Thank you for your reply, Anonymoniker - sorry for the delay in my reply! I don't have a lot of money to get help with the cleaning because my husband just had surgery, and I have surgery coming up, and the amount we will have to pay is staggering, even with insurance! The inspection was postponed until Monday morning, so I have one more weekend to work on it (but unfortunately have come down with my first cold in 4 years).

I have been cleaning as much as I can when I am home, and there is still so much to do - I know we won't pass the inspection. Yes, I do think our condo board is doing this for their own gain.

Tomorrow I plan to move as much as I can to the storage unit, and throw away/donate as much as I can, and Sunday I will focus on cleaning.

Thank you for the book recommendation - I will check it out!

Hi, WantToChange! It sounds like you are off to a great start? If youve gotten that far already, it would seem youll do ok? I do wonder if they are foreclosing on people for their own financial gain, rather than legitimate reasons? Can you afford to hire help with your cleaning? Also, i know just moving stuff to storage units isnt often a solution for hoarding, but it could be best if youre needing to pass an inspection? And i know sometimes i overly look for the upside of bad situations, but if you do get your place in order & pass the inspection, it could be a good thing? I wish i had more answers. Im probably tbe least productive of the hoarders on this site...at least with cleaning! Once you get beyond tbe critical inspection phase, you may want to get a great workbook for hoarders called 'Buried In Treasures' It is very helpful, or it was for me!
Good luck & let us know how it all goes? :D

Effortless, I can relate so much! I am new here too, but now that I know what hoarding is, I think I have been a hoarder since I was in my teens. I live in a condo unit, and our new condo board has decided my husband and I are hoarders, and they have reported us to the Department of Health - we have not yet been inspected, and I have been cleaning on weekends - I work full time, and my husband works also. He does not believe a man should clean house.

I hate cleaning, but now that I have been cleaning out for the impending inspection I realize how bad it is. Not as bad as the pictures I see online, but bad enough to be terrified about the inspection. Our condo board seems to be on a condo foreclosure mission - they have foreclosed on 2 recently and are bragging about it - not for hoarding, but they are the ones who reported us, so I think we are next on their list.

Most of what I have found online is support for people who have to deal with hoarders, not support for the hoarders - but we are people too! I have other complications now - I have glaucoma and cataracts, and am scheduled for surgery soon for both - after the surgery I will not be able to bend down for a couple of months at least.

The online research I have done on hoarding does confirm to me that I have a disorder - I had a related OCD disorder in my teens (hair pulling). I am hoping I can find support here from others with the disorder, without the judgement I have been seeing online whenever I read about hoarders!

Hi Effortless :)

You could start by telling us a little more detail about your situation and we could give you suggestions as to how to proceed.
In the thread "The Daily Chat" we talk about what we are up to daily and give each other advice and encouragement.

:)

Help! I know I have too much stuff, not enough support and I don't have the emotional energy to tackle this disease. My husband is impossible to get along with, regarding anything related to the house or the kids. My life is a mess, literally and figuratively. Where do I start?

Hi I think I can :)

Wishing you great success!

I can relate to so many of these stories..I commend everyone of you for having th courage just to write about the challenge.

I didn't realize I was a hoarder until just recently. Today was the day I decided I want more for my life.

No one has set foot in my house in over 4 years!!! I have incredible friends that will and have supported me through so many things in my life. However, I won't let them in!! The shame, embarrassment and low self esteem I feel at times is robbing me of my joy! Then one day I am ready to do whatever it takes to CHANGE!! ❤

Decluttering is an exhausting process. I did it all day yesterday. At one point, I became overcome with fatigue. I took a long break and then was able to finish up those areas at night.

I think for me it is both physically exhausting and mentally. I struggle to wonder how I got this way. I am a super organized hoarder so people come to my house and say, "Wow, your house is so clean." I am realizing that 50% of the stuff in my house is not mine. It is stuff my family gave me, the other half of expensive items I buy for my hobbies are going bad. I feel like I've wasted thousands of dollars. Let me correct, I have wasted thousands of dollars I don't have. That's a lot to think about.

I need to do a lot more. It is really starting to fill great though. We can't give up.

I think i would first try discussing it with her? See how she feels about it?

My Mother is a hoarder, she completely filled her home and then moved in with my grandfather to take care of him before he passed away. She is now living in his house and beginning the process all over again.

I really think I need to have a company come in to handle her first house. It is beyond anything that I can handle.

Do you have any suggestions of how to handle this?

Hi :)

Way To Go!!!
for getting started by clearing areas of the bedroom and cleaning the refrigerator! :D
Hope the organizer can help you with methods to keep your home tidy.
Good luck. :)

This is my first time visiting this message board. I'm glad I found it. I was looking for a 12 step group in my area but found out they don't meet anymore.

I live in a one bedroom apartment. I was supposed to move about 2 years ago, but didn't. I still have not unpacked those boxes. My place is in a total mess.

I finally got the energy to start cleaning the refrigerator. Then it took me 3 days to clean the stove. I was so tired of scrubbing and cleaning. I was a little alarmed when the pilot starters kept going off since they got wet. I thought I would have to call the fire department. I was scared if the fire department came in and saw my place. I just knew I would be issued some sort of summons and the landlord would find out. Luckily I didn't have to call the fire department. Right now, I need some things repaired but I don't even want the maintenance people in my place.

I found an organizer and will be meeting with her tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. I am really concerned about getting the help I need to deal with the emotional issues to prevent this from recurring. I have clean up before and it has gotten worse this time around.

I also started working on cleaning off the surface areas in my bedroom. It does feel good to see my dresser not covered with all kinds of stuff. I love opening my refrigerator door and see that its clean.

It is overwhelming to think how much I have to do, but I know its important to take it one day at a time, one small task at a time.

Thanks for reading my story.