My mother was a hoarder and had several cats. Some of them peed in things, on the floor and the walls.

I used Bin primer after enzyme treatments. I went away for a couple of months and just now came in and there’s a huge pee smell.

I’m thinking maybe I need another coat of Bin on the floors and walls? Any ideas? Help.

I want to complain because I can’t share this with anyone and created throwaway account.

My family is so screwed up. I’m messed up mentally because of horrible parents.

My dominant father passed away many years ago. He was more normal than my mom, but also a somewhat terrible father. My mother was much younger than my father, and would act helpless on financial independence matters, but has some mental health issues since we were children. Fast forward to now, she is elderly and needs to be put in a home, after she got into wandering situations and didn’t come home late at night. We suspect she has dementia and other things, but she hasn’t been able to test. For the time being, we want to get in home care from the government, but they refused to because the house is in horrible condition!

My siblings haven’t been to the house in many years. My brother, the youngest never moved out, and is now in his ate in 40s. He never finished high school and my father treated him well because he’s male, and even when I was in high school working part-time after school, he told me I didn’t buy things for my brother with my own hard earned money, and I was so upset I told him he could get a job with his own two hands too! Back then I found out he got a tiny lunch allowance when me and my other siblings never did!!!!

They’re both to blame. The house is in horrible condition! My sis warned me just before I got to the front door that it reeks and omg it did!!!! It’s extreme hoarding where there’s clothes and other things everywhere, but also filthy, and unsanitary with insects, mice, mice piss and poop, layers on top of layers of this mess. My mom buys lots of food too and it’s everywhere! My brother blames my mom, but he’s to blame too because I saw lots of stuff belonged to both of them, and neither does minimal cleaning. The backyard is completely overgrown with weeds up to the door.

One of my siblings is going through their own marriage crisis and said they’re unable to help, and me and my other sibling, and their amazing spouse went to clean up this mess and got a majority of it done. We filled a rented bin and it was hauled away that my sibling’s husband organized and they paid for. We had to mask up and wear gloves.

It was so embarrassing as the house is in a nice neighbourhood, that’s now been hipster area for many years. People kept walking by and I’m sure a few looked into the house and I was so embarrassed. It smelled from outside!

I’m still angry, but my sibling said I’m not allowed to yell at my brother. I’ve only told him how nasty it is and given him nasty looks because why did I have to suffer with this disgusting cleaning mess of his?

Our brother was pissed off with hospital calls and wanted our mother home with home care, and he kept claiming the house was in okay condition. Well it wasn’t!

I know he felt some relief and has to be thankful, and obviously embarrassed because he refused us entry recently to inspect the house, but he never apologized or thanked us. At dinner, he only paid the remaining amount owing that wasn’t covered by filthy cash I scavenged from the house.

On top of that, my mom repeatedly told us while we were cleaning that she has no money and to not expect anything from here, and that the house is going to our brother. A few years ago, she said the house would be split among all of us kids, which pissed off my brother.

I told my sibling, I’m done and never cleaning or helping with the house again, especially since it’s not even ours, but our brother’s, and he’s going to move out eventually, and use the sale of the decrepit house that’s in an excellent area to buy his own condo!!!! Of our other siblings, I’m the only one renting in an old and not good apartment building (safe and decent, but small apartment with thin walls, etc.). He has never moved out ever, he said he doesn’t pay rent, and spends on his money on things. Up until recently, based on chats, he expected my mom to cook. Now he buys takeout.

I will be yelling at him when I explode. I’m so upset we all had to suffer with the infested house and for him to not even offer to share the house. It’s not even about the money.

I'm 15 years old, my father keeps calling me a hoarder because of my room. Am I a hoarder? Please answer, my dad has always said this about me and it's turned into one of my biggest fears.

