Hoarded homes with health hazards

Hoarding cleanup in San Jose

A full house is one thing. A house where waste, rot or pests have built up under the piles is a health problem, and that is the part this page is about.

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A living room filled with stacked boxes, papers and bags, with a narrow path through the middle.

When clutter becomes a biohazard

Most cluttered homes need patience and a dumpster, not protective suits. The job changes when the piles hide any of these:

Animal urine and droppings, from pets or from rodents
Human waste, where a toilet stopped working or could no longer be reached
Food that rotted in a kitchen or a refrigerator that failed
Used needles or other sharp medical items among the belongings. Say so if you know of any, so nobody is hurt
Mold on walls and belongings where a leak went unnoticed

If a person has also died in the home, say so when you phone. The job then starts with that room.

How the work usually goes

The company begins by making a safe path and finding out what is under the piles. Things are sorted as they come out: keep, donate, discard, and regulated waste that has to be sealed and shipped. Once floors and walls can be reached they are cleaned and disinfected, and the company tells you what is damaged beyond cleaning.

Speed is not the aim. A hurried clear-out that bins a person's papers, photographs and keepsakes does harm of its own, and the home often fills up again.

If the person still lives there

Involve them as far as they can bear. Agree beforehand which rooms come first and what must never be thrown out. Ask the company whether the same workers will come each day, because trust counts for more here than in any other job described on this site.

If the person refuses all help and you fear for their safety, their doctor is a sensible first call.

Cost, and who decides

What moves the price

The amount of material, how much of it is contaminated, whether floors or drywall have to come out, how far everything must be carried and how many loads leave the property. Expect the company to want to see the home before it names a figure.

Who can sign

The owner, or someone with legal authority to act for them. In a rental, the landlord decides about the unit and the tenant about the belongings. If you are a relative without that authority, settle that first.

Two things people ask

Is hoarding cleanup the same as junk removal?

No. A hauler empties a house. A biohazard company is needed when what lies under the belongings is waste, rot or infestation that has to be handled as a health hazard and disinfected afterwards. Some jobs need both.

Will insurance pay for hoarding cleanup?

Often not, because insurers tend to see slow build-up as upkeep and not as a sudden loss. Policies differ, so put the question to yours directly.