Understanding the Mind of a Hoarder
Hoarding is a destructive and addictive habit. This article uncovers how the mind of a hoarder works, and gives useful tips to fix the problem.
Understanding a Hoarder’s Thought Process
Hoarding refers to a continued behavior of accumulating things and the failure to discard them in time. This behavior is self destructive and affects the life of a hoarder and those around them.
A hoarder simply delays disposing off unwanted items or leaves waste unattended. With the passage of time, such items turn into biological hazards that cause diseases.
Contrary to a healthy behavior, a hoarder feels distressed even at the thought of disposing the items. Hoarding may also be associated with other conditions, such as obsessive compulsive disorder and depression.
The Severity of the Issue
The problem causes extreme embarrassment for a hoarder, leading to social isolation. This is because a hoarder’s friends may tend to avoid visiting such person’s house or meeting them.
The problem sometimes becomes so severe that it results in separation between life partners and families. As this situation threatens personal relations and quality of life, it causes anxiety and other mental illnesses.
When items are left unattended for long periods of time, these generate rust or liquids as they change their form, and cause biological hazards.
Dealing with the Problem
The first step in dealing with this issue is to differentiate between hoarding and cluttering.
Cluttering may refer to a collection of things that are lying at a place in an untidy state. However, hoarding is a stock of items in a large quantity.
While both cluttering and hoarding may seem similar, only the latter reflects a psychological disorder.
Severity of the issue can be determined with the help of a mental health professional.
Resolving the Issue:
The easiest way to prevent accumulation is to break the habit of hoarding.
A person who likes to hoard can even maintain a small box to keep unwanted items and discard them as soon as they are generated.
Setting up an alarm and maintaining a schedule can also help dispose of the stuff on a regular basis. Donating the items that can be reused is also a smart way to avoid hoarding.
Getting Help for Cleanup
Hoarding cleanup may require professional expertise as there is always a risk of getting in contact with germs or bacteria. Are you looking for a professional cleanup company to get in touch with?
Duval County Hoarding is a Jacksonville based company that provides expert hoarding cleanup services. If you feel there are any biohazards in the home, now is the time to act!
Hoarding Cleanup Companies: How Can They Help?
Having the assistance of a hoarding cleanup company at your doorstep brings great relief. They offer a variety of services that you can benefit from.
But what causes hoarding?
Hoarding-A Problematic Habit:
The primary cause of hoarding is to delay disposal of unwanted items. These objects may occupy large areas of a house and cause biohazards for the residents.
A continued behavior of delaying waste disposal results in a hoarding disorder. You don’t want to part with the items because you feel that the hoarded items are going to be reused one day.
This problematic habit affects cleanliness and results in various health conditions in the long run. Hoarding also affects those in the neighborhood, especially when the items are accumulated in the backyard or near the street.
Smart Ways to Avoid Hoarding
Adapting to a few smart methods ensures that no unwanted items are accumulated. The first step here is to classify and dispose items as soon as they are generated.
Designating a small box or a place to keep such items can also limit them to a great extent. These should then be disposed at a particular time of the day regularly. As a smart tactic you can clean a room with the least amount of items, first.
It is also always advised to wear safety gloves or masks in order to avoid contact with any bacteria at an affected place.
Hoarding can also be prevented by donating the items that can be reused, and making this a regular practice.
Don’t wait for the items to accumulate before you begin tidying the place or reach out to the professionals. Instead, maintain a regular routine.
Get Professional Help
Removing the hoarded items on your own may worsen the situation due to the related health risks. Many places require deep cleaning with the help of special tools and equipment.
Choose a company that’s experienced in biohazard remediation, as they have more expertise than ordinary cleaning personnel.
Duval County Hoarding offers hoarding cleanup services through trained technicians at your doorstep. The company evaluates the situation, decides the right course of action and does the cleanup.
The company is also experienced in animal hoarding clean up and disinfecting following a cleanup.
Conclusion
Hoarding can turn into a big problem. Not only does it take up so much space but it can also cause health hazards. Asking for professional assistance becomes mandatory when the situation gets too way out of hand.
