furniture and was kicked out. My mom after getting sober then worked and had no time to clean so family stepped in to clean it but it quickly became even worse than before and it became a pattern until we gave up on cleaning it. If you wanna keep your house clean put things away after you're done with them, and clean the dishes as you go when cooking. I also recommend just spending a few hours once a week wiping things down, vacuuming, sweeping, ect.
When I'm on top of cleaning, I like to try to keep on top of daily tasks (wiping down kitchen counter, dishes, making the bed) and do a more thorough clean once a week. Then if I have the time I'll pick one deeper cleaning task to do (wiping down window frames, cleaning grout, deep cleaning the kitchen bin, putting away a pile of things that don't have a home, whatever). My biggest downfall is bothering to clean the dirty dishes that remain after a meal 😅
An ex of mine lived with his parents and they were hoarders. It was horrifying. So many rooms that were unexterable and just wall to ceiling stuff. In the year we were together I witnessed the same already rotten bag of carrots remain in the same spot on the overflowing counter of rotting food. It was horrific. I remember asking why he never tried to clean anything and he said his parents would get mad if he did. I threw away some rotten fruit when I first went there, and they hated me from that point on. The relationship itself was as toxic as that house. Just yikes.
When I moved out of my parent's house, it was definitely a level 3 and it was part of the reason I wanted to move out. The dining room was just... Full of stuff. You could barely walk through and couldn't use the table. It was nearly impossible to get out to the kitchen. They brought a sectional for this tiny living room and just crammed it in where they could and then there were stacks of boxes. I just couldn't take it.
@@TanninValerian my family has had the couches and two full set dining room tables when I moved out. It’s been about 5 years and they are down one couch now. It’s pretty rough!
I used to be at a level 2-3, only reason it wasn’t worse was because I was living with my parents. I have been through therapy and I’ve made efforts to curb my hoarding tendencies and now I’m a lot better, but I still need to be around people otherwise my space will start looking like a 1. Hoarding is a real mental issue . I don’t judge when I see hoard homes because it really isn’t something that the person themselves can control. We must be kind to others because we never know what someone else is going through.
You deserve better. Everyone here deserves better. Clean and tidy spaces help reduce anxiety and help one think more clearly. I used to not like folding clothes etc. Found these mundane tasks very boring. It was getting overwhelming for me post my father's sudden demise and a lot of related paperwork and boxes of documents and files on my hands. I felt overwhelmed. Eventually one weekend I spoke to myself and said I'm done feeling overwhelmed and I'm going to mindfully do the tasks I don't like. I'm going to tell myself that now I'm folding clothes, and I'm going to focus and do that, and so forth. And it worked. And also around the same time I came across Marie Kondo's philosophy and methods for tidying up and decluttering. Now I live that way. Order and beauty outside, bring order and beauty inside. Now sometimes I'm near perfect and other times if work is hectic etc things will be a little messy but not too hard to fix with some effort and help. My husband too likes things fairly neat and we both take turns and/ or divide up the chores. Sometimes I will do more and other times he will. One more thing to add, my parental home situation for years was quite toxic. My mom loved creating chaos. She kept things quite randomly so that she would have the power and knowledge of where what is. She's narcissistic (NPD vulnerable/ covert/ victim kind). Tidying up also helped me see through that chaos and realise what's going on with her and our whole family situation. Mainly being alone with her at home (after my dad and my sibling living abroad) for some years, made it easier to notice patterns of behaviour and realise that something was not right. I wish all of you here mental peace and clarity.
I remember growing up in a level 2/3 and scrubbing my 11 yo butt off because I wanted to be able to have friends over. I would (stupidly) shut myself in the bathroom and clean from top to bottom, ceiling to floor, with bleach, no mask because you see my parents smoked in the house and I was trying to scrub away the nicotine residue. It took me years before I knew this was why my house had yellow walls and my friends ‘ houses always looked so clean and welcoming 😢 we also had roaches and like BAD. Now that I have kids I try my hardest to keep a clean space for them. It can seriously affect your mood especially if you’re a child and feel so powerless in your surroundings. It’s not fair to the kids at all.
Gonna admit, come from a bad situation that I'm not gonna detail and all my life I've lived in between level 1 and 2. (Have also been paid to clean up a level 3 to 4 horders house over a week when i wasyounger) It's not fun, these situations dont feel good to live in and when you deal with chronic health issues and lived in a shared living situation you can only do so much. My sympathy for ppl living like this and cant do shit about it.
Same. I've never been able to keep up with my moms level 2 hoarding, it's been a rough road. I had a friend who came over and cleaned for me once and I will never forget it.
Currently helping a level 4 hoarder move and it’s hell been working for a month and a half and it’s I’ve still got 3 rooms to do and of course one has piles half way up the wall
I think the only thing that actually helps me clean my level 1-2 room is when I have someone starting to clean with me. It gives me the motivation to help and clean it. But at the same time I don’t want them throwing out anything I may need or want but that also sounds like a hoarder lol oh boy 😰😰😰 I need help man! They can throw out garbage and fold my clothes or something lol I’ll go through the stupid Amazon buys and clothes that don’t fit anymore 🤣🤣 Only other problem is my room is SOOOO small there’s like barely any room to fit 2 people doing anything:/
You'll never get out of your depression by listening to it. I know that sucks to hear but you have to try. It's not going to magically get better without your effort.
@@Username0467they were speaking metaphorically. When you have severe depression, the neurochemicals in your brain that make your brain function normally and allows you to execute on tasks you want to do are not being produced to sufficient levels or they’re not being absorbed. You can’t mind over matter the problem when your mind is what’s the matter
I helped my friend a level 2 hoarder. She's crafty like me and had started collecting paper towel and toilet paper empty rolls in boxes and bags and the little communion cups. Her room was slighlt dangerous due to all the clothes on the floor hiding metal forks and thumb tacks. She also has a ton of clothes and not the best closet but she genuinely wears everything she has which it made it difficult. But she was very happy and started developing some new habits and every time I go over get to look at the progress.
when i was a kid i used to feel bad for used garbage so i would hide it in my room so that it would have a home, and if i touched something at the shops or anywhere else i would claim it as mine and would think about it for weeks and how to "save" it. i didnt even throw away tissues and would cry for days if someone tried to take my stuff. so i have always been a bit of a hoarder, its gotten better. but i still cant give away old clothes or plushies from when i was a kid. i have learned to throw away my trash at least, my room somewhat organised but i have trouble throwing away packaging so my room is still a mess.
Do you know anything about the hoarders that gives you an idea of how they got that way? It seems like a trauma response, to me, and I know a good bit about trauma responses. I’m not a hoarder, but I do have ADHD, and trauma issues, and I can feel their desire to make the world feel safe, somehow. I love the compassion you have for the people you help. You are one-in-a-million, and I’m always uplifted when I see your kind heart. Thank you!
We had to have a family discussion when I was a kid because we had been dirt poor for so long but bot my parents graduated and we were finally secure we had to work on habits like bringing outside food to our rooms instead of to the kitchen or not collecting bottles or cans out of reflex anymore. My parents were mindful that some habits we needed to survive were not needed anymore. Some folks never leave survival mode and need a little wake up call
For the people i know (level 2-3 max), it's mental exhaustion and avoidence. I'm probably at the 2 right now, but when i'm more relaxed and happy i get a lot of cleaning done. When things get bad, i'm at the 3 and people notice i'm on day 4 of the same outfit or am just exhausted from not eating or sleeping well. Basically, i come home and leave everything at the doorway that i don't immediately have to bring in. I'll do something like play video games or read or something for hours to relax, then when i walk past my messes i'll just turn off the part of my brain that tells me i need to do something about it. I'll do some spontaneous cleanup when someone's coming over (people rarely do), and my mother helped me every few weeks over the last year but it was hard to have her just touching or moving my things so she would end up just vaccuming and wiping things down and like cleaning sinks while i sorted and made piles and things would not get moved where they needed to before building up again. When my work started allowing working remote 1 day a week, i ended up doing more laundry and washing dishes because i was less stressed while working remote and had things around me i could do in small chunks. When there's like 10+ hours of sunlight a day i also tend to get more done. Or a long weekend where i'm not on call. But i could also get my tendencies from my mother who disliked people changing things around her (ie cleaning) because it meant it was out of her control when her life was really out of her own hands. My grandmother who died only this last winter was constantly in the er from falls and other accidents, dehydration, and seizures. My mom would be eating supper and get a call that she'd fallen and her blood thinners made her bleed too much so she was at the hospital and my mom was her medical guardian so needed to go in to comfort her as well as be the one the doctors talked to. Years of this just wore us down and when i got my own place i think i took some of her mentality on letting others touch my things. But i think everyone's reasons are different. For my father it was because of his poor childhood where he learned that everything can be salvaged and turned into something else, but modern things don't do that and are meant to break faster. A chair with a woven seat is easier to patch up than a plastic chair, for instance. So the machine shed and grainery are filled with things unusable in their current state that they had to retire to get around to even sorting through.
Adding on to what everyone else has already said. It starts to get worse because it can just get so overwhelming that eventually it's just like "why even try to clean"
@@Ollie_nel because you deserve better. Because everyone here deserves better. Because clean and tidy spaces help reduce anxiety and help one think more clearly. I used to not like folding clothes etc. Found these mundane tasks very boring. It was getting overwhelming for me post my father's sudden demise and a lot of related paperwork on my hands. Eventually one weekend I spoke to myself and said I'm done feeling overwhelmed and I'm going to mindfully do the tasks I don't like. I'm going to tell myself that now I'm folding clothes, and I'm going to focus and do that, and so forth. And it worked. And also around the same time I came across Marie Kondo's philosophy and methods for tidying up and decluttering. Now I live that way. Order and beauty outside, bring order and beauty inside. Now sometimes I'm perfect and other times if work is hectic etc things will be a little messy but not too hard to fix with some effort and help. My husband too likes things fairly neat and we both take turns and/ or divide up the chores. Sometimes I will do more and other times he may. One more thing to add, my parental home situation for years was quite toxic. My mom loved creating chaos. She kept things quite randomly so that she would have the power and knowledge of where what is. She's narcissistic (NPD vulnerable/ covert/ victim kind). Tidying up also helped me see through that chaos and realise what's going on with her and our whole family situation. Mainly being alone with her at home (after my dad and my sibling living abroad) for some years, made it easier to notice patterns of behaviour and realise that something was not right. I wish all of you here mental peace and clarity.