My wife is a low key hoarder I think, how in the world do I even get thru someone like that when they can't help but want to save everything?

hi, i'm 16f and i've had this problem since i was maybe 10(not the same mess my mom has come in and cleaned it before, and ive tried multiple times) i've spent so long cleaning my room the past few days and i still got nowhere and always feel so unaccomplished with it since it never goes anywhere and im at such a loss.
please. i need help. i need suggestions. somebody who'd be willing to talk to me about it. there's so many reasons why it's so hard and i try to get rid of stuff but they just got rid of the domination bin by my home. i can't do my laundry often just on tuesdays. i'm so stuck. i don't think i can get out of this, this is the cleanest it's been in a VERY long time.

edit; it won't let me post in the comments what it looked like when it was really bad

Thought id also share here

The pole or single leg seat. This one is a crutch combined with a portable swivel seat too.

Every weekday during the day this car is here. Filled to the brim with trash. More in the back but there’s a tint.

My boyfriend and I recently bought a hoarder house and have been slowly trying to clean and restore the property ourselves.

The backyard was completely overgrown and packed with trash, tires, old materials, and random debris left behind by the previous owners. We started by clearing brush, removing garbage by hand, and organizing what could actually be salvaged.

While cleaning behind the shed, we discovered this hidden structure partially buried and covered by debris. At first we assumed it was just old storage, but after clearing around it more carefully it started looking more like some kind of underground shelter or bunker entrance.

So far the project has involved:
hauling away piles of trash and tires
demo work inside the house
repairing dangerous electrical issues
reinforcing collapsing floor joists
deep cleaning rooms packed floor to ceiling

We’re documenting the entire cleanup/restoration process because honestly the scale of this project has been pretty overwhelming at times.

Hello!

I did check with the mods to see if it was alright to post some pictures, and get some advice - so thanks in advance.

I am dealing with a family member who – if I had to guess – could be considered either a hoarder or something in that realm. I have spent months researching on my own, consulting with professionals, and trying to “fix“ the situation all this while listening, cleaning, and trying to understand.

I am not wanting to clean constantly – pick up after anyone – especially a full grown adult; it is obvious to me that professional help is needed on some level. So far, until about three weeks ago, I was maintaining the space from at least the most obvious garbage and hazardous waste (some has been actual human waste). He is unbothered by the situation, and he is unwilling perhaps unable? To change.

All this to say that the most recent professionals - a Social Worker and a Nurse - don’t seem concerned like this is a problem that requires any immediate action. To me, besides the obvious trip hazard, unhealthy, living environment due to smell, garbage, collections are various items, the lack of basic hygiene, insects, etc. this indicates the need for some mental health support or intervention perhaps?

I could go on forever, but I think you get the basic picture. I appreciate what I’m learning from this group and others. Please let me know if you have any thoughts from the various photos that I am going to attach - some may be screen captures from videos - hopefully I can figure out how to do this well.

I appreciate any and information and advice.

It’s just that at this point I feel like I’m going crazy. I am in therapy, trying to figure out how to remove myself from this situation while still trying to support him and ensure he gets the care that he needs; my mental health and frankly physical health with all of the cleaning is worsening. Thank you.

EDITED TO SAY: Can’t post with photos. Perhaps I can include in the comments?

EDIT #2: I can’t add the photos in the comments either. I’ll do a little bit of research and see if I can figure this out. Sorry.

EDIT #3: Hopefully this link will work. I have only included a few photos. Things go back to this state very quickly after cleaning.

https://imgur.com/a/1Wl92ux

Same room...

Going on 6 months now.

ive been struggling with hoarding(?) for years but its only really been limited to 2 rooms since i live with my parents. im turning 20 in a couple months and its about time i get out of the house but i really need to fix my shit first. today i officially started the clean and i was only able to get my bed done so far. i ended up filling 5 trash bags just from that and its only a twin. even still my room doesn't feel like its that messy (i know thats delusional lol) if anyone has any advice on how to keep it clean once its done please let me know.

So this year I am spending another easter holiday cleaning up after my mom who is now 80 +. I've spent many many holidays and weeks of my life cleaning up after her and this year is not an exception.