Setting a regular schedule and maintaining a checklist can help you achieve your objectives in a timely and efficient manner.
Remember, the solution does not lie in only cleaning up, but in breaking the habit of hoarding altogether. Good luck!
Disinfecting Your Home after a Bout of Infectious Disease
If you or one of your household members recently suffered from an infectious disease, there is a chance that other members of the family might be at risk too.
This is because houses that have not been cleaned following the spell of an infectious disease may still have traces of bacteria. This then cause other healthy people to fall ill.
Following is a step-by-step process of what you need to do if you find yourself in a situation like this.
1: Assess the Level of the Threat
The first and foremost thing to do is to assess the level of threat that you are facing. This means knowing exactly how many people were infected from the disease, the degree of the infection, time taken for recovery and other such important factors.
Once the assessment is done, it will be easier to carry-out a cleaning process and improve the hygienic conditions of your house.
2. Opting for the Right Method
The second step is to pick the right method for the cleanup.
There can be a number of ways and methods to disinfect your house. Some people opt for cleaning their house on their own. However, in doing so, there is a greater risk of coming in contact with a disease as one may not be aware of the level of the threat or they may not be equipped with the right tools for the job.
On the contrary, a bio-hazard cleanup service providing company has all the essential tools and the professional experience to completely decontaminate your house.
3. Choosing the Right Company
The third step is to get in touch with the right company that will help you make your house’s environment healthy again. Choosing the right house disinfection service can be tricky but the following information can help you conclude your search and begin the cleaning.
Bio-One, an established biohazard remediation company, has been serving Jacksonville and surrounding areas for the past more than 20 years. It specializes in providing prompt and professional help in order to restore a property to its original condition.
The company holds a full license in disinfecting services, and hires the best professional team to attend to the special needs of a property.
Bio-One emphasizes on the training of the staff as per the industry standards so that you get nothing but the best and safest assistances. Their 24-hour customer service makes it super convenient for people to get in touch with them.
Your wellbeing should be a primary concern. Do not delay getting help from a professional cleanup service provider. Remember this rule: the sooner a cleanup is done, the better it is for you and the people around you!
Dealing with Animal Waste
Like any waste, animal waste is a biohazard and could create serious health issues if not disposed on time.
The frequency of waste disposal depends on how many pets you have in the environment around you. Plus some animal waste has more dangerous properties, so it needs to be disposed that much sooner. Disposing animal wasteis not easy, but a few methods can make things convenient.
Train your Pets
One step that could great help in disposing animal waste is to condition your pet’s habits. If your pet is trained to use a certain place as a toilet, the waste will be restricted automatically.
You can train your pet to use a litter box whenever they are commanded to.
Methods to Collect the Waste
Considering that animal waste has more bacteria, it is better to use especially designed bags to collect it.
While doing so, a hard-plastic glove must always be worn to prevent contact with the skin. This becomes especially important if the pet is sick, as the waste may then contain parasites.
Once the waste is collected, it is always better to use a cleaning spray to clean the areas surrounding it.
Maintain a Regular Schedule
Forgetting to dispose animal waste can have several health consequences. So, it is important to train the pet to go to the litter box at a particular time of the day.
Using a notepad on a daily basis to keep a record of the disposal gets things done on time. Remember, good habits create positive routines and better results.
Feed the Right Food
Effective waste disposal starts with feeding the right food to the pet. Pets fed healthy food will have better digestion and generate normal waste. Providing the pet the right food is also beneficial to avoid short or long term health issues.
Recycle the Waste
Waste, such as that generated by a dog or a cow, can be recycled into a fertilizer for your backyard. This material can be created at home by processing it with a few specially designed chemicals.
This helps you to not only dispose the waste in a timely manner, but also improves the quality of soil in the garden.
Professional Disposal of Waste
Improper disposal of waste can cause major environmental hazards. It’s best to seek professional help regarding this.