@@catelynh1020 Do read my experience and talk to yourself. Try the technique I used. Eventually it will become a way of life. Wish you all the best...
I’m also a hoarder as well, out of severe mental issues. My family has forced themselves into my room to clean it for me and have said they’ve found mold and bugs in my room. I think it’s gotten a little better since but it’s still pretty bad… around a level 3, a lot of trash and waste everywhere. This has helped motivate me to try and clean up a bit today while I still have time in my day. Thank you.
This hit me. I've been working hard, but struggle with maintaining my house. I knew it had gotten bad at times, but never considered that it was hoarding levels until today. At one point a few years back, I was probably a level 4, I can't even lie. As I said though I have been working hard and making progress. I'm in therapy and my mental health has gotten better and it shows in my home. My home right now is probably a 1, but I know with low bouts I hit 2 easily. This puts it into an easy perspective though.
My grandma is definitely a level 3. She has cats and when her mom passed away she got a large sum of money and didn’t know how to to manage it. Lately we’ve been going over on the weekends and helping her clean her backyard. Hopefully soon we can get inside the house too.
I hope you can get the cats in a clean, safe home. My neighbors are hoarders and animal control came over the summer to remove their 2 horses. Now they have a pig on the opposite end of their property that no one can see. I hope it has decent living conditions.
@@SJ-ni6iy Thank you for your concern about the cats. She has 3 and they are all pretty healthy. I encourage her to give them to the shelter or offer them to her neighbors. She lives in a big neighborhood and I’m sure somebody would be able to take them. All of her cats around seniors around 15-20.
I think you should have started out with saying that level one is excessive shopping and bringing things into the house that don't need to be... The picture you showed is literally a huge portion of society, that looks like a bedroom after a couple days of being sick or after a couple days of someone having their depression you know have them stay in bed instead of doing their dishes. I myself am a level two hoarder. But I don't think level one is even a "hoarding" situation, TBH.
thank you ! as someone with severe depression I try my hardest to keep the house looking nice and functional. I have a child so I make sure its clean and safe for him and I keep all my windows accessable with nothing blocking them and we have plenty of floor space my child can run around the house so for as bad as my depression is I think I do a good job. I have friends without depression or kids who live in worse their house STINKS and there's trash clutter and dirty floors. I am comfortable in my home and my child says he is too. sure I wish it could look like something from a magazine but let's be realistic ok. that just made me feel bad about myself I am a lot of things but hoarder is NOT one of them.
I lived in a level 3 hoarder house for a while (it was like that before I lived there) and the visible layer of trash is so much more than what it just looks like visually. If you live there, even if the hoarder isn't there, it's really hard to clean it on a day to day basis in a way that actually makes the house cleaner. It's way easier to get the house cleaned and then maintain the cleanliness. All that is to say, thank you for the work that you do.
Damn. I was an actual hoarder for years and I never knew. It was kind of like level one, but I was so depressed I literally slept in rotting food. It was a low part of my life. I would never be able to admit this to my friends, but I feel that it's important to make it clear that you aren't alone and to ask for help. Hoarding isn't fun. It's not usually due to laziness. My hoarding made me even more depressed and even harder to keep things clean. I still struggle with certain aspects but I have come a long way. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Even if it's embarrassing, it is much better to be embarrassed than stuck in the cycle you're in.
Oh God the chart you put up was so helpful! My mom passed in February and I moved back home to help with the home situation later in the year. The home situation was bad, I didn't realize it was level 3 bad. I feel so validated with my accomplishments in this house.
Apparently my bedroom right now is a level 2 and I only really noticed because I'm just coming out of my depression..I have a lot of work to do damn Please wish me luck
Your friend is blessed to have you. Before ppl in such situations ask for/get help usually it’s gotten to the point of overwhelm kicks in and shame and embarrassment has got them in a paralyzed chokehold. The worst is, they know it’s gotten out of control but the mental mountain just slowly keeps piling on and self neglect progresses visually (outwards) and matches the mental (inwards). I know I have been in that position. So, thank you for being that friend for them. You’ve lessened the load, even if it’s temporary, it’s a paramount token of true friendship I think.
My mom is a level 2 hoarder. I clean a room every single time i visit her just to help her out. Shes a single mom of 4 with a full time job and my siblings don’t clean up after themselves. I feel so bad for her. You come back in a week and its in the same condition before you cleaned it. Its really sad.
I'm level 1 😔 I have to keep reminding myself to declutter my room. It will look normal for a month until I slip back to level 1. Before, I think I was a level 2, I would hoard papers (school papers/receipts/ mail, etc.), books, and clothes. I have gotten better overtime, but it took years get there! I feel bad for my sibling because we shared a room as teens, and now as adults, they keep their place tidy! I'm still working to get to their level. Just wanted to share... thanks for helping people ❤
Get a box/basket for each thing you tend to accumulate, always put those things in that specific box and when it's full it'll be your sign to regroup and see what you need to sort. This keeps it from being spread and creeping up on you.
i super glad i fell on this, i really struglle with that issue (i'm level 2 going on 3) and i plan on getting it in check as a 2023 resolution (using the fact that it'll be tidied up for christmas) because it really takes a toll on my mental health (tiredness and stress) level and everyday life (i've even gotten to the point where it feels useless, temporary and i'm demoralized) it's really helpfull to be reminded that there are people who face the same issue and that i can get out of it, naming it really helps me externalise it from my personality and visualise it as a tangible problem i can solve
Last year I cleaned my friend's house which was at least a level 3, all by myself. I was very proud, and her family was very thankful. I know that when I visit this year I'll probably have to do it again, but it felt good to help her and her family.
My friend seems level 1 nearing level 2. The bathroom is pretty full but they always take out the trash. 🤷 I’m always there to help them clean up cause I find joy in cleaning any other place that isn’t my own lmao 💀
I'm a hoarder who loves to clean. Hoarding is a hell of a trauma response and with therapy and time, I learned to keep my space maintained. It sucks, lots of crying in self frustration because I know I don't need the thing, but I keep thinking I need to store it or fix it or something because I shouldn't throw out something that could work. Oof
Soooo my room looks like a hoarder level 1 or 2, but I always tell my self it’s because I literally don’t have the time to clean it up besides university and if I’m at home I’m either downstairs playing with my little brothers or I’m in my bed struggling with my health. But now I start to worry that would counting once I move out 🤔
Clean up once and maintain it every day. If you are not using something, throw it away. Have an organizing system (boxes, cabinets, drawers, etc.) for each room. Clean up for 20 minutes EACH DAY to keep it under control.
Get a box. Put it in the garage. Every time you have to move anything that you haven't used for a week, put it in the box. If you need to use something, take it from the box. Set an alarm for three months down the road, when the box and everything still in it that hasn't been removed once since you initially put it there goes to the bin or charity but isn't allowed back into the house. You quickly get rid of stuff you rarely use because it just sits in the box for 2 months and you never find a good reason to take it out, so chances are that you never will. If you find that you need something that you threw out 9 months ago, rent or borrow it and return it. It might seem expensive to rent, but the space you save and the lack of clutter is almost always worth it if you spread the cost over the period of time you likely would have had it collecting dust had you not thrown the original out.
@@ellenflaca i was diagnosed when I was 8, but that’s actually what I’m trying at the moment. I started a „household“ pinboard on Pinterest with cleaning schedules and my family often ask if they can help me, but I’m struggling accepting because I don’t want anyone in my space 😅 Thank you for being so nice ^-^
I grew up in a level 3 (at least) and it has been a LONG hard road to teach myself how to not hoard. I’m proud I don’t even make the level 1 list anymore. I would say it’s impossible to not hit level one if you have any kind of roommates or if you have family that are messy. That was the hardest lesson for me to learn. My house was still messy even after I stopped having roommates, and because of my background I always thought it was me that was messy, my partner broke up with me (after 6 years dating) and it was insane to realize that it must have been her the whole time. My house is spotless now 😊
I was in a deep depression many years ago. I didn't see myself as a hoarder at the time, it was more of a "this can wait" kind of deal. But when everything "can wait" for a few years, you end up with a carpet of dirty clothes, three piles of pizza boxes, moving boxes instead of shelves, a table that requires excavation from all the rubbish and a kitchen you can't access for all the stuff that is in the way. I didn't even see how bad it was until someone took the pizza boxes and piled up on my sofa. That's all it took for me to see the disarray. It didn't do anything for my depression, if anything it got worse, but it did make me snap out of the daze I had been in for years and start cleaning up. I guess what I'm saying is that many hoarders don't know they are hoarders, and the hoarding is a symptom of going through a really bad period of their lives.
I have a lvl 1 problem since the recession. Can’t afford to throw things out (like spare notebooks and such) but have nowhere to store it. I’m too poor to pass up free things and don’t know when I can afford to get new stuff. I think not having to hoard is a luxury that I cannot afford. It’s not like I keep trash, I keep things I’ll need later.
@Janice Then that isn't hoarding. That is a survival response. While equally unfortunate and I'm truly sorry you're dealing with that, I grew up that way as well. But no need to worry, hoarding and your situation are two different things.
