Did you know that between 2%-6% of the American population experience hoarding disorder? Psychologists characterize this disorder as a persistent difficulty with throwing out possessions. As a result, these items accumulate in the person’s home, regardless of their value.
Over time, this hoarding can cause several problems. It can damage the structure of the building with excessive weight or by fostering mold growth. Likewise, hoarding can allow for the spread of disease to the household.
These problems make it challenging to perform a hoarding cleanout alone. Instead, consider calling professional hoarding clean up services to begin the cleaning.
These services can resolve your hoarding situation by getting rid of unnecessary items. The question is, how can you choose the best service?
That’s precisely the question we’ll answer in this guide. Keep reading to learn how to choose the best clean-up company!
How Much Experience Do These Hoarding Cleanup Services Have?
The first thing to ask about a clean-up service is their experience level. How long has this service performed hoarding clean-up work?
Experience teaches companies several things. First, it teaches them the most efficient way to clean a home. They understand that they should clean houses from top to bottom to receive a complete cleaning.
Likewise, they also know what dangers to anticipate. As mentioned previously, hoarding is not a victimless habit. Hoarding allows for infestations and mold to affect a house.
These problems could make the structure unsound. Similarly, they could also pose threats to occupants’ health.
An experienced company can identify these threats and prepare for them. They have the equipment and expertise to protect themselves as they clean the structure. They can also clean mold growths and similar issues without calling another service.
Experienced cleaners also know their options for different types of residences. For example, they may need permission from landlords to address some issues in an apartment. Inexperienced companies may not have the expertise to identify these issues.
How Long Will the Cleaning Take?
Another question to ask before you hire a cleaning service is how long they’ll take to complete the job. This timeline partially depends on the scale of your hoarding problem. For example, if you live in a two-story home and every room is full, even the fastest service will take a while.
However, different clean-up crews might have more people or equipment. As such, they may be able to finish cleaning your home faster than their competitors.
The timeline for this project matters. You may need to make arrangements to stay elsewhere during the clean-up if it takes longer than one day.
Alternatively, you may not want people in your house all day. If one service can clean the house in a few hours, they’re probably the preferable choice.
Finally, remember to ask the service how thorough their clean-up will be. Are they only targeting clutter and the removal of possessions?
Or, will they also clean the deeper problems that affect your house, such as mold or animal waste? These factors also affect which hoarding clean-up services you choose.
How Much Do Your Hoarding Clean Up Services Charge?
Different clean-up services may charge various rates. Several factors can affect the costs you face.
It’s challenging to gauge how much this job will cost until cleaners stand in front of it. A professional cleaning team better estimates time and cost when they can check out the circumstances of the job site themselves.
Because of this, the rates you receive could vary drastically depending on several factors. These factors include:
- labor charges
- how many staff members the job requires
- how severe the hoarding problem is
- safety threats
- size of the property
- how long the project takes
You may wonder about the safety threats mentioned in that list. When a project entails potential safety risks, most companies charge more money. For example, most cleaners charge more if they encounter black mold in the house.
So, how can you decide which cleaner to choose if prices can vary so much? First, talk to a few different cleaners and request a quote. When you do, ask if they can drive to your location and survey the job site.
Once they survey the job site, most companies can provide a more accurate quote. From there, narrow down which hoarding cleaning services offer the best rates for your budget.
What Reputation Does This Cleanup Service Have?
Finally, consider this hoard clean-up service’s reputation. Do past clients have positive reports to give about this company? Or, do most people seem to have a negative experience with this client?
There are a few ways to figure this out. First, ask people you know if they’ve ever used this company for cleanouts. If you suffer from a hoarding disorder, it’s possible that others in your family have encountered the condition.
However, you may not know anybody else who’s needed hoarding cleaning before. If so, that’s okay! The Internet can provide all the testimonies you need about a company’s performance.
Search the cleaning company’s name online and look for reviews. Ideally, hoarding cleaning crews should have a positive consensus about their services.
Don’t panic if you see one or two poor reviews. Even the best services may encounter a severe challenge.
However, consider hiring another Wisconsin cleaning service if most reviews seem negative. These can indicate sloppy service or a habit of leaving jobs incomplete.
Find the Professional Cleaning Service You Need
These tips can make it easy to choose between different hoarding clean up services. They can help you decide which company offers the most convenient hoarding services for the best price.
If you live in Wisconsin, there’s a high likelihood these considerations will lead you to our work! We’ve spent several years offering thorough cleaning services to Jefferson and Dodge counties.
We’ve helped several homeowners recover from severe hoarding problems. Additionally, we also provide other disaster cleaning services. Request a quote today to decide if our rates work for you!