Large scale clean-ups and discarding of items is not always a recommended practice when dealing with environments affected by hoarding and environmental neglect.
Clean-ups, particularly without approval, can cause significant stress and pain to an individual with a hoarding condition. It’s recommended that the de-cluttering and reorganisation of a home be undertaken with the person’s involvement or the assistance of a health or welfare professional.
What can be done to help?
One way to assist in de-cluttering a home is to enlist help from a professional decluttering and cleaning service. These agencies have experience working with clients who have collecting tendencies and adopt a compassionate and understanding approach to the process.
Once a home has been cleaned, Council can assist with the removal of hard rubbish. For further information on Council’s Hard Waste Collection Service visit the website or phone 1300 88 22 33.
It is important to note, that whilst every effort is made to be respectful of personal space, in situations of extreme environmental neglect and where severe risks have been identified, enforced clean-ups may be required and deemed the only way appropriate to ensure the health, well-being and safety of a person or animal is restored.