@Janice It can be hard to tell, and honestly, it can be unneeded worry or something. I am just now unlearning those behaviors. And there is a term for it, I just can't remember what it is lol
@@virtualgambit577 lvl 1 isn’t a problem it’s the natural state of a large minority of people. Notice he said lvl 2 is where you see “unusual” behaviors ie you only see normal behaviors in lvl 1. Also lvl 1 is more about space efficiency then actually keeping too much stuff. My advice from experience would simply be to go to a Home Depot or equivalent and get some boxes to put stuff you aren’t using in. Nobody is gonna question why you have boxes in your closet and it lets you take a wide area and put all the stuff into a smaller footprint. If you can’t afford to buy boxes there are places to get them for free that will depend on where you are. If you have some money to spare and want it to look good you can get a dresser or similar instead.
My bedroom is a level 2. Mental health has a huge impact on this type of behavior and I can only hope the people in level 3 and higher situations can get the proper help they need
My grandma was a hoarder. No food wrappers or pets but an overwhelming amount of mold and so much junk that you could barely get from one side of the house to the other. All said and done, it was about two-three large dumpsters to clean that hell hole out.
Selling didn't work but family got a house maid 😅 Thank God. I may be a professional cleaning maid but they didn't allow me to clean the house because they were embarrassed. But you bring a stranger in to clean instead? Bruh. Whatever. My room is probably the cleanest out of the 3 rooms. And my room is a mess. Mess is overwhelming sometimes.. 😅
I was a level 2/3 hoarder for so long and it caused me so much stress, i was also suffering from extreme anxiety and possibly some form of depression. Im glad I got out of that.
Both my husband and I come from roughly level 2 homes and were really uncomfortable there. Part of my trauma healing and becoming an adult has been embracing the chance to run a home I am very comfortable in. Very little mess.
Your amazing for cleaning hoarder homes. My mom was a hoarder probably like lvl 2-3 depending on the yr and level 2 sends me into a state of panic and would be far too overwhelming for me nowadays but I regularly tried cleaning constantly when I was a teen only to be yelled at for it. It was ridiculous.
My grandparents inherited a house of a hoarder, but not like the ones shown. I wasnt present but apparently he had rooms filled to the brim, windows nailed shut and so forth. But everything was neatly packed up in show cartons and whatever fit. Aparently he bought everything he though was a good deal. From dozends of rolls of aluminium foil to brand new tractor tires there was everything. Unfortunately they had to throw out most of the things because it was just too much, but some of it we still have to this day.
My grandparents are level 1. Except their basement is stacked floor to ceiling with junk, they have a dozen non-running cars in their garage, their kitchen table looks like a pyramid, they store food in the dishwasher, their fridge water dispenser good business cards, and (fun story) we once found 15 of the exact same brand new snow shovels in one closet.
as a 21 year-old recovering hoarder, I'd like to remind anyone who sees this that we do not enjoy being the way we are. we feel just about as stuck as you do dealing with us, so patience is key
For the past 4-6 years I've been in a level 3/4 home. The past 4 years was level 3 and before then it was a lvl 4. We never let anyone inside and I was so embarrassed that I didn't even call ppl because the sound of plastic on the floor crinkling made me so embarrassed. My parents had depression, anxiety, and my dad was a bed bound diabetic. My parents room was so cluttered that they had to sleep on the couches. And I cut off most my room bc it was too cluttered. I say cluttered but it was a mix of bags of clothes, boxes, trash, and pet feces. It's sad to say but that house burnt down and my dad, the main hoarder, died. The sad part is that I'm glad it happened. If my house hadn't burnt I'd still be in that position. My dad wasn't just a hoarder, he was abusive and would blame me for the mess. He said I should've cleaned all that. I was 11. He would beat me, berate me, and when he became bed bound, he would throw things at me. Knives, forks, pee bottles, anything else he could get his hands on. It was disgusting. I had already started self-harming at that age because of the shame. Which made it worse. There would be piles of trash by the door, trash in the kitchen, dried dog shit on the floors, cat little piled on the floors. It was ew. I'm glad my house burnt down. We have a new place now and it's not even a level 1. My moms room is a bit more cluttered but it's not that bad. I clean daily because I don't want it to look like that again. I'm 15 now almost 16 and I still have issues bc of my dad and that but I'm glad the fire happened.
Putting it into numbers really helps me mentally. Thank you for sharing this. I look around and hate myself for the mess I’m not currently cleaning. In this moment I can feel proud of myself for never letting it get worse than I have. Throwing things away is the hardest part. I like cleaning! Just not MY house.. 😅
Today I learned depressed me is a level 2 hoarder. I'm bipolar and currently in a manic/mixed episode (sometimes it's hard to tell on the come up) and i just did three 60lb loads of laundry, all my dishes, and finally got all my books organized.. I can absolutely see how if you dont have the "benefit" of mania, just how quickly it could get out of hand.
So I've definitely been to level 4 and back. Probably even level 5 to be honest! It's not fun, there were so many factors that's caused this but, eventually something changed and a friend helped with literally just the sink in the kitchen because I'd have a meltdown if more was done. There was black mould and fly swarms, a couple of rooms were unusable and the others were just downright unpleasant. It does get better eventually, I'm still messy and I still hoard 'collections' it's just not rubbish or waste so it's not unsanitary just cluttered. The next step is using a storage facility to declutter my living space so I become more detached to the items and I've been able to dispose of that stuff bits at a time. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job for people and I hope people feel like they'll get better with hoarding x
as someone whos almost certainly a level three hoarder it really seems easy when youre looking from the outside in on a mess, but to me when i walk in things that other people register as garbage immediately just dont register that way to me. its something im trying very hard to cope with and improve on but it's so so much harder than it seems
My sister is 14, and she is DEFINITELY like at least a 2.5. I found an Oreo in her room from 2017! Her rooms gotten so bad that I literally paid her for me to clean her room.
I really can’t have my room like that I get even more stressed and depressed having a messy room and I’m the type of person that I love my room to smell clean so the moment the cats go to the bathroom I go and clean it up cuz I really don’t understand how ppl can live in a room with a smelly cat box and keep breathing in all that bad smell I get headaches so I try to keep it clean as possible 😅
I stay with my Mawmaw every two weekends, and during school breaks, sometimes for like a week. Half of my room is now exercise equipment she never uses. She could probably make money selling it to someone who actually wants it, but she refuses. I don’t even have room to use the Kinect on my Xbox anymore. You can tell is a level one or two hoarder, because while most the house is normal, I think it is because she is not the only one living there. The guest/my bedroom, my game room (which is currently my room because my aunt has moved in temporarily), and her office are all so full of crap that when we were looking at buying a new house, but the house was full of clutter, Mom said it reminded her of Mawmaw’s house. She doesn’t need most of what she hoards. Besides exercise equipment, it is DVDs (she has all the best streaming services), books, and old arts and crafts stuff. Anyways, how it cost to get you to clean it up lol
Thank you for educating people on this two of my extended family members have been known to have packrat tendencies and in order to not become a pack rat or a level one hoarder myself I watch hoarding videos just to see how people let it get this bad and to help myself never come to any of those levels it's really educating for people who don't want to end up like this or for people who are relatives that have been known hoard
As I teen i was definitely a hoarder. I had trash, cans, dirty dishes. It was sad and shameful. Growing up luckily, I met my fiancé and we have been constantly trying to get cleaner. I eventually got pregnant and realized that being a messy person wasnt even an option and since then we have worked our asses off to build great habits for our baby and I am proud to say I have changed. We both grew up not having great cleaning habits taught to us and we grew up in abusive homes so getting to this place is the best feeling. Dont give up! You can do it, especially if you are a parent! Keep fighting for your kids!
My Nana has been a level 1-2 horder my entire life, luckily no actual garbage, but there are several rooms you can't enter and the ones you can it can be hard to traverse. She grew up dirt poor and now she never gets rid of anything. It was really noticeable when we lived with her because we didn't have a house at the time. I hope she gets better, she doesn't think it's a problem, but it's so apparent when you go to her house.
I'm a level 2 hoarder. My dogs don't have accidents thankfully. I am constantly working on trying to clean and organize and it is honestly so overwhelming most the time. It's been about 4 years since I started my journey. It's all about not giving up for me. I've learned how to love myself and be kind to myself through all this. If you have any tips in particular about how to organize a plan to work through, I'd appreciate hearing about it!! If you also struggle with hoarding, you are not alone. Please reach out to myself or others. It doesn't have to be shameful, we can all grow and change. 💕💕💕
I have a friend where his parents were about a level two hoarder and he grew up to be a level one hoarder. I tell him from time to time that it’s beneficial to keep your place clean
Dang. There are levels! By the time you showed me level three photo I was starting to tense up and feel the need to purge and clean every nook and cranny of my home. 😳
i knew someone whose living situation was a level 2, possibly 3. literally No floor space in his room, used cups, bowls, disposable cans, trash everywhere and. the. smell. and his whole family lived at like a 2 as well. just looking at his room made me want to break in and clean it up skgjfjcjsk
I am probably a level 1.5 hoarder I’ve been emotionally attached to stuffed animals but when I have to, I prefer to give them to close friends, family, or to our lovely neighbors so I know they’re taken care of. I don’t have garbage everywhere but I’m currently on my second day of cleaning and all I have to do is find what things go on what shelves now.
