Hi Mike :)

The best way is to educate yourself as much as possible about the hoarding disorder.
I recommend reading "Digging Out"
It was written for people who want to help a loved one with hoarding tendencies.
Also, there are many links at the top of this page with good information.

Unfortunately, the hardest thing to accept is that if they do not want to change, they won't.
But there are ways to help minimize the dangers.

Good luck and best wishes

I live with two brothers who are major hoarders.

My older brother constantly buys new clothes but never throws away his old ones. In the last 6 years, he amassed:

150 T-shirts
50 pairs of pants
40 Hoodies
30 Sports Jerseys
30 Baseball caps
20 drawstring bags and backpacks
15 different types of colognes
10 pairs of shoes
10 bathing suits

In addition to this, his room full of old magazines, newspapers, ticket stubs and other various items, such as paper bags, cups that he is saving that he claims will be worth money someday.

My younger brother is just as bad. He has two closets full of clothes that he inherited from my father and me. He hasn't bought new clothes in almost 20 years. His house is full of old magazines, baseball cards, video games, action figures and other items that he has unsuccessfully been trying to sell on eBay for years.

Throwing away anything is often a traumatic experience for both of my brothers. My older brother once got violently angry when he found out that I threw away some old magazine. On more than one occasion, I've caught my younger brother going through the garbage to take out some personal things I owned and threw away.

What is the best way to confront either of them since they both are very much in denial about their hoarding? Another question I have is...How did the hoarding bug skip me? Personally, I love throwing things away and donating my old clothes to the poor.