A condition called clutter hoarding does exist. Some people seem to be quite comfortable with a lot of clutter in their home. Maybe they are just hoarding clutter? Most of us tolerate some level of clutter, but to effectively keep a home clean it must be decluttered. So the first step to speed cleaning is to pick up clutter.

There was a time when a person who excessively bought, retained or collected things never raised a red flag.  And individuals with stuff lying around all over the house were simply called messy.  But now, people who clutter and hoard without abandon cause family and friends much worry.  There is a difference between a clutterer and a hoarder.

Clutterer
Most clutterers are unable to organize, sort or categorize the objects they have accumulated.  Apart from not having an idea how their accumulation has gotten out of control, clutterers are often unsure how to get rid of their clutter.   It is not due to lack of motivation.  They know they have a lot of clutter but are too overwhelmed to take control of the situation.  Clutterers fortunately do not save garbage or soiled items.

Hoarder
By definition, a hoarder is when an individual amasses things or even animals excessively causing these to interfere with his daily functions.  Extreme hoarding causes health hazards and safety issues for the hoarder and those living with or even merely visiting him.  With hoarders, there is an extreme compulsion to accumulate things.  As such, they are compulsive buyers.  Hoarding creates a significant inability to live a normal, organized life.

Hoarders’ living spaces are often overrun by piles of stuff that often appear useless and without much monetary value.  They also find a measure of comfort in their excessive clutter.  Trying to get a hoarder to simply tidy up or get rid of a few things becomes a great emotional battle.  This extreme activity is called Hoard and Clutter Syndrome or Packrat Syndrome.  Some believe that it is a form of OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  It is believed that there is an underlying psychological condition that causes people to hoard.

What can be done?
Usually, the first steps to eliminating the problem of cluttering or hoarding comes from another family member or a friend.  Sometimes, especially for a hoarder, it is a person from the outside who has seen the problem and reports it to the authorities in the belief that the hoarder is putting his family, especially young children, at risk.  An intervention involving professionals come into play.  Hoarder help and organization experts come and assist in the de-cluttering process.  A psychiatrist helps break down emotional barriers and guides the individual towards a clutter or hoarding free lifestyle.

The individual himself may have a Eureka moment wherein he realizes that the cluttering or the hoarding must stop.  If this is the case, he should ask for help from family members and friends to find a solution to this ever growing problem.  The problem is more difficult to address compared to cluttering.  For a clutter, some steps they can take are:

·    Create a de-cluttering game plan.  If she can create one, great!  Otherwise, she should seek help from family, friends or a professional.
·    Buy closet or drawer organizers to keep and categorize items that she will still use.
·    Designate piles for items that are for charity, for re-use and for throwing away.  She has to keep only those items she truly needs.  She must let go of the emotional attachment towards that stuffed bunny from her first boyfriend!

With hoarding, things are much trickier.  Counseling is definitely in order to eliminate the underlying emotional cause of the hoarding.  A hoarder cannot be helped if she doesn’t want to be helped.  If a person has an inkling that she is hoarder:

·    She should seek help in getting rid of the mess both in her house and in her mind.
·    Identify what is triggering the behavior.
·    If the hoarding makes her feel whole, then she should find a creative or more meaningful activity to fill this void.  For example, she can volunteer or take a class on a subject that interests her: cooking, painting, dancing, etc.

If you suspect that you are a clutterer or a hoarder, there is hope.  If you find yourself drowning in mounds of stuff or have started eating on the bed because your kitchen table is full of things, it may be time to seek professional help.  Often times, it is your loved ones who will initiate the first steps to address your hoarding problem.  Hope comes in baby steps.  Once a person realizes that they may be clutter hoarding, they can start to get it under control and from that point on family members and a professional should still monitor them to make sure they don’t fall back into the same behavior.