According to this list, I’d probably be a level 0.1. Everything has a place, and everything is in its place. I have about 5 things I would consider clutter, but only because they don’t really have a place where I could put them to call home. They sit on a shelf in my desk until I find somewhere to put them.
my dad and grandma are both hoarders. they are not hoarding things like garbage but will have cardboard boxes filled with books and family heirlooms they refuse to part with. its not like trashbags everywhere but there would be limited space to walk around. everything was always organized, but my dad and grandma did have unhealthy habits to go with hoarding like only drinking sodas or eating candies no veggies, or only going out at night. they are very much recluses
This was tough to see… my friend is living with his ex still and the house has looked like a level two over a year. Sometimes the living room has looked like a level 3. He’s done his best to try and help with cleaning but it feels like when he works a long day or is out if the house for a day or two all his work gets over written.. I feel particularly bad bc the ex is ashamed of it and really overwhelmed bc she doesn’t know how it got this bad in the last 6 months in particular (it started getting really bad after a pet passed). My friend regularly leaves his house smelling vaguely like cat pee bc the litter box gets bad pretty often and he hasn’t been able to help clean it bc of where it’s located and his work schedule. She doesn’t let people come over now and even though myself and her friend have offered to help I understand it can be really difficult to welcome that help when there’s so much shame at tat her to it. I wish she was able to get some help and none of us financially can afford to help her get a pro in to clean so we’re just waiting for the lease to end when she moves out and we can help her sort her things for the move and deep clean the apartment unit to restore it a bit. Even though I’m not close with her I really hope someday she can get the help she needs. It’s heart breaking to see how someone’s life can be uprooted so aggressively by grief and mental health issues and how hard it can be to get back to “normal” when you’re trapped in a prison if your own making at home.. 😞
My grandparents on my mom's side were somewhere around lvl 2. My grandpa died about 2 weeks ago, and my mom and her siblings all came to the house to get it cleaned up for my grandma. When i went over to visit for the first time since my grandpa died, it was almost like a different house. Before, the only room that was really usable when i went to visit was the kitchen, and even that had stuff piling up on and around the counters. There was so much dust on everything, most of it hadnt been touched in years and my grandpa wouldnt let my grandma get rid of ANYTHING. Now that hes gone, the house is much cleaner but i honestly don't know how long it will stay that way. I just hope my grandma can live in a clean home while she is still alive.
My grandmother is at level five and refuses all help and my family gets extremely angry at me for the idea of calling authorities even though that house will kill somebody. I was thrown out of her house over an argument about a rolled up rotted carpet obstructing the already impossibly narrow hallway. She would have rather me kept silent and suffer constant falls and bruising than remove a single item from her home.
I helped a group of 4 others clean out a house that was definitely somewhere between a high 3 or a 4. Huge project but I'm glad we could help out the family who was grieving the loved one who lived there and didn't know what to do about the house
My room as a teenager was like a 2.5 because of the abuse I went through. It became my safe rat cave. I was holding onto trash items like plastic beads and barbie shoes, stained shirts, and anything that had any small significance to me. I'm so happy I've been able to heal myself from that. Some people aren't so lucky. It's a hard world we live in.
Oh man I worked cleaning out a couple level 4 and 5 houses during covid and the smell is truly what gets you. Each room has its own distinct horrific odour
Haha! Now whenever my mom says she thinks I'll end up on that hoarders show I can tell her that I'm barely a level one. It's not even really hoarding, I just have a hard time putting laundry away and need to box up some things for storage.
This was extremely helpful for me. I’d say, even emotionally, because it feels supportive to have a frame of reference. It’s taken nearly two years to heal just the home from my aunt and uncle dying. They were level 2.5. 😆🥲 I miss them. But most of all, I am ashamed we were not strong enough to step in before they died.
Used to be a level 3 for so long and recently I got in a health relationship that's been so helpful and I think I'm a level 1 now but I'm helped before it gets that far. ☺️
This helped so much. I'm a level 1but I thought I was a level 2 and was actually really worried. I am still looking into getting better, but this makes me hopeful.
Hey guys! Here is my more detailed explanation on the 5 levels of hoarding I just uploaded. ua-cam.com/video/m5pNMlUfYNQ/v-deo.html hope you like it!👍🏽
This is the job I want. Except I'd do decor, organization and cleaning. And explaining how to maintain. And do a check. Keep it simple and minimal. Depends on each person and their mental health.
anyone know hoarding cleaning services like this in australia? 👀👀👀
My roommate is a level 2 hoarder. How do i help without cleaning?
@K R Tim and Tina, Juvenaire and AllAces all do hoarding cleanup off the top of my head. Can't say how their prices or reputation match up, just know their names lol good luck
Its so pleasant when someone links the part 2
U sir. I wish u just the best
My mum has been a level 1-2 for all of my life...its not as bad as you see some people in shows but when you're a 7 yo and the landlord is coming for an inspection, you shouldn't be the only person cleaning up...I had to show my mum how I was temporarily shoving random stuff behind the couch to hide it. And I'd do a pretty good job...looking back it's slightly effed. No matter how much you hide random rubbish, it's much better to throw shit out than to rearrange it
Fucking same omg. Nothing more stressful than them monthly hud inspections while she sat on her ass and made us clean till 4 in the morning and then go to school two hours later still smelling like cleaning supplies and filth. I’m not a neat freak by any means now but I definitely organize my stuff better and absolutely never tolerate anything that could smell up a room
I wasn’t allowed to have any friends over. Not once did a friend come over to play or hang out, and it limited my social interaction greatly tbh
@@emmyjulianne6850 same but more than that, I didn't even want to have them over cos I didn't want them to see how I lived
My heart goes out to all of you. I'm so sorry you didn't have control over your childhood's. I hope you are some place of your own now and healing ❤️
That’s abuse
I am a level one hoarder.
I think almost everyone is a level one hoarder based on those pictures.
Yeah ig that makes me a lv1 hoarder till my siblings can find a place to put their shit.
true
Not everyone is that messy.... some of us stock our "hoard" in a neat way because we're aware of fire escape safety rules 😅 also, I personally hate seeing piles of clothes it just irks me so much, so I'd say not everyone is a level 1 hoarder. Some of us are actually neat and do our chores (despite mental illness and neurodivergence)
"I think almost everyone is a level one hoarder" mega cope
Nah am level 0.4
My sister is a level 3 hoarder. we got involved because she has 3 kids that live with her, and they always wore the same clothes and stunk constantly. Which aroused our suspicion that something wasn't right let me tell you. Every Room was covered in trash,condoms, tampons, pregnancy tests, rotting food, bags upon bags of garbage, clothes, baby bottles that were filled with rancid milk and it had its own eco system I mean a SWARM of fruit flies, house flies, their maggots, fleas, and lice. We had to bring ppe obviously head to toe covering. It took 3 days with 6 people working 15 hours a day to get it to a level 1 and like 3 fumigation bombs at the end to make it "liveable". She was grateful but it's truly a sickness. She's since moved out but we are pretty sure it's continuing at her new apt.
Edit( Her bed was legit rotting because there was so much piss and bugs and general decomposition going on, black mold, everything was covered in a thick layer of sweets from the kids, Writing on every wall. I was the only family member who wanted to call cps but everyone else said that the system would just traumatize them. Not understanding that's exactly what she's doing to her own children.
Thats absolutely insane!!!! I agree with u tho should've called cps better then being in there
Sounds like we share the same sister 🤦🏽♀️.. but I love her to death.. and it’s like we should of seen it coming because of how she kept her room when we were little.. I remember my mom lifting up her twin bed and there being piles of trash and dirty dishes mixed with dirty clothes and just random things.. it is an illness.. crazy thing is.. my mom has ocd..
Please go check on those kids once in a while.
Might as well call CPS since they're already traumatized anyways
@@BWMdeNaymentally I can't understand how discomforting someone with OCD must feel after seeing a hoarders house
growing up in a level 4 home definitely had quite an impact on me, my siblings and parent
My mom was the same, showed me how anything can be an addiction or prison when the true prison is in our heads. At least I’m clean careful with how I spend my money and time. Hope you’re well ❤
ikr. living in a 3-4 house, it made me become a guy with a heart of stone when it comes to cleaning/throwing stuff away. if it seems useless to me, = trash.
Pretty sure I cleaned out a level 4 for like 10 dollars an hour. He gave me a mask and sent me in there when i was like 15 😭 the house I cleaned looked almost exactly like the pictures. There was a kid living in that house from the stuff I picked up and it’s just sad to see that a kid had to live in those conditions. The kitchen was the worst part with the fridge leaking and sending mold all over the floor. There were not one, not two but THREE ceramic litter boxes full full, like nothing could get in there bc it was so full. It looked ransacked but boss said the people were evicted. Weird experiences
They should pay you more. The danger of getting somekind of unknown disease is definitely can't be ignored (half joke, half genuine concern)
@@KinDiedYesterday I didn’t know what I was getting myself into tbh, I first cleaned out an old elderly couples home which was very safe, then my second house was… that. Thanks for the concern but I seem to be fine now. He also said I could keep anything I found if he approved!
@@KinDiedYesterday he can get a disease, an unknown disease? I don't think so
@@fedcab4360 in any situation where you don't know what you're picking up you could probably contract a disease. And it would be an unknown disease because you wouldn't know what you're getting into. Also, there's always the danger of accidentally poking yourself on a hypodermic needle, or anything that's rusty and could cause tetanus, or any other number of things that could make someone sick such as mold...
@@fedcab4360 it’s fiiinnnee I’m not dead yet
"Sings of a rodent infestation" so when you hear the rat sings, you know you're in level 2 territory
Lol I'm surprised I'm not the only one who saw that spelling mistake
This made me think of a barbershop quartet of Rats singing 😍🐀
It's not over til the rat lady sings...🤣 Ohhhh I amuse myself
I've lived in a level 2-3 all my life at different homes. My mom makes me clean everything since I was 5, while she piles it all up as if I did it. When I was very young she would sweep her trash directly into my bedroom and leave it there since we had a connected door. Even now when we live in a hotel room (eviction 4 years ago when I was 16), she throws her shit around and doesn't lift a finger to help. I ultimately gave up, every time I try to clean I have a breakdown or I just lose the motivation. I did literally everything since a young age, including cleaning shit, piss, and even blood without any help on many occasions. I do the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and more. Even when I was in school or had a job. Overall, I wish we could hire a cleaner because damn. This shit is the WORST. It's nasty, and it makes a person feel even worse.
Have you gotten out? I hope so ❤️
No one talks about level 6 where you just gotta torch the whole place into cinders
Usually a level 6 hoard fights back by either burying the home owner alive or burning to the ground from multiple fire hazards.
