Some people accumulate a lot of stuff. But others seem to have an exceptional amount of things crammed into their living spaces. And it's called hoarding.
While not all those who tend to keep too much stuff around are clinical hoarders, the challenge of removing and disposing of that junk can still be overwhelming. Fortunately, there's help!
Many of us can go through our homes and make a mental survey of all the stuff we have stored here and there and, too often, come to the conclusion that we've got way too much. And, for some of us, that is likely true.
However, clinical hoarding - also known as compulsive hoarding or hoarding disorder - is quite rare. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the American Psychiatric Association defines Hoarding Disorder (HD) as,
"Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value."
Immediately, many of you reading this are probably thinking, "Oh, no! That's me!!" Probably not.
The American Psychiatric Association also notes that less than 3 out of every 100 people are likely to suffer from some degree of hoarding disorder.
"The overall prevalence of hoarding disorder is approximately 2.6%, with higher rates for people over 60 years old and people with other psychiatric diagnoses, especially anxiety and depression. The prevalence and features of hoarding appear to be similar across countries and cultures."
The point here is that hoarding disorder is a real thing and often a tragic one. But not everyone who is messy and unorganized, or who tends to keep too much of everything is a hoarder.
Here is a useful graphic that breaks down the five stages, or levels, of hoarding:
As you can see, many of the signs are related to squalor and unsanitary living conditions; not just piles of stuff.
However, there are many people who could classify themselves as being in that shadowy gray area that might be called "almost hoarders" or even Stage One hoarders. Those are the people who find that they cannot walk through their garage any longer, never mind try to park their car in it.
These might be homeowners who have every closet, spare room, attic and other space filled to the brim with boxes, bags, crates, and assorted items and belongings. And have also rented a self-storage unit or two for the things they can't stuff in their house.
Or there are the "side yard" and "back yard" hoarders who keep all types of projects, materials, and other seemingly junk items piled up outside their homes. And, yes, this can often include old cars or large portions of them!
None of this necessarily means that one is a compulsive hoarder.
As one hoarding disorder website notes,
"Some people might have more clutter than others, or struggle to remember to throw out old receipts and wrappers until they have built up. While this is an indicator that you might be a little messier than others, it does not necessarily make you a hoarder. Hoarding is a much deeper, more complex problem than being a little messy."
But junk is junk, and getting rid of it when it's large amounts can be a problem. Which begs the question, "What can you do to manage your large scale junk removal ?"
For most of us, trying to get rid of bulky junk items can be a challenge. And, for most of us, it's not a job that we really want to do ourselves. Certainly not all the heavy lifting and loading! But what do you do if you don't have any friends or family to help you with that or, better yet, do it all for you?
Not only is that a great deal of hard work and possibly hazardous, depending on where your home or business is located, you may have limitations on what and where you can dispose of your junk items if you had to do it all yourself.
Finding a reliable alternative to a DIY approach is your best bet, but finding someone you can trust to do it right and to do it safely can be a challenge, as well.
The very nature of large scale junk removal means that removing, loading, and hauling all of it can be incredibly difficult for some homeowners and businesses owners. Because so much of the junk is large, unwieldy, and heavy - or there's simply way too much of it - the best approach is to just outsource the work to a professional firm.
The good news is that Junk King is standing by, ready to take your large scale junk piles off your hands - and off your property - quickly, safely, and without damaging any part of your home or place of work on the way out.
In the final analysis, it's simply a "no-brainer" - the benefits of using a professional junk removal firm like Junk King for your bulk junk items far outweigh any advantages of "doing it yourself."
[credit: raining rita @flickr]
In other words, it is far more feasible and cost-effective to call on Junk King to take care of your bulk junk and trash removal needs. The DIY route may work for some junk removal tasks like cleaning a storage closet, for example.
But the truth is that most of us don't have the proper equipment nor a suitable vehicle for loading and hauling large amounts of junk items.
The bottom line is that, while you may not be a compulsive hoarder suffering from an actual hoarding disorder, you may still have a bit of a hoarding problem.
As the Mayo Clinic points out,
"Hoarding ranges from mild to severe. In some cases, hoarding may not have much impact on your life, while in other cases it seriously affects your functioning on a daily basis. People with hoarding disorder may not see it as a problem, making treatment challenging."
So, if you're reading this article and are simply looking for a solution to your large scale junk removal problem, then you almost definitely not suffering from actual hoarding disorder. And that's great news!
Now, you just have to deal with the junk and clutter around you...
If you find that you've been letting yourself fall victim to a case of "almost hoarding" this may be a good time to clear out the junk, debris, clutter, and rubbish before the holidays are in full steam.
Which is why Junk King specializes in bulk junk and trash removal for both our residential and commercial customers.
If you’re dealing with an “almost-hoarding” issue that has you looking at some large scale junk removal from your house, figuring out where to begin can be overwhelming.
Not to worry! With our simple and short step-by-step guide your project can be much easier.
Step 1: Set Firm Guidelines
Before starting, it’s a good idea to set some rules about what belongings can stay and what types of materials must go. For example, a good guideline is to get rid of everything you haven’t used for a year or more. The exception would be photos and other important materials. With firm rules in place, going through the clutter in your home will be much easier and faster.
Step 2: Decide What to Keep or Not Keep
Go through each room one at a time and sort through every pile, closet, drawer, and shelf. It all must either stay - or go. Have a staging area outside the house, such as the garage or driveway to place everything that is going. That pile can be further sorted after you’ve gone through the entire house.
Step 3: Donate It, Sell It, or Throw It Away
Once you’ve separated the items that are going, next decide what to do with them. Useful belongings, including working electronics, quality clothes, and collectibles, can be sold or donated. This is a great way to make some money or help those in need while getting rid of your junk. Anything that cannot be sold or donated can be set aside for permanent disposal.
Step 4: Get Professional Junk Removal
Once you’ve separated and cleared all the junk and clutter, you’ve done enough yourself. The best next step is to hire a professional junk removal company like Junk King to take away the piles. We can take just about anything including appliances, furniture, electronics, old equipment, and even excess trash or garbage.
In addition, we can pick up your junk from either a single location - like your driveway or garage - or from multiple rooms in your home. And, best of all, Junk King will reuse or recycle as much of your clutter and junk as possible.
Junk King provides an efficient, safe, affordable, and eco-friendly residential junk removal service so you don’t need to worry about how to dispose of your excess junk or extra-large trash items.
And, depending on where you live, you might even consider renting one of our user-friendly MINI Dumpsters. This alternative means you can load your junk and debris at your own pace and then let Junk King come and remove it and dispose of it all for you.
Our full-service teams, on the other hand, specialize in residential and commercial trash and junk removal. We can be at your home or workplace in mere minutes, so call us today! And our expert crews are fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your debris and other unwanted items in a professional and courteous fashion.
One of the best things about hiring Junk King is that we recycle as much of the material that we pick-up as possible. This is proof of our commitment to being an eco-friendly junk removal service.
If you have questions about what we can do for you, give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK (5865).