When clutter has become a health risk
Hoarding cleanup when there are biohazards
Clutter alone is a family matter. When the home also holds animal or human waste, rotting food or pests, clearing it becomes a health risk for whoever does it.
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The biohazards in a hoarded home
- Animal waste and urine soaked into floors, often from pets kept in the home.
- Human waste, when a bathroom stopped working or could not be reached.
- Spoiled food and the pests it draws.
- Dust and mold from damp material that has sat for a long time.
Wear gloves if you go in at all, and do not touch needles or other sharp items you come across. Leave them where they are.
If someone still lives there
Clearing a person's home without them almost never lasts. If your relative or tenant still lives in the house, talk with them first about what will happen and what they want to keep.
A cleanup company can work room by room and set aside papers, photos and valuables it finds. Ask how they handle a person who lives there and wants to be present, and whether they can sort items for donation or for the family to review.
If the person has died, the home is usually handled by the estate. The person handling the estate can arrange the cleanup.
Questions about hoarding cleanup
How is the price worked out?
Mostly by volume and by what is in it: how many rooms, how much must be hauled away, and how much of it is contaminated. A walk-through gives the company what it needs to give you a written price.
Can they work around a deadline, such as a sale or a lease ending?
Ask on the call. Give them the date and the rooms that matter most.
What about pests?
Tell the company if you have seen rodents or insects. Some arrange pest treatment; others will ask you to.
When you are ready, one call is enough
Tell the company what happened, which room or vehicle it is in, and whether the police and coroner have finished. They will explain the work, when they can come and how they arrive at a price.
Talk to a cleanup company
The call puts you in touch with an independent biohazard cleanup company that works in the Columbia area. Say what happened and ask what you need to know. Whether you hire them is up to you.
Call (803) 637-8296Phone answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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