What about level 7?
@@Tofu_soupThat would be pure biohazard; something like a meth lab blowup where the only option is completely demolishing the lot and starting from scratch
@@Somedude20282 level 8?
@@Tofu_soup Level 8 is when they take an excavator and pile up the debris after a tornado rolls through. Then some guy digs a small cave system in the debris to live next to all the free stuff.
My family's house is a level 2/3. No matter what I've tried, getting it clean is so hard. Throwing away things is hard for my family, so they fight back when I try to clean. I hate it there.
This, I always keep gifts or knickknacks even if I don't like them bc well I could repurpose it right?
I keep tell people to only give me useful stuff, socks, blankets, hell ironing supplies and drink mixes because at least then I know even if I have a lot of them it's not bad like the pounds of random fabric I have that I have no use of but can't throw away..
I don’t know if you got out yet but if not just hold on a little longer! My family was the same and those last few years were pretty hard. I’m married now, we just had our first baby and life is amazing! Because of the home I grew up in it made me SUPET clean. I hate that I had to live that way but I can see the good that’s come out of it.
It's so devastatingly hard. Godspeed
Throw it away when they’re out at work or when they’re asleep. The hell if you should have to live in a hoarder den
My grandma was a level 2 to 3 her whole life. This is what we started doing. shelves. Put in shelves and display knickknacks your fam are far too attached. Then the stuff they constantly forget about and is clutter... slowly start taking it to the fump. Throw away trash and garbage.
Eventually we were able to get it manahable and okay looking
I used to have a genuine fear and anxiety that I'd leave the house and come back to find my mom has surprise cleaned my room. One of the last times she forced me to clean with her, she took a picture of my room and forced me to look at comparison between my picture and horder house pictures and it looked almost the exact same. One day I just kind of stopped living that way somehow. I'm by no means clean and I still struggle with dishes and all that, but at least I don't find hundreds of live baby maggots on the unused half of my bed from garbage and month old dishes anymore
Yuck!!! How could you possibly sleep like that??
@@christinarobleto1786 I have no idea. At this point, I'm still messy but absolutely nowhere NEAR like that, thank god. I'm actually very bothered by too much mess now
I felt this
My mother is a level 4 hoarder. It started with her drug addiction leading to the messy house and in order to make money for the drugs she rented the upstairs to my uncle and he broke glass objects, let his dog use the bathroom on the floor, and broke furniture and was kicked out. My mom after getting sober then worked and had no time to clean so family stepped in to clean it but it quickly became even worse than before and it became a pattern until we gave up on cleaning it.
If you wanna keep your house clean put things away after you're done with them, and clean the dishes as you go when cooking. I also recommend just spending a few hours once a week wiping things down, vacuuming, sweeping, ect.
When I'm on top of cleaning, I like to try to keep on top of daily tasks (wiping down kitchen counter, dishes, making the bed) and do a more thorough clean once a week. Then if I have the time I'll pick one deeper cleaning task to do (wiping down window frames, cleaning grout, deep cleaning the kitchen bin, putting away a pile of things that don't have a home, whatever). My biggest downfall is bothering to clean the dirty dishes that remain after a meal 😅
An ex of mine lived with his parents and they were hoarders. It was horrifying. So many rooms that were unexterable and just wall to ceiling stuff. In the year we were together I witnessed the same already rotten bag of carrots remain in the same spot on the overflowing counter of rotting food. It was horrific. I remember asking why he never tried to clean anything and he said his parents would get mad if he did. I threw away some rotten fruit when I first went there, and they hated me from that point on. The relationship itself was as toxic as that house. Just yikes.
Oh shid never realized my family almost got to a level 3 at one point god damn no wonder I always want to clean now
When I moved out of my parent's house, it was definitely a level 3 and it was part of the reason I wanted to move out. The dining room was just... Full of stuff. You could barely walk through and couldn't use the table. It was nearly impossible to get out to the kitchen.
They brought a sectional for this tiny living room and just crammed it in where they could and then there were stacks of boxes.
I just couldn't take it.
My family used to be like that too, I have no idea how we lived like that. Our house is so much cleaner than it was 10 years ago
@@TanninValerian my family has had the couches and two full set dining room tables when I moved out. It’s been about 5 years and they are down one couch now. It’s pretty rough!
@@michaeljacksheeheen Sometimes raising kids is tough, maybe?
@@yourerightimwrong4567 yeah, there were 5 of us and my mom worked all day
I used to be at a level 2-3, only reason it wasn’t worse was because I was living with my parents. I have been through therapy and I’ve made efforts to curb my hoarding tendencies and now I’m a lot better, but I still need to be around people otherwise my space will start looking like a 1.
Hoarding is a real mental issue . I don’t judge when I see hoard homes because it really isn’t something that the person themselves can control. We must be kind to others because we never know what someone else is going through.
I'm in the same boat you were in. Any tips for trying to get this under control (other than therapy, I'm already doing that lol)?
You deserve better. Everyone here deserves better. Clean and tidy spaces help reduce anxiety and help one think more clearly.
I used to not like folding clothes etc. Found these mundane tasks very boring. It was getting overwhelming for me post my father's sudden demise and a lot of related paperwork and boxes of documents and files on my hands. I felt overwhelmed.
Eventually one weekend I spoke to myself and said I'm done feeling overwhelmed and I'm going to mindfully do the tasks I don't like. I'm going to tell myself that now I'm folding clothes, and I'm going to focus and do that, and so forth. And it worked.
And also around the same time I came across Marie Kondo's philosophy and methods for tidying up and decluttering.
Now I live that way. Order and beauty outside, bring order and beauty inside. Now sometimes I'm near perfect and other times if work is hectic etc things will be a little messy but not too hard to fix with some effort and help. My husband too likes things fairly neat and we both take turns and/ or divide up the chores. Sometimes I will do more and other times he will.
One more thing to add, my parental home situation for years was quite toxic. My mom loved creating chaos. She kept things quite randomly so that she would have the power and knowledge of where what is. She's narcissistic (NPD vulnerable/ covert/ victim kind). Tidying up also helped me see through that chaos and realise what's going on with her and our whole family situation. Mainly being alone with her at home (after my dad and my sibling living abroad) for some years, made it easier to notice patterns of behaviour and realise that something was not right.
I wish all of you here mental peace and clarity.
Bullshit that is the problem now too many people who refuse to take responsibility.
@@Ollie_nel yes grow up.
@@thumper84 thank you, I'm finally cured of my severe mental health issues
I remember growing up in a level 2/3 and scrubbing my 11 yo butt off because I wanted to be able to have friends over. I would (stupidly) shut myself in the bathroom and clean from top to bottom, ceiling to floor, with bleach, no mask because you see my parents smoked in the house and I was trying to scrub away the nicotine residue. It took me years before I knew this was why my house had yellow walls and my friends
‘ houses always looked so clean and welcoming 😢 we also had roaches and like BAD. Now that I have kids I try my hardest to keep a clean space for them. It can seriously affect your mood especially if you’re a child and feel so powerless in your surroundings. It’s not fair to the kids at all.
Gonna admit, come from a bad situation that I'm not gonna detail and all my life I've lived in between level 1 and 2. (Have also been paid to clean up a level 3 to 4 horders house over a week when i wasyounger) It's not fun, these situations dont feel good to live in and when you deal with chronic health issues and lived in a shared living situation you can only do so much. My sympathy for ppl living like this and cant do shit about it.
Same. I've never been able to keep up with my moms level 2 hoarding, it's been a rough road. I had a friend who came over and cleaned for me once and I will never forget it.
Currently helping a level 4 hoarder move and it’s hell been working for a month and a half and it’s I’ve still got 3 rooms to do and of course one has piles half way up the wall
I think the only thing that actually helps me clean my level 1-2 room is when I have someone starting to clean with me. It gives me the motivation to help and clean it. But at the same time I don’t want them throwing out anything I may need or want but that also sounds like a hoarder lol oh boy 😰😰😰 I need help man!
They can throw out garbage and fold my clothes or something lol I’ll go through the stupid Amazon buys and clothes that don’t fit anymore 🤣🤣
Only other problem is my room is SOOOO small there’s like barely any room to fit 2 people doing anything:/
Level 2, mainly cuz depression speaks louder than any urge to clean
You're absolutely valid. Keep yourself safe, manage it a day at a time. We've got this.
You'll never get out of your depression by listening to it. I know that sucks to hear but you have to try. It's not going to magically get better without your effort.
@@Username0467they were speaking metaphorically. When you have severe depression, the neurochemicals in your brain that make your brain function normally and allows you to execute on tasks you want to do are not being produced to sufficient levels or they’re not being absorbed. You can’t mind over matter the problem when your mind is what’s the matter
I helped my friend a level 2 hoarder. She's crafty like me and had started collecting paper towel and toilet paper empty rolls in boxes and bags and the little communion cups. Her room was slighlt dangerous due to all the clothes on the floor hiding metal forks and thumb tacks. She also has a ton of clothes and not the best closet but she genuinely wears everything she has which it made it difficult. But she was very happy and started developing some new habits and every time I go over get to look at the progress.
when i was a kid i used to feel bad for used garbage so i would hide it in my room so that it would have a home, and if i touched something at the shops or anywhere else i would claim it as mine and would think about it for weeks and how to "save" it. i didnt even throw away tissues and would cry for days if someone tried to take my stuff. so i have always been a bit of a hoarder, its gotten better. but i still cant give away old clothes or plushies from when i was a kid. i have learned to throw away my trash at least, my room somewhat organised but i have trouble throwing away packaging so my room is still a mess.
Mate, this is real mental illness. Please bring it up to a therapist.
Do you know anything about the hoarders that gives you an idea of how they got that way? It seems like a trauma response, to me, and I know a good bit about trauma responses. I’m not a hoarder, but I do have ADHD, and trauma issues, and I can feel their desire to make the world feel safe, somehow.
