Hoarders: TV Review
A&E's Popular 'Hoarders' Program Inspires Many to Wonder
We shake our heads, wondering how these people could let their houses get to that state.
And yet.
Do you ever look at the cluttered bar in your kitchen and wonder if you're just a step or two away from hoarder-dom yourself? What about those piles in the basement - have you used all those things in the past year? Is your closet full of clothes that hasn't seen the light of day in years ( maybe even - gasp! - decades)?
Hoarders.org (not associated with the Hoarders TV show) is a helpful resource in determining whether your packrat tendencies deserve the "hoarder" label or not. Here's a quiz to see whether you earn the label 'hoarder:"
1. Are any entrances to your home blocked by stuff?
2. Are any interior doors unable to fully open due to your things?
3. Are any tubs, sinks, or toilets unable to be used due to items being stored in or around them?
4. Are any kitchen appliances unworking or unreachable due to clutter or disrepair?
5. Do you have any rooms that cannot be used due to the accumulation of stuff in them?
6. Is your bed so covered in possessions that you're unable to sleep in it?
7. Are there any safety hazards in your home due to an accumulation of things (paper items stored on the stovetop, boxes blocking electrical outlets, etc)?
8. Do you have pets in the house, and if so, are their accidents creating unsanitary conditions?
9. Are there any bugs or other pests living in your home?
10. Are stairs or hallways in your home lined with or blocked by clutter?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you have some work to do. If you answered positively to several, it's probably time to look for a psychologist who works with hoarders. Untreated, hoarding tendencies tend to become worse.
If you see yourself on the road to becoming a hoarder, take action before your house resembles one on TV. The sooner you get to the root of the problem, the sooner your house can become a pleasant place to live.
SOURCE: Hoarders.org
Published by Susan Braun - Featured Contributor in Arts & Entertainment
Susan Braun is a freelance writer with special interests in education, the arts and music. She freelances for several sites, and is one of Associated Content's Top 1000 Sources for 2008, 2009 and 2010. She i... View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentI am not a hoarder but I feel compassion for those who are and hope they can receive the help needed to overcome this malady~
My mother was a horder. I had to teach myself to organise and clean house. I admit that one desk drawer is a catch all, but even that gets organised and reduced a couple of times a year. I have given whole collections to Good Will. I am now disabled by MS. A few years ago I decided to not keep anything that would be a problem for another person to have to clean or dispose of. That is not fair to your parents, siblings, friends or off spring. My favorite things go to children and grandchildren. If they don't want them they can say NO THANKS. I don't insist and most charities will pick up. I don't keep clothes that are out of date or need even small repair.
I always thought of myself as a hoarder because I save EVERYTHING, but when I saw the show, I was mortified and relieved. I think the accumulation of STUFF just becomes too overwhelming for these people and they don't know where to begin in the cleanup so they just ignore it. But the one I saw was about a woman who was living with dead cats beneath her garbage. That image is one I can't get out of my head. I couldn't imagine living with the smell. How do you ignore that? Thanks for the checklist. I can count myself out (thank God).
Thank heavens I don't fit this, but I know people who do, and it is very sad. I say let the stores keep all the inventory until I need something; I don't like clutter.
Someone else just wrote about this too, and I'd never even heard of it. I;ve seen people with houses like this.
Thanks, Susan!
I failed two of them - but I blame my husband for that! LOL
Thankfully, I only answered yes to one of them..hehe.