Bio-One is a biohazard remediation company that provides waste disposal solutions through trained staff. They have the right equipment as well as the right kind of experience to help you deal with this potentially dangerous material easily. Get in touch with them today!
The Risks of Unattended Waste
Every living organism generates waste, but leaving it unattended is what causes problems.
Let’s find out about the risks associated with leaving waste unattended, and how we can avoid doing so.
Waste is a part of the natural cycle of life. Whatever waste we produce goes through a process of recycling. Problems arise when we decide to pile up the waste and avoid disposing it.
As waste generation is a continuous process, leaving it attended creates a nuisance for you and the people around you. So it can be said that generating waste is not the actual issue, but hoarding of it is.
Depending on the kind of waste it is, it may begin to smell or change its form---for the worse!.
Whether it is a liquid, solid, organic, recyclable or metallic waste, it will continue to change its form and deteriorate with time. This allows different viruses to infest inside and spread diseases in the environment around it.
That’s when the major hazards associated with unattended waste begin to emerge. Unusable items, such as food and other stuff may cause grave health hazards.
Such biohazards in the home allow germs, bacteria and viruses to grow and result in infectious diseases.
In addition to causing health issues, this waste continues to occupy your living space. With time, your room or residence begins to look less clean or presentable.
On a larger scale, unattended waste contaminates the environment, causes epidemics and undermines the health of a large number of people.
Waste management may sound like a difficult task but it is possible with some planning and effort. Let’s analyze two good ways of waste disposal.
The single most important thing to prevent unattended waste is to not let it accumulate. Unnecessary delay in disposing or recycling unwanted or used items should be avoided.
The second important step is to classify your waste. As soon as waste is generated, determine if it is something that needs to be disposed immediately or is it to be reused or recycled.
This classification would enable faster (and correct!) disposing of the waste.
In case you have just decided to dispose accumulated waste, or you have moved to a new place, you should opt for a biohazard cleanup company. The sooner you can rid of hazardous substances in your house, the better.
Bio-One is a biohazard remediation company offering expert removal of unattended waste.
Unattended waste carries major health, biological and environmental risks for you and those around you. Remember that a little delay in disposing any sort of waste can cause serious long-term health issues. So act smart!
Losing a loved one in an accident is incomprehensibly painful. The seeming unfairness and randomness of the moment is almost impossible to accept at first as grieving friends and family members try to rationalize what happened. They often feel guilty for not doing enough to prevent the death despite the fact that the incident was entirely out of their control. But nobody can prepare for the sudden and unexpected. Accidental deaths are by definition unnatural and unintentional. They include slips and falls, traffic accidents, poisonings, accidental weapon wounds, drownings, fire injuries, head traumas, industrial accidents, choking deaths, explosions, and natural disasters. Fatal accidents have always been a leading cause of death in America. But unfortunately, they are becoming more common.
According to the non-profit National Safety Council, accidental deaths increased 96 percent over the last 25 years. Though they decreased significantly between 1950 and 1980, fatal accidents have been growing rapidly since the mid-1990s.Despite our innovation in creating safer technologies, today’s rate of 52.2 deaths per 100,000 people hasn’t been seen since the mid-1970s. Now, accidents are the number one leading cause of death for people aged 1 to 44, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For all demographics, they are the third leading cause of death nationwide, with 169,936 deaths reported by the CDC in 2017.
While researchers have not reached a consensus on why accidental deaths are increasing, the NSC points to three trends to explain the rise, including increases in poisonings, motor vehicle deaths and falls among older adults. All of these injuries are preventable, they say, arguing on their website that institutions “have not consistently prioritized safety at work, at home and on the road”. Poisonings, the leading unintentional injury among CDC data, increased 11 percent between 2016 and 2017 . The NSC attributes the growth to the opioid crisis, which claimed the lives of 47,000 Americans in 2017 .
To put the CDC data into perspective, 466 people die from accidental injuries every day The number of friends and family members affected by the death of a loved one is even higher, resulting in an ever-growing community of people who must find ways to manage their grief. Bio-One works with these families every day to facilitate their steps towards recovery.