I love the compassion you have for the people you help. You are one-in-a-million, and I’m always uplifted when I see your kind heart. Thank you!
We had to have a family discussion when I was a kid because we had been dirt poor for so long but bot my parents graduated and we were finally secure we had to work on habits like bringing outside food to our rooms instead of to the kitchen or not collecting bottles or cans out of reflex anymore. My parents were mindful that some habits we needed to survive were not needed anymore. Some folks never leave survival mode and need a little wake up call
For the people i know (level 2-3 max), it's mental exhaustion and avoidence. I'm probably at the 2 right now, but when i'm more relaxed and happy i get a lot of cleaning done. When things get bad, i'm at the 3 and people notice i'm on day 4 of the same outfit or am just exhausted from not eating or sleeping well.
Basically, i come home and leave everything at the doorway that i don't immediately have to bring in. I'll do something like play video games or read or something for hours to relax, then when i walk past my messes i'll just turn off the part of my brain that tells me i need to do something about it. I'll do some spontaneous cleanup when someone's coming over (people rarely do), and my mother helped me every few weeks over the last year but it was hard to have her just touching or moving my things so she would end up just vaccuming and wiping things down and like cleaning sinks while i sorted and made piles and things would not get moved where they needed to before building up again.
When my work started allowing working remote 1 day a week, i ended up doing more laundry and washing dishes because i was less stressed while working remote and had things around me i could do in small chunks. When there's like 10+ hours of sunlight a day i also tend to get more done. Or a long weekend where i'm not on call.
But i could also get my tendencies from my mother who disliked people changing things around her (ie cleaning) because it meant it was out of her control when her life was really out of her own hands. My grandmother who died only this last winter was constantly in the er from falls and other accidents, dehydration, and seizures. My mom would be eating supper and get a call that she'd fallen and her blood thinners made her bleed too much so she was at the hospital and my mom was her medical guardian so needed to go in to comfort her as well as be the one the doctors talked to. Years of this just wore us down and when i got my own place i think i took some of her mentality on letting others touch my things.
But i think everyone's reasons are different. For my father it was because of his poor childhood where he learned that everything can be salvaged and turned into something else, but modern things don't do that and are meant to break faster. A chair with a woven seat is easier to patch up than a plastic chair, for instance. So the machine shed and grainery are filled with things unusable in their current state that they had to retire to get around to even sorting through.
Adding on to what everyone else has already said. It starts to get worse because it can just get so overwhelming that eventually it's just like "why even try to clean"
@@Ollie_nel because you deserve better. Because everyone here deserves better. Because clean and tidy spaces help reduce anxiety and help one think more clearly.
I used to not like folding clothes etc. Found these mundane tasks very boring. It was getting overwhelming for me post my father's sudden demise and a lot of related paperwork on my hands.
Eventually one weekend I spoke to myself and said I'm done feeling overwhelmed and I'm going to mindfully do the tasks I don't like. I'm going to tell myself that now I'm folding clothes, and I'm going to focus and do that, and so forth. And it worked.
And also around the same time I came across Marie Kondo's philosophy and methods for tidying up and decluttering.
Now I live that way. Order and beauty outside, bring order and beauty inside. Now sometimes I'm perfect and other times if work is hectic etc things will be a little messy but not too hard to fix with some effort and help. My husband too likes things fairly neat and we both take turns and/ or divide up the chores. Sometimes I will do more and other times he may.
One more thing to add, my parental home situation for years was quite toxic. My mom loved creating chaos. She kept things quite randomly so that she would have the power and knowledge of where what is. She's narcissistic (NPD vulnerable/ covert/ victim kind). Tidying up also helped me see through that chaos and realise what's going on with her and our whole family situation. Mainly being alone with her at home (after my dad and my sibling living abroad) for some years, made it easier to notice patterns of behaviour and realise that something was not right.
I wish all of you here mental peace and clarity.
@@catelynh1020 Do read my experience and talk to yourself. Try the technique I used. Eventually it will become a way of life. Wish you all the best...
I’m also a hoarder as well, out of severe mental issues. My family has forced themselves into my room to clean it for me and have said they’ve found mold and bugs in my room. I think it’s gotten a little better since but it’s still pretty bad… around a level 3, a lot of trash and waste everywhere. This has helped motivate me to try and clean up a bit today while I still have time in my day. Thank you.
"at level 4, it starts to get a little overwhelming"
Dude, I've been hyperventilating since the Level 2 picture.
This hit me. I've been working hard, but struggle with maintaining my house. I knew it had gotten bad at times, but never considered that it was hoarding levels until today. At one point a few years back, I was probably a level 4, I can't even lie. As I said though I have been working hard and making progress. I'm in therapy and my mental health has gotten better and it shows in my home. My home right now is probably a 1, but I know with low bouts I hit 2 easily. This puts it into an easy perspective though.
My grandma is definitely a level 3. She has cats and when her mom passed away she got a large sum of money and didn’t know how to to manage it. Lately we’ve been going over on the weekends and helping her clean her backyard. Hopefully soon we can get inside the house too.
I hope you can get the cats in a clean, safe home. My neighbors are hoarders and animal control came over the summer to remove their 2 horses. Now they have a pig on the opposite end of their property that no one can see. I hope it has decent living conditions.
@@SJ-ni6iy Thank you for your concern about the cats. She has 3 and they are all pretty healthy. I encourage her to give them to the shelter or offer them to her neighbors. She lives in a big neighborhood and I’m sure somebody would be able to take them. All of her cats around seniors around 15-20.
I think you should have started out with saying that level one is excessive shopping and bringing things into the house that don't need to be... The picture you showed is literally a huge portion of society, that looks like a bedroom after a couple days of being sick or after a couple days of someone having their depression you know have them stay in bed instead of doing their dishes. I myself am a level two hoarder. But I don't think level one is even a "hoarding" situation, TBH.
thank you ! as someone with severe depression I try my hardest to keep the house looking nice and functional. I have a child so I make sure its clean and safe for him and I keep all my windows accessable with nothing blocking them and we have plenty of floor space my child can run around the house so for as bad as my depression is I think I do a good job. I have friends without depression or kids who live in worse their house STINKS and there's trash clutter and dirty floors. I am comfortable in my home and my child says he is too. sure I wish it could look like something from a magazine but let's be realistic ok. that just made me feel bad about myself I am a lot of things but hoarder is NOT one of them.
it's still hoarding. don't excuse yourself. that's unflattering.
I lived in a level 3 hoarder house for a while (it was like that before I lived there) and the visible layer of trash is so much more than what it just looks like visually. If you live there, even if the hoarder isn't there, it's really hard to clean it on a day to day basis in a way that actually makes the house cleaner. It's way easier to get the house cleaned and then maintain the cleanliness. All that is to say, thank you for the work that you do.
Damn. I was an actual hoarder for years and I never knew. It was kind of like level one, but I was so depressed I literally slept in rotting food. It was a low part of my life. I would never be able to admit this to my friends, but I feel that it's important to make it clear that you aren't alone and to ask for help.
Hoarding isn't fun. It's not usually due to laziness. My hoarding made me even more depressed and even harder to keep things clean. I still struggle with certain aspects but I have come a long way. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Even if it's embarrassing, it is much better to be embarrassed than stuck in the cycle you're in.
Oh God the chart you put up was so helpful! My mom passed in February and I moved back home to help with the home situation later in the year. The home situation was bad, I didn't realize it was level 3 bad. I feel so validated with my accomplishments in this house.
You’ll get through the piles and trauma!! ❤ my mom is the same way. I hope you are well
Apparently my bedroom right now is a level 2 and I only really noticed because I'm just coming out of my depression..I have a lot of work to do damn
Please wish me luck
Good luck! And great that you’ve gotten out of your depression!
You deserve a clean space 💙🫂 you've got this!!
I grew up in a hoard, and one of the most healing things has been learning that I am not alone ❤
Back in June, I helped a friend of mine who found themselves in a level 3 or 4 hoarder situation and it was rough. You’re doing really important work.
Your friend is blessed to have you. Before ppl in such situations ask for/get help usually it’s gotten to the point of overwhelm kicks in and shame and embarrassment has got them in a paralyzed chokehold. The worst is, they know it’s gotten out of control but the mental mountain just slowly keeps piling on and self neglect progresses visually (outwards) and matches the mental (inwards). I know I have been in that position. So, thank you for being that friend for them. You’ve lessened the load, even if it’s temporary, it’s a paramount token of true friendship I think.
Is it just me or does it end halfway into lvl 4?
not just you
He linked the whole video, he has a limit on how long the video can be in shorts
My mom is a level 2 hoarder. I clean a room every single time i visit her just to help her out. Shes a single mom of 4 with a full time job and my siblings don’t clean up after themselves. I feel so bad for her. You come back in a week and its in the same condition before you cleaned it. Its really sad.
I'm level 1 😔
I have to keep reminding myself to declutter my room. It will look normal for a month until I slip back to level 1. Before, I think I was a level 2, I would hoard papers (school papers/receipts/ mail, etc.), books, and clothes. I have gotten better overtime, but it took years get there!
I feel bad for my sibling because we shared a room as teens, and now as adults, they keep their place tidy! I'm still working to get to their level.
Just wanted to share... thanks for helping people ❤
Get a box/basket for each thing you tend to accumulate, always put those things in that specific box and when it's full it'll be your sign to regroup and see what you need to sort. This keeps it from being spread and creeping up on you.
i super glad i fell on this, i really struglle with that issue (i'm level 2 going on 3) and i plan on getting it in check as a 2023 resolution (using the fact that it'll be tidied up for christmas) because it really takes a toll on my mental health (tiredness and stress) level and everyday life (i've even gotten to the point where it feels useless, temporary and i'm demoralized) it's really helpfull to be reminded that there are people who face the same issue and that i can get out of it, naming it really helps me externalise it from my personality and visualise it as a tangible problem i can solve
Level 1 is the average 10 year old bedroom
As a 10 year old, I can approve maybe if it wasn't for the fact my parents always fuking put there unused sh!t in there it wouldn't be like that
@@aaronryan1259 can relate
@@aaronryan1259 bro same😭🖐
@@aaronryan1259 You’re too young bro 😭
@@SeriouslySeriousGrim for what bro
This a weirdly comforting. I am not as bad ff as I thought!
