Collector Care Chronicals: Extreme Cleaning and Hoarding Cleanup

Here at Collector Care no job is too big or small! What happens when squalor or squatters take over a foreclosed or abandoned home? We come in and clean up, that's what happens! I love hearing real estate agents and home owners gasp at the makeover of  the home after one of our deep cleans.

When we arrived to the location of our job we rang the bell but no one answered. I knocked softly, and then harder. Tony gave three hard "police" knocks. "Collector Care, we are here to organize your home this morning" I shouted in my high pitch voice. Shuffle shuffle shuffle we heard some noise behind the door. A small round shadow peeked through the crack of the door "Just a minute!" she shouted "I need to get dressed!" From the crack of the door 50 fruit flies escaped, and we could smell it was a level 5 hoard. We put on our hazmats suits and finished our coffee (not in that order). 15 minutes later she came back to the door, flung it open, and retreated to the back of the house. Taking that as our invitation, we entered the home. The smell of rotten food was overwhelming. It hit us right in the face like a baseball bat when we walked in. Barely getting the front door a foot open, we shimmied in sideways onto two feet of garbage in the foyer. I caught my balance on the side of the wall that was completely covered in black mold and spider webs. Phew, That was a close one, she had a full size broken mirror with glass on top of the hoard and I almost stepped down directly onto it. The commotion of us coming in caused three cats to scatter in all different directions, sending piles and piles of paperwork into avalanches throughout the front room. I think it was the front room, but I could not see any furniture. It was all covered in what looked like clothing, paperwork, food, garbage and human waste. Yes Collectors, when you are an extreme cleaner your nose can tell the difference between human waste and animal waste. I am a mom with pets also. Ok so, we still don't know where our client is but we have our bearings and it aint a pretty sight. "Good morning!" I shouted trying to figure out where she was (my clients love my high pitched voice by the way - especially first thing in the morning).

Our entire crew of six was now at the front door waiting for our instruction - and we needed to all come in and begin work. "In here!" I heard her grumble from the kitchen. You see, she was not excited to see us. Her landlord had told her that she had to clean her place up in 30 days or get out. She had lived there 20 years and the thought of moving elsewhere paralyzed her. She had two days left when she called us. There she was, in her robe, hair a mess, making herself toast in a squalor-ous (or at C2 we say "hoarderific" ) kitchen. My eyes scanned around and saw cockroaches, rat droppings, fruit flies and their droppings, silverfish, lots of pain killers, a ton (literally!) of unopened mail dating back to 1990, 4 trays of rotten strawberries (that's what I smelled!), and the rest kind of just blended in. The garbage heap was quite higher in the kitchen, at this point we were both about 3 feet up. I heard the crew coming in, and setting up in the front room. "The bathroom is broken. I am going to take a nap. Do what you have to do. Take everything but the cats." And there she went with a basket of strawberries in hand. I could see her go into her bedroom (she could not close the door on us due to the garbage) and lay down on top of a completely soiled mattress.  Within minutes I realized what she had meant about her bathroom. There were five gallon buckets throughout the home filled to the brim with human waste. By the end of the day we counted 15. There were cat boxes all over the place, with human waste inside of them. Some were overturned and soiling whatever was below and around it. Bedding and clothing were mixed in, jewelry, bags and bags of loose pocket change, food wrappers, rotten food and rats nests. Full size black widow families were in every corner of the ceiling, draping down there webs to the doorknobs of closets that had not been opened in years. Just another day at Collector Care. Determined to fix the situation we busted our tushies yall, and needless to say we pretty much flipped the place. Her inspection three days later passed, and the landlord personally called with extreme gratitude and amazement. Do you think your situation will shock us? Doubt it. We are non-judgemental, well trained and discreet. Our efficiency and attention to detail is what I pride our company on, as well as being sensitive to all of our clients needs. Call us. We are here to help.

Collector Care Professional Organizers & Extreme Cleaners
Serving Northern California, and anywhere else in the world.
www.collectorcare.com 925-548-7750 rachel@collectorcare.com
Licensed. Insured. Bonded.
Proud ICD Subscribers, and NAPO members.

Collector Care's 4.5 Tips on Preparing for an Organizing Session

Hi Collectors! One of my favorite questions is "what should I do before you get here in order to prepare for our organizing session?". Here are 4.5 things you can do before a Collector Care Professional Organizer comes to your home!

1. Get plenty of rest the night before. Decluttering is exhausting, having a rested mind and body is important.
2. Do not clean before we get there! We want to see your space as it usually is, and we want you nice and rested before we come.
3. Eat a healthy breakfast. If you need protein bars for quick snack breaks keep them plenty close.
4. Drink a lot of water. Organizing can make you thirsty! Make sure you have plenty of water on hand so you aren't parched during a session. 
5. Relax. This is an exciting time in your life. Think about how wonderful your space will be after we leave. Don't worry about what we will think when we come. It takes a lot to shock us. Why just the other day we saw

So there you have it Collectors. Rest, eat, water and peace. We know you can handle it!

 Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer and Blogger for Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at

www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750

Tweet us on Twitter : Like our Facebook page : Pin with us on Pinterest

Collector Care Interviews: Cedric Elzey Collector Care Organizer

Hello Collectors! Our little business has grown quite a bit this year, and I am very excited to introduce you to Cedric one of our new Collector Care Organizers.
Cedric reminds me of a young Sidney Poitier, if Sidney were a fire-medic. Oh yes, besides being incredibly well mannered and dashing, Cedric is a fire-medic when he is not helping us out. Read on to learn more about this awesome guy!

Rachel: Cedric, tell us a little about your background. You are such an active guy! What do you do when you are not organizing with us?

Cedric: I was raised in San Francisco, CA.  I speak French very well. I enjoy sprinting, traveling, and spending time with my lady and my family. Basketball, bowling, and racquetball ball are the sports that I enjoy playing. My professional background includes Fire, Paramedicine

Cedric Elzey

, and Construction.  I enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life which makes me a well-rounded individual.   

Rachel: One of my favorite things about you is your in depth safety knowledge. From a paramedics perspective (in respect to clutter)what are your three biggest safety concerns when helping someone who is hurt?

Cedric: Among many safety concerns that a Paramedic may come across while helping a person in need, medically,  would be the risk of injury or death due to being trapped under falling debris; risk of disease, injury or infestation by insects or rodents; and,  slips, trips, and falls are often compounded by the fact that the paramedic is carrying a patient on a stretcher.

Rachel: We so often hear of Collectors that are injured by landslides of STUFF. What about your concerns when you are wearing your Fire Fighter hat? Is it harder to rescue someone with a lot of clutter and why?

Cedric: Among many safety concerns that a Firefighter may come across while helping a person in need would be the increased risk of fire due to the accumulation of combustibles such as papers, clothing and rubbish which poses a severe fire hazard; Risk of structural damage due to the weight of the items being hoarded; and, blocked escape from fire due to the exits, hallways, windows and doors being obstructed by debris. 

Rachel: It sounds like rescuing STUFF is not even an option, if you can barely rescue people inside. What about pets in the clutter? Are you able to rescue them? Many of our clients have pets.

Cedric: I never was in the position or situation to rescue any pets from a cluttered home.  I could imagine that the fire would grow very rapidly because of the home being very full of personal belongings; thus, making any rescue efforts futile. The clutter would get in the way of the rescue effort.

Rachel: What is the worst situation you have encountered when trying to help somebody with a lot of clutter in their home?

Cedric: Responded to a difficulty breathing call to a 50's male at his residence.  My crew and I arrived to be greeted by a young girl whom directed us to her grandfather who was located on the 2nd floor of this gorgeous home.  She made her way through piles of trash and paper leading to the stairs.  The pile of trash and paper came up to her waistline.  It was decided that the gurney was to be placed at the foot of the stairs leading up to the second floor.  On the second floor we were greeted with piles and piles of paper and clothing while trying to access the patient.  A non-rebreather mask w/O2 was hooked up to the patient after climbing over the piles of clothing and paper just to get to him.  It was decided to just carry the patient downstairs and onto the gurney and out to the ambulance and into a safer environment in order to continue to access patient.  Time was wasted trying to negotiate the piles of mess in order to get the patient and the crew out of the home safely.

Rachel: Wow. How scary for all involved.  Please give us three tips on ways our Collectors can make easy access in their homes for paramedics and fire fighters:

Cedric: 

1. Keep doorways and all points of entry and exit clear of clutter.  
2. Identify and relay any potential occult hazards that wouldn't be obvious to rescue personnel.  
3. Keep floors clear of any spills and any slip hazards. 

Rachel: I love number 2. Collectors, please let others know (including your organizer) of any potential avalanches. Very helpful as I have personally been caught in quite a few.  
Thank you for visiting our blog Cedric, what are your plans for Turkey Day?

Cedric: I intend on volunteering at either a convalescent home or a nursing home again for this holiday season. 

Rachel: There you have it Collectors, you gotta love this guy. He comes on the scene with an energy like nobody's business. He can flip a room as well as I can AND our clients love him. He has got to be one of the nicest guys I have ever met.

Collector Care is  licensed, insured and bonded. Get the help you need today by visiting www.collectorcare.com or calling 925-548-7750.

Collector Care Before & After Photos : Hoarding Clean Up - Bathroom

Hello Collectors! The title of this post should be clear enough, so if you are still here - prepare to see the kick ass job we did in this bathroom. All of the trash had been removed but feces/urine/blood was still present. Often we deep clean bathrooms and kitchens to complete a job. Did you know that regular cleaning companies (ie; Merry Maid) will not do this kind of job? We pride ourselves on flipping your home. I get on my hands and knees and scrub myself. I get asked that question a lot :)

Master Bathroom Before

Hang on the best is coming ... if you are reading this now, I commend you for your enthusiasm!

TA-DA!!!

 

So there you have it folks, no job is too dirty for Collector Care. We do not judge any of our clients and are very grateful when someone allows us not only into their home, but to take photos for our showcase.

Collector Care professional organizers and hoarding experts are here 6 days a week to help you on your journey. Whether you need your garage organized or you cannot get into rooms in your house, we are here for you!

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at

www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750

Tweet us on Twitter : Like our Facebook page : Pin with us on Pinterest