When fatal accidents happen, we dedicate our resources to helping families restore their home or business in a safe, private and efficient manner. Because first responders do not decontaminate crime scenes after they respond to a call, we step in to ensure that families are not exposed to disease and other dangers. Crime scenes harbor harmful bloodborne pathogens that contaminate the immediate area, leaving everyone on the property vulnerable to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Our licensed technicians use powerful, environmentally safe chemicals to thoroughly disinfect the area so you can rest assured that your family will be safe. We work with an appreciation for your valuables and will replace furnishings if need be. In hoarding situations, we remove clutter that may present a danger to other inhabitants, including feces and other biological waste.
When you give us a call at your local Bio-One office, we’ll immediately connect you with a representative that will address your unique situation. Because we value your time during this difficult moment, a team will be dispatched to your home or business within an hour to complete the service. When they arrive, they’ll come in unmarked vehicles to safeguard your privacy. Our team approaches their work with the sensitivity it demands and endeavors to address your needs with the compassion it deserves. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We are on standby 24/7/365.
We often forget about the people left behind in the wake of a homicide. News stories reveal who died but often fail to identify how their death impacts their loved ones. When someone is murdered, their family, friends and significant others endure one of the most traumatic experiences that anyone can face. These survivors are some of the least researched crime victims in America, and they are everywhere. According to the most recent FBI data, 16,214 Americans were murdered in 2018. For every one of those individuals an average of 7 to 10 relatives were severely impacted, according to an estimate by Lu Redmond, a homicide grief expert.
If the murder rate remains consistent, Redmond’s estimate means between 113,000 and 162,000 Americans will become homicide survivors each year. That’s in addition to the pool of survivors who already lost loved ones in previous years. Though the lack of research makes it impossible to quantify how many total homicide survivors there are in America, the number is high enough to warrant concern for how they are treated by health professionals.
For survivors, the grieving process is almost impossible to endure. Though loved ones will grieve in different ways depending on their relationship with the victim, the loss is shocking, unimaginable and absolute. They never had a chance to say goodbye to their loved one, and the plans they both shared will never come to fruition. This realization may be sudden. In some cases, it may take years. Some survivors find it difficult to accept a loved one’s death at first, resulting in a delayed reaction that is triggered by a situation that reminds them of the victim. According to the National Center of Victims of Crime, grief symptoms include shock, disbelief, numbness, changes in appetite and sleeping patterns, difficulty concentrating, anger, confusion, increased anxiety and fear. Financial loss, depression and family conflict are also common symptoms.
Discovering a murdered loved one in the home can trigger post traumatic stress disorder. After the first responders leave the scene, some survivors may feel compelled to clean up the aftermath themselves. Confused that the paramedics don’t complete this work, they may think the cleanup process is their responsibility and act immediately. After all, they want to restore the scene as quickly as possible. Operating in a state of shock, they’ll remove the blood stains, body tissue and contaminated materials from the home without recognizing the threat to their physical and mental health. In addition to exposing their body to dangerous bloodborne pathogens, survivors may experience traumatic flashbacks of the experience in the future and suffer from heightened anxiety and emotional numbness. These PTSD symptoms prolong the recovery process, making it even more difficult for survivors to cope with their new lives.
Bio-One works with communities across the nation to avoid this outcome. We employ certified technicians that respond to scenes of violent crime and clean up dangerous biohazards that pose a threat to you and your family. When we receive a request for our services, we’ll send a team to the job site within an hour to assess your situation and perform a comprehensive cleaning solution that restores the property. Our powerful, environmentally friendly chemicals eradicate harmful pathogens that spread Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, giving you assurance that you will be safe long after the area is decontaminated. We’ll dispose of the infected materials that cannot be salvaged and replace flooring and other furnishings if we need to. Once the area is thoroughly cleaned, we’ll return it to its pre-incident state so you can focus on recovering.