Last year I cleaned my friend's house which was at least a level 3, all by myself. I was very proud, and her family was very thankful. I know that when I visit this year I'll probably have to do it again, but it felt good to help her and her family.
My friend seems level 1 nearing level 2. The bathroom is pretty full but they always take out the trash. 🤷
I’m always there to help them clean up cause I find joy in cleaning any other place that isn’t my own lmao 💀
I'm a hoarder who loves to clean. Hoarding is a hell of a trauma response and with therapy and time, I learned to keep my space maintained. It sucks, lots of crying in self frustration because I know I don't need the thing, but I keep thinking I need to store it or fix it or something because I shouldn't throw out something that could work. Oof
Soooo my room looks like a hoarder level 1 or 2, but I always tell my self it’s because I literally don’t have the time to clean it up besides university and if I’m at home I’m either downstairs playing with my little brothers or I’m in my bed struggling with my health. But now I start to worry that would counting once I move out 🤔
Get some help now learning how to clean and how often. It will get worse. This may also be a symptom of ADHD, so being assessed could be helpful.
Clean up once and maintain it every day. If you are not using something, throw it away. Have an organizing system (boxes, cabinets, drawers, etc.) for each room. Clean up for 20 minutes EACH DAY to keep it under control.
Why don't you stop making excuses and clean yo sh....
Get a box. Put it in the garage. Every time you have to move anything that you haven't used for a week, put it in the box. If you need to use something, take it from the box. Set an alarm for three months down the road, when the box and everything still in it that hasn't been removed once since you initially put it there goes to the bin or charity but isn't allowed back into the house. You quickly get rid of stuff you rarely use because it just sits in the box for 2 months and you never find a good reason to take it out, so chances are that you never will.
If you find that you need something that you threw out 9 months ago, rent or borrow it and return it. It might seem expensive to rent, but the space you save and the lack of clutter is almost always worth it if you spread the cost over the period of time you likely would have had it collecting dust had you not thrown the original out.
@@ellenflaca i was diagnosed when I was 8, but that’s actually what I’m trying at the moment. I started a „household“ pinboard on Pinterest with cleaning schedules and my family often ask if they can help me, but I’m struggling accepting because I don’t want anyone in my space 😅
Thank you for being so nice ^-^
I grew up in a level 3 (at least) and it has been a LONG hard road to teach myself how to not hoard. I’m proud I don’t even make the level 1 list anymore. I would say it’s impossible to not hit level one if you have any kind of roommates or if you have family that are messy. That was the hardest lesson for me to learn. My house was still messy even after I stopped having roommates, and because of my background I always thought it was me that was messy, my partner broke up with me (after 6 years dating) and it was insane to realize that it must have been her the whole time. My house is spotless now 😊
From a little kid to around 19 when i moved out i lived in a lvl 4 lvl 5 thing is my grandmother got sheds n moved into them to live
Hello! Fellow mental health worker and hoarder specialist, but in Australia, love to see it! 💕
I am a level 1 based off collecting alone like half the space in my tiny ass room is filled with ww2 collectables
⛳
Finding out I'm a level 1 hoarder is the most comforting thing I didn't expect to experience this week
I was in a deep depression many years ago. I didn't see myself as a hoarder at the time, it was more of a "this can wait" kind of deal.
But when everything "can wait" for a few years, you end up with a carpet of dirty clothes, three piles of pizza boxes, moving boxes instead of shelves, a table that requires excavation from all the rubbish and a kitchen you can't access for all the stuff that is in the way.
I didn't even see how bad it was until someone took the pizza boxes and piled up on my sofa. That's all it took for me to see the disarray.
It didn't do anything for my depression, if anything it got worse, but it did make me snap out of the daze I had been in for years and start cleaning up.
I guess what I'm saying is that many hoarders don't know they are hoarders, and the hoarding is a symptom of going through a really bad period of their lives.
Remember, hoarding is a response to trauma. Be kind.
I have a lvl 1 problem since the recession. Can’t afford to throw things out (like spare notebooks and such) but have nowhere to store it. I’m too poor to pass up free things and don’t know when I can afford to get new stuff. I think not having to hoard is a luxury that I cannot afford. It’s not like I keep trash, I keep things I’ll need later.
@Janice Then that isn't hoarding. That is a survival response. While equally unfortunate and I'm truly sorry you're dealing with that, I grew up that way as well. But no need to worry, hoarding and your situation are two different things.
@@ViolentAurora Thank you, I wasn't sure because my place looks like a level one based on what he showed!
@Janice It can be hard to tell, and honestly, it can be unneeded worry or something. I am just now unlearning those behaviors. And there is a term for it, I just can't remember what it is lol
@@virtualgambit577 lvl 1 isn’t a problem it’s the natural state of a large minority of people. Notice he said lvl 2 is where you see “unusual” behaviors ie you only see normal behaviors in lvl 1.
Also lvl 1 is more about space efficiency then actually keeping too much stuff. My advice from experience would simply be to go to a Home Depot or equivalent and get some boxes to put stuff you aren’t using in. Nobody is gonna question why you have boxes in your closet and it lets you take a wide area and put all the stuff into a smaller footprint. If you can’t afford to buy boxes there are places to get them for free that will depend on where you are.
If you have some money to spare and want it to look good you can get a dresser or similar instead.
Soooo, with my large pile of childhood toys that I haven't gone through yet.. am I a level 1...?
My bedroom is a level 2. Mental health has a huge impact on this type of behavior and I can only hope the people in level 3 and higher situations can get the proper help they need
Babe, you need help too.
My grandma was a hoarder. No food wrappers or pets but an overwhelming amount of mold and so much junk that you could barely get from one side of the house to the other. All said and done, it was about two-three large dumpsters to clean that hell hole out.
My questions are answered :)
Ah, I'm level two. I'm selling my stuff tho
Selling didn't work but family got a house maid 😅
Thank God. I may be a professional cleaning maid but they didn't allow me to clean the house because they were embarrassed. But you bring a stranger in to clean instead? Bruh. Whatever. My room is probably the cleanest out of the 3 rooms. And my room is a mess.
Mess is overwhelming sometimes.. 😅
I was a level 2/3 hoarder for so long and it caused me so much stress, i was also suffering from extreme anxiety and possibly some form of depression. Im glad I got out of that.
Both my husband and I come from roughly level 2 homes and were really uncomfortable there. Part of my trauma healing and becoming an adult has been embracing the chance to run a home I am very comfortable in. Very little mess.
Your amazing for cleaning hoarder homes. My mom was a hoarder probably like lvl 2-3 depending on the yr and level 2 sends me into a state of panic and would be far too overwhelming for me nowadays but I regularly tried cleaning constantly when I was a teen only to be yelled at for it. It was ridiculous.
My grandparents inherited a house of a hoarder, but not like the ones shown. I wasnt present but apparently he had rooms filled to the brim, windows nailed shut and so forth. But everything was neatly packed up in show cartons and whatever fit. Aparently he bought everything he though was a good deal. From dozends of rolls of aluminium foil to brand new tractor tires there was everything. Unfortunately they had to throw out most of the things because it was just too much, but some of it we still have to this day.
Thank You for all you do for individuals who really need help. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
My grandparents are level 1.
Except their basement is stacked floor to ceiling with junk, they have a dozen non-running cars in their garage, their kitchen table looks like a pyramid, they store food in the dishwasher, their fridge water dispenser good business cards, and (fun story) we once found 15 of the exact same brand new snow shovels in one closet.
as a 21 year-old recovering hoarder, I'd like to remind anyone who sees this that we do not enjoy being the way we are. we feel just about as stuck as you do dealing with us, so patience is key
For the past 4-6 years I've been in a level 3/4 home. The past 4 years was level 3 and before then it was a lvl 4. We never let anyone inside and I was so embarrassed that I didn't even call ppl because the sound of plastic on the floor crinkling made me so embarrassed.
My parents had depression, anxiety, and my dad was a bed bound diabetic. My parents room was so cluttered that they had to sleep on the couches. And I cut off most my room bc it was too cluttered. I say cluttered but it was a mix of bags of clothes, boxes, trash, and pet feces.
It's sad to say but that house burnt down and my dad, the main hoarder, died. The sad part is that I'm glad it happened. If my house hadn't burnt I'd still be in that position. My dad wasn't just a hoarder, he was abusive and would blame me for the mess. He said I should've cleaned all that. I was 11. He would beat me, berate me, and when he became bed bound, he would throw things at me. Knives, forks, pee bottles, anything else he could get his hands on. It was disgusting.
I had already started self-harming at that age because of the shame. Which made it worse. There would be piles of trash by the door, trash in the kitchen, dried dog shit on the floors, cat little piled on the floors. It was ew.
I'm glad my house burnt down. We have a new place now and it's not even a level 1. My moms room is a bit more cluttered but it's not that bad. I clean daily because I don't want it to look like that again. I'm 15 now almost 16 and I still have issues bc of my dad and that but I'm glad the fire happened.
Putting it into numbers really helps me mentally. Thank you for sharing this. I look around and hate myself for the mess I’m not currently cleaning. In this moment I can feel proud of myself for never letting it get worse than I have. Throwing things away is the hardest part. I like cleaning! Just not MY house.. 😅
Today I learned depressed me is a level 2 hoarder. I'm bipolar and currently in a manic/mixed episode (sometimes it's hard to tell on the come up) and i just did three 60lb loads of laundry, all my dishes, and finally got all my books organized.. I can absolutely see how if you dont have the "benefit" of mania, just how quickly it could get out of hand.
