How to Stop Hoarding

Hoarding is a compulsive disorder in which a person collects mass amounts of objects, creating large and potentially dangerous mountains of stuff in their home.

Often, the hoarder will not be aware of how out of control their addiction is, but will continue to purchase more. It's time to stop this harmful addiction and clean up!

One of the easiest tasks to begin with is to take out the trash.

Empty all of the trash bins in your home and replace the bags. This way, you can throw away more trash as you find it.

Tackle your kitchen sink.

How long have the dishes been dirty? Dishes that have been sitting for a long period of time have a chance to collect and grow germs. Almost always, a hoarder needs to throw away most of their kitchen to remove the harmful bacteria and viruses that have lived for so long in their home

Next, clear out the fridge.

Throw out all expired food, and be aware of when the remaining food will expire. It is important that you remain aware of expiration dates, and may have to remind yourself often to check. If you aren't going to eat it, throw it out. If you have really expired food, then it most likely contaminated the rest of the food. 

Wash and fold all of the laundry you have.

After each load comes out of the dryer, look at each article of clothing. Does it fit you? Is it flattering to wear? How often do you actually wear it? Is it for a special event?
Get your clothes down to what you really want and will wear. Fold and put them in your drawers.

Throw away any trash; anything filthy.

Go through your stuff and think to yourself "If I get rid of this, will I actually miss it in the long run?" An object tied to a memory may be gone, but the memory won’t be. If you are concerned about forgetting, start a memory notebook.

Clean all of your sheets and make the bed.

Organize your closet, keeping only the things that you would actually miss.

Throw out any trash, beauty products you never actually use, old products, and products that are filthy or almost gone. A general rule is if you don't use it, don't keep it.

Now the tricky part is to organize all of your stuff.

Put like things near each other, and then put them into your rooms accordingly. This part might need a friend to help. As you put everything away, continue to search for things that are unnecessary or that someone else may be able to enjoy more than you.

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