We conduct this work because we want to help people who have been left to deal with a difficult, painful task. That’s why our company motto is “Help first, business second.” We don’t ask for payment until after the job is complete because we want to remove the safety threat from your home as quickly as you do. Every person on our team will arrive on-site with an understanding of the trauma you are going through and a respect for your privacy and personal needs. Contact your local Bio-One office today and we’ll immediately connect you with a representative that can assist you. We are available 24/7/365.
Although eight years have passed since the world’s top mental health experts classified hoarding as a unique compulsive disorder, the problem persists throughout the country. Researchers say that up to 20 million Americans suffer from this illness, which is described as an obsessive tendency to accumulate troves of objects with no practical value.Because hoarding is historically stigmatized and underdiagnosed, this number is likely a conservative estimate. Even more troubling, hoarding is expected to increase as the population ages and mortality rates rise. But the studies that dole out these numbers understandably focus on hoarders over other stakeholders in the community. Hoarders’ actions impact far more people than reflected in the data. Fires and collapsing structures caused by unstable hoarding situations jeopardize the safety of neighbors and government workers. Even animals suffer. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a quarter of a million animals are hoarded each year. But the people afflicted by the disorder’s worst consequences often live in the same household as the hoarder.
Families deteriorate as high levels of dysfunction, increased conflict and financial uncertainty hinder intimacy and devastate the emotional wellbeing of everyone in the home. Objects overwhelm the space and are guarded zealously by hoarders who are pathologically unable to discard anything they deem valuable. Hoarded items commonly include old newspapers, rotting food, cardboard boxes, pets, excessive piles of clothes and furniture that dominates the home. Space becomes constricted and practically unlivable, prompting hoarders to carve narrow passageways out of the clutter to navigate between rooms.
But despite the extreme measures’ hoarders take to endure these living conditions, the situation cannot be controlled. There is no space for shared activities among the family and no room to use necessary facilities like ovens, showers and beds. In fact, the concept of “space” alters entirely. Children may have to sleep on couches in the living room or in bed with parents to circumvent the clutter. Activities like eating, reading and sleeping are subject to the limitations of space and the normalcy of disorder.
The effect of living like this leads to feelings of isolation, depression and vulnerability. Confounded by the fact that the hoarding family member is usually controlling, stubborn and sensitive to criticism, other people in the home often feel undervalued and powerless. Any attempts to remove the clutter are met with fierce opposition and outrage by the hoarder, who suffers from severe distress when confronted with the notion of losing their valuables. Aware of these consequences, the family usually lives in isolation, refusing to invite friends and relatives over to the home out of embarrassment. These claustrophobic conditions extend to the mind, which is overwhelmed by feelings of frustration, helplessness and anxiety. Financial strains ensue as the hoarder spends money on items that have no discernable value to other family members. As the acquisition of objects greatly outweighs the removal of other objects, credit limits are reached and space disappears, leading to home maintenance fees, financial debt and increasingly frequent family altercations.
Onlooking children often find themselves torn between parents in these situations. Child protective services may be invoked at some point, breaking up the family and degrading the bond between child and parent even further. This possibility weighs heavily on the minds of older children, who often feel compelled to silence for fear that they will be relocated by the authorities. Child protective services are often justified in removing them from the home. Households governed by an extreme hoarder are vulnerable to disease, air pollutants, pests and fires. Children in these homes also face stunted social and cognitive growth as they endure harsh living conditions and parental strife. Moreover, research indicates that hoarding behaviors are learned and adopted by the children of hoarders, who may subsequently pass these tendencies down to their own kids.
The strains that hoarding places on families illustrates why reaching out for help is so important. If you or a loved one are affected by this destructive disorder, please contact Bio-One for assistance. We remediate homes affected by hoarding on a daily basis and can connect you with tools that can help. We are on standby 24/7/365.
Effective Suicide Cleanup
Losing a loved one to suicide can be particularly traumatic. The responsibility of cleaning up the scene of the suicide ends up falling on the family or friends who have discovered the body which is an unimaginable task for someone mourning the unexpected loss of a loved one. It’s important to hire someone for effective suicide cleanup as cleaning up will take effort, time and expertise when excessive blood if involved.