So I've definitely been to level 4 and back. Probably even level 5 to be honest! It's not fun, there were so many factors that's caused this but, eventually something changed and a friend helped with literally just the sink in the kitchen because I'd have a meltdown if more was done.
There was black mould and fly swarms, a couple of rooms were unusable and the others were just downright unpleasant.
It does get better eventually, I'm still messy and I still hoard 'collections' it's just not rubbish or waste so it's not unsanitary just cluttered. The next step is using a storage facility to declutter my living space so I become more detached to the items and I've been able to dispose of that stuff bits at a time. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job for people and I hope people feel like they'll get better with hoarding x
as someone whos almost certainly a level three hoarder it really seems easy when youre looking from the outside in on a mess, but to me when i walk in things that other people register as garbage immediately just dont register that way to me. its something im trying very hard to cope with and improve on but it's so so much harder than it seems
My sister is 14, and she is DEFINITELY like at least a 2.5. I found an Oreo in her room from 2017! Her rooms gotten so bad that I literally paid her for me to clean her room.
Found it!!! thanks!!💪 bless you in this type of work!
I really can’t have my room like that I get even more stressed and depressed having a messy room and I’m the type of person that I love my room to smell clean so the moment the cats go to the bathroom I go and clean it up cuz I really don’t understand how ppl can live in a room with a smelly cat box and keep breathing in all that bad smell I get headaches so I try to keep it clean as possible 😅
I stay with my Mawmaw every two weekends, and during school breaks, sometimes for like a week. Half of my room is now exercise equipment she never uses. She could probably make money selling it to someone who actually wants it, but she refuses. I don’t even have room to use the Kinect on my Xbox anymore. You can tell is a level one or two hoarder, because while most the house is normal, I think it is because she is not the only one living there. The guest/my bedroom, my game room (which is currently my room because my aunt has moved in temporarily), and her office are all so full of crap that when we were looking at buying a new house, but the house was full of clutter, Mom said it reminded her of Mawmaw’s house. She doesn’t need most of what she hoards. Besides exercise equipment, it is DVDs (she has all the best streaming services), books, and old arts and crafts stuff. Anyways, how it cost to get you to clean it up lol
through mental health work, I've gone from a 3 to a 1. I'm hoping to become one of those minimalist who always has a clean home at any given moment
Thank you for educating people on this two of my extended family members have been known to have packrat tendencies and in order to not become a pack rat or a level one hoarder myself I watch hoarding videos just to see how people let it get this bad and to help myself never come to any of those levels it's really educating for people who don't want to end up like this or for people who are relatives that have been known hoard
As I teen i was definitely a hoarder. I had trash, cans, dirty dishes. It was sad and shameful. Growing up luckily, I met my fiancé and we have been constantly trying to get cleaner. I eventually got pregnant and realized that being a messy person wasnt even an option and since then we have worked our asses off to build great habits for our baby and I am proud to say I have changed. We both grew up not having great cleaning habits taught to us and we grew up in abusive homes so getting to this place is the best feeling. Dont give up! You can do it, especially if you are a parent! Keep fighting for your kids!
My Nana has been a level 1-2 horder my entire life, luckily no actual garbage, but there are several rooms you can't enter and the ones you can it can be hard to traverse. She grew up dirt poor and now she never gets rid of anything. It was really noticeable when we lived with her because we didn't have a house at the time. I hope she gets better, she doesn't think it's a problem, but it's so apparent when you go to her house.
I'm a level 2 hoarder. My dogs don't have accidents thankfully. I am constantly working on trying to clean and organize and it is honestly so overwhelming most the time. It's been about 4 years since I started my journey. It's all about not giving up for me. I've learned how to love myself and be kind to myself through all this.
If you have any tips in particular about how to organize a plan to work through, I'd appreciate hearing about it!!
If you also struggle with hoarding, you are not alone. Please reach out to myself or others. It doesn't have to be shameful, we can all grow and change. 💕💕💕
I have a friend where his parents were about a level two hoarder and he grew up to be a level one hoarder. I tell him from time to time that it’s beneficial to keep your place clean
I had no idea. I thought it was really a rare disorder but based on this I guess a fair amount of people must be hoarders!
GONNA SHOW THIS TO MY MOM THAT SAYS I'M AN EXTREME HOARDER JUST BC I HAVE A PILE OF BOOKS ON MY DESK AND 2 JACKETS ON MY CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
His cuteness is so distracting I didn't hear a word he said 😂
Glad I watched this a few times. After the third viewing, I was able to see the dreaded “level 5” horde. Wow what a mess! 😱
Dang. There are levels! By the time you showed me level three photo I was starting to tense up and feel the need to purge and clean every nook and cranny of my home. 😳
i knew someone whose living situation was a level 2, possibly 3. literally No floor space in his room, used cups, bowls, disposable cans, trash everywhere and. the. smell. and his whole family lived at like a 2 as well. just looking at his room made me want to break in and clean it up skgjfjcjsk
This makes me feel so much better about my ADHD induced hoarding if I'm just a level 1 lol
I am probably a level 1.5 hoarder
I’ve been emotionally attached to stuffed animals but when I have to, I prefer to give them to close friends, family, or to our lovely neighbors so I know they’re taken care of. I don’t have garbage everywhere but I’m currently on my second day of cleaning and all I have to do is find what things go on what shelves now.
Honestly I’m probably a level 1, I still clean my place up but I like collecting things, it makes my brain produce the fun chemicals.
According to this list, I’d probably be a level 0.1. Everything has a place, and everything is in its place. I have about 5 things I would consider clutter, but only because they don’t really have a place where I could put them to call home. They sit on a shelf in my desk until I find somewhere to put them.
my dad and grandma are both hoarders. they are not hoarding things like garbage but will have cardboard boxes filled with books and family heirlooms they refuse to part with. its not like trashbags everywhere but there would be limited space to walk around. everything was always organized, but my dad and grandma did have unhealthy habits to go with hoarding like only drinking sodas or eating candies no veggies, or only going out at night. they are very much recluses
This was tough to see… my friend is living with his ex still and the house has looked like a level two over a year. Sometimes the living room has looked like a level 3. He’s done his best to try and help with cleaning but it feels like when he works a long day or is out if the house for a day or two all his work gets over written.. I feel particularly bad bc the ex is ashamed of it and really overwhelmed bc she doesn’t know how it got this bad in the last 6 months in particular (it started getting really bad after a pet passed). My friend regularly leaves his house smelling vaguely like cat pee bc the litter box gets bad pretty often and he hasn’t been able to help clean it bc of where it’s located and his work schedule. She doesn’t let people come over now and even though myself and her friend have offered to help I understand it can be really difficult to welcome that help when there’s so much shame at tat her to it. I wish she was able to get some help and none of us financially can afford to help her get a pro in to clean so we’re just waiting for the lease to end when she moves out and we can help her sort her things for the move and deep clean the apartment unit to restore it a bit.
Even though I’m not close with her I really hope someday she can get the help she needs. It’s heart breaking to see how someone’s life can be uprooted so aggressively by grief and mental health issues and how hard it can be to get back to “normal” when you’re trapped in a prison if your own making at home.. 😞
I hoard things like a dragon, but only tiny trinkets I find on the ground or cool, free things on online games. This is taking it way next level
My grandparents on my mom's side were somewhere around lvl 2. My grandpa died about 2 weeks ago, and my mom and her siblings all came to the house to get it cleaned up for my grandma. When i went over to visit for the first time since my grandpa died, it was almost like a different house. Before, the only room that was really usable when i went to visit was the kitchen, and even that had stuff piling up on and around the counters. There was so much dust on everything, most of it hadnt been touched in years and my grandpa wouldnt let my grandma get rid of ANYTHING. Now that hes gone, the house is much cleaner but i honestly don't know how long it will stay that way. I just hope my grandma can live in a clean home while she is still alive.
this made me feel better about myself, thanks! I'm only a level 1!
My grandmother is at level five and refuses all help and my family gets extremely angry at me for the idea of calling authorities even though that house will kill somebody. I was thrown out of her house over an argument about a rolled up rotted carpet obstructing the already impossibly narrow hallway. She would have rather me kept silent and suffer constant falls and bruising than remove a single item from her home.
I helped a group of 4 others clean out a house that was definitely somewhere between a high 3 or a 4. Huge project but I'm glad we could help out the family who was grieving the loved one who lived there and didn't know what to do about the house
Level 2 hoarder is just your average student’s room 😂
My mom was (is?) a level 3/4. We don’t talk. God bless ya for helping.
My room as a teenager was like a 2.5 because of the abuse I went through. It became my safe rat cave. I was holding onto trash items like plastic beads and barbie shoes, stained shirts, and anything that had any small significance to me. I'm so happy I've been able to heal myself from that. Some people aren't so lucky. It's a hard world we live in.
Oh man I worked cleaning out a couple level 4 and 5 houses during covid and the smell is truly what gets you. Each room has its own distinct horrific odour
Haha! Now whenever my mom says she thinks I'll end up on that hoarders show I can tell her that I'm barely a level one. It's not even really hoarding, I just have a hard time putting laundry away and need to box up some things for storage.
This was extremely helpful for me. I’d say, even emotionally, because it feels supportive to have a frame of reference. It’s taken nearly two years to heal just the home from my aunt and uncle dying. They were level 2.5. 😆🥲
I miss them. But most of all, I am ashamed we were not strong enough to step in before they died.
Never knew there were levels, but grew up in a level 3 I guess. So so glad my takeaway was to become anxiously afraid of replicating that
Used to be a level 3 for so long and recently I got in a health relationship that's been so helpful and I think I'm a level 1 now but I'm helped before it gets that far. ☺️
This helped so much. I'm a level 1but I thought I was a level 2 and was actually really worried. I am still looking into getting better, but this makes me hopeful.