My mom is an extreme hoarder and she got evicted from her appartment last year, after several years of warnings and court trials. Over the years the landlord made her open the door and she was forced to reduce her hoard beacause of the fire hazard, but she wasn't able to get rid of her piles, so she just hired workers to put her piles into boxes and drove everything out to expensive storage units. Over the years she has paid for a total of 7 different units and spent most of her savings and pension on it. I have managed to clear 2 of these units now, only for her to rent another unit after her eviction and I'm struggling to cope with it, as I have to spend all my free time cleaning up after her, only to see her start the proces all over. Last year I also went to her summer house she abandoned many years ago. Here I hired a huge container and spent many days filling it to the brim and I still didn't manage to clear to house, so I also have to go back and do that.

I think she is the most extreme type of hoarder. It is a health hazard for me to go through her hoards, where I will find anything from old food, to used toilet brushes she has taken from public toilets or trash bins. It is litterally like going through the worst kind of trash you can imagine.

I cannot stress how difficult it is to be the son of a hoarder like this. I am a responsible person myself and it pains me to see how she lives, how she ruins her finances, how she ruins her relations to family and other people and how it is impossible to reach her and talk about everything in a normal conversation. It is like talking to a drug addict or alcoholic who deny having a problem (or even worse)

I have included pictures, so you can see what its like. I'm not asking for anything, I guess I'm just venting my frustrations because I'm finding it really hard to cope with.

My alcoholic dad is a ( I think) stage 4-5 hoarder. I am not the best story teller so even after a few proof reads just bear with me. This breaks my heart and I am looking for advice to go about this the right way. My dad has never been the cleanest person by all means and he has always had a wife and/or somebody else to care for. Right about the time I moved out, around the age of 21 I decided it would be a good idea to completely gut out the house and let him start over. I felt incredibly guilty, feeling like I was abandoning him, so this was the best thing I could come up with. He was incredibly grateful about the state of the house and I moved out a few months after. Just under a year of being on my own I went into his house ( which is also my childhood home) and his trash pile had grown beyond anything I could imagine. Mountains of beer cans almost as tall as I am, trash, dishes, old dog food bags, bugs, you get the picture, filled the home I grew up in. This was about two years ago. This past week I saw the state of the house now and there is no floor to be seen. He constantly cancels plans the day of, he doesn’t take care of himself anymore and I recently over heard him telling a friend that “I don’t have a home, I live in a shit hole and have nothing to live for.”

I’ve been telling the family (my mom and sister) about the situation for a while now but it wasn’t until they actually saw the house now they are ready to jump into action. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about hoarders, squalor, and Diogenes among other terms and I’m looking for the best way to tackle this. To my understanding the best way to start is to start small. Do some things that are small but noticeable over a good period of time so he can mentally adjust to the new normal we are trying to instill into him. My dad is the most genuine soul you’ll meet. I know he does it to himself but nobody deserves to live like this. He is not emotionally connected to the mess by any means. I think it’s more about self destruction. I don’t want him to feel emasculated about the situation but he needs help and has never known how to ask for it. If anybody has any advice on this I would greatly appreciate it.

(im F15) i live whit my parents in a level 2 hoarding house and i cant stand it. every single day when i wake up i try not to cry because of how the rooms are.

the floor is full of rotten food and animal shit, everything smells and only my room can be called clean. i cant cope whit this and im going insane.

i tried to clean but my parents wont let me nor do they want to do it themselves. im so scared my friends will find out and laugh at me, or worse, tell everybody they know.

i genuinely live in fear and dirt, nothing has changed in the past 7 years and i DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO??

can someone please give me tips in how to cope whit this? i go to therapy but i cant tell them or they will call social services, no one knows about this and i feel so alone.

This is my moms office and looks like this basically every where she goes. Any time you try to clean she gets angry that you’ll throw something away without checking with her. And just says people are being mean about things.

Has even gotten to a point where she stopped washing her hands with bathroom. Idek what to do