Importance of Suicide Cleanup
1. Safety:
The scene of a suicide can be horrific, with bodily components that may pose serious health risks such as hepatitis and HIV that do not necessarily show visible signs of disease. Suicide and death cleanup must be carried out by trained and experienced cleaners in order to protect your health as well as that of present and future residents of the area. The space can be fully covered with blood and body fluids after a suicide/death, and it can also be destroyed. It can also be an extremely overwhelming experience, and it might be difficult to even fathom thinking where to start the cleanup.
Professionals are actually better equipped during a suicide cleanup process to shield themselves from exposure to biohazardous materials.
Furthermore, specialists are best able to ensure a systematic and detailed suicide cleanup process. Due to the efforts of an accomplished, tenacious professional, the ultimate goal of returning a property to livability and functionality is best achieved.
Cleaning up the scene of a suicide includes, but is not limited to, disinfecting, cleaning, removing and packing all products that constitute a "bio-hazardous disease risk" and objects that have been contaminated with bodily fluids (urine, blood etc.) and unpleasant odors. People specially trained for this type of work are specialists in identifying and treating areas that might be infected.
For example, when a gun is used to commit suicide, there is a lot of material present that the naked eye cannot see. For the cleaners’ safety, as well as that of current and future residents, it is essential that all remains are properly handled.
Ultimately, there is overwhelming sadness and other emotions facing a person or family who loses a loved one to suicide. The feelings associated with a loved one's suicide can be extremely deep and pervasive. Taking on the role of personally cleaning up a suicide scene can magnify the psychological and emotional response to this form of death manifold. Hiring a professional service is also helps lessen the emotional trauma you are already experiencing.
This is where Bio-one Duval County comes in. We are committed to returning your property to a safe and livable state. We offer comprehensive and thorough services, which include trauma and biohazard scenes, including but not limited to blood spill cleanup, suicide cleanup, and decomposition cleanup. We realize all the various risks so we provide professional and safe services. Let a professional take care of the cleanup so you can through your grief.
Akron, Ohio, October 1st, 2019 – Bio-One Inc. has announced the opening of its newest office, in the Akron community. Bio-One offices provide top-notch decontamination and biohazard cleanup services while treating clients with the privacy and compassion which difficult moments demand. This location will serve the Akron area, and surrounding areas, as well as assist all other franchised locations.
Bio-One located in Akron is owned by lifelong Akron residents Babs and Cuyler Costanzo. After spending years in the corporate world, Babs and Cuyler chose to start Bio-One to become more involved in serving their community and helping families in their greatest time of need.
"This is quite an honor for us, to have Babs and Cuyler own an office in the Akron area. The fact that we found a local man and woman who have a passion to help their community gives us great pride at our corporate office that we have the right people owning an office in Akron,” said Jason OBrien, CEO of Bio-One Inc. “Having Babs and Cuyler aboard signals that our constant efforts towards business and service excellence are paying off. We are proud to include Babs and Cuyler and their Bio-One office in our Bio-One family. They exemplify our company motto of Help First, Business Second."
For more information on Bio-One in Akron, please call Babs and Cuyler at (330) 888-5665 or visit www.BioOneAkron.com.
“Bio-One is here to help and serve our community when those are in need”
About Bio-One Inc.
Bio-One Inc. is the first crime and trauma scene cleaning franchise, operating in 35 States with over 90 locations. Bio-One is committed to providing excellent service in recovery and suicide cleanup, homicide cleanup, hoarding situations, junk removal, deceased animal recovery, feces removal, pest and rodent droppings and much more. Each office is independently owned and operated by a member of the local community. For more information about Bio-One Inc., visit the Company’s website at www.biooneduvalcounty.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE BIO-ONE INC.
CONTACTS:
Bio-One
Babs and Cuyler Costanzo
(330) 888-5665
Info@BioOneAkron.com
Bio-One Inc.
Jason OBrien CEO
720-463-3004
