imagine having this hoard next to your home

[Demovictory9]

Korea Town, Los Angeles, the owner has agreed to let the city clean up the hoard at the city's expense.

https://news.yahoo.com/city-clean-koreatown-hoarder-home-233935570.html

On Tuesday, the homeowner, a woman in her 90s, agreed to allow city workers to clean the yard, starting Thursday, a city attorney spokesman said.

The woman's son, who lives with her and would not give his name, said he wants to recycle the cans and other items piled in the yard.

He takes care of his mother and occasionally repairs bicycles at a shop in Cypress Park.

“A lot of people say, 'You’ll probably only get $20 for some of this stuff,'” he said, a black bandanna covering his face. “But $20 is $20.”

Now, with the city set to clean up the property, he is sure he will not make any money from recycling.

[North Shore Chicago]

1. Hoarding

is a mental disease. Good for the city for helping these folks, but more help is needed so that in a year it won't look like this again.

[Demovictory9]

2. you are so right...Hoarding show revisted 4 after the cleanup. 3 of the 4 had the beginnings

Last edited Thu Nov 4, 2021, 06:37 AM - Edit history (1)

hoards started. Twin hoarders were moved to shiny new house, I read that they had already hoarded the new home.

[MFM008]

3. thats when you call the health department

and force them into acting.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. That's a good hoard, but for a real one, look up the Collyer Brothers...

Windows were wired with alarms and one of the booby traps killed one brother so other one starved.

[Demovictory9]

6. I've seen larger ones than this on Hoarders. I will look up the Collyer's. vaguely remember them

The hoarder show has been featuring larger and larger hoards... now it does two hour episodes focusing on people who hoard up big mansions, acres of land or, on one episode, a motel.

[shanti]

53. Hmm

I watch that Hoarders show too and if it's that bad outside, can you imagine the inside? Matt Paxton would probably call it one of the worst. Usually, they're able to enter the building, but this one looks impossible. Someone at City Hall dropped the ball big time.

[Rorey]

5. It's a safe bet that the inside is every bit as bad, if not worse

My ex-husband has hoarding tendencies. It was a constant battle for me to try to keep it under control. I was ecstatic when he was moving his stuff out, and I don't even want to imagine what his place looks like now. I had to put my foot down about what was allowed into the house. It's definitely a mental illness, and it got worse over time.

[llmart]

8. My story is the same as yours.

My ex-husband is a hoarder also. It absolutely is a mental disorder. Like you, I spent so much of my time and emotional energy keeping it under control. When I left him my grown children noticed that in no time the house that I had so meticulously kept clean and in order was a disaster. Now he lives in an apartment and one of my children has to occasionally go over there and she secretly videoed his place and shared the pics with me. I was appalled at the filth. I am so glad I left him. My life (and my house) is so much more peaceful and content now.

[Rorey]

11. Peace and contentment

That's exactly it. I was nervous all the time when all of that "stuff" was around. Life is so easy now.

I ran into my ex a few months ago, and notice how weathered his truck was looking. I mentioned it, and he said it was from the sun beating down on it. I know he bought a place with a huge garage, but I'm sure he can't fit his truck in it because it's jam-packed with his junk.

I'm happy for you that you escaped that hell.

[Demovictory9]

17. My brain feels cluttered when there is clutter around me

[Rorey]

19. Same

I went over to a neighbor's house a few days ago to help her with something. She has a LOT of stuff. I could hardly wait to get out of there.

[llmart]

20. My ex can't fit his vehicle in his garage either.

It's a two-car garage and my daughter said you can barely walk through it to get to the entry door into the kitchen. He keeps buying that metal grey shelving from Home Depot to put in his kitchen (ugh) so he can amass great quantities of stuff that's on sale or for which he has a coupon, most of which he shouldn't be eating anyway. He recently needed a trip to the ER because he ate something in his fridge that was way past use by date - and I mean waaayyy past.

The hoarding was one thing but as he got older it got worse (it always does) and he would get so angry at me if I threw any tiny piece of paper out. One time I thought he'd stroke out because I threw out one of those freebie flyers you get in the mail because the coupons had expired months ago.

Thanks for the good wishes.

[OnDoutside]

9. The reality is that while these are the visible exceptions, there's a

whole heap of western society that do this in their attics,garages etc. It's when it tips out into the living areas of the house that it takes over. We're currently remodeling our house and thought we were great In the amount of junk we threw out but there's still loads to go through. We have boxes stored at relatives houses which we're going to weed through again to see what else we can throw out. Now's our chance to it.

[Rorey]

13. I'm turning into more of a minimalist every day

What really made me see how much I didn't want "stuff" was having to help clear out the homes of some elderly family members after they died. I remember one time my brother being surprised when he asked me what I wanted from my aunt's house, and I told him I wanted nothing. She had some very nice things, but to me taking something home was just taking on a burden.

My daughter laughs at me because I'm sort of a fanatic about making sure every shred of trash is out on trash day, and when I get home from taking my recyclables to the recycling center every week I'm almost euphoric. Some people collect various things. I collect empty space.

[llmart]

22. I can relate.

I'm a minimalist also. People think that means your house is stark or not homey. Mine is neither. Being a minimalist doesn't mean you live like a monk. I think people who save everything have so many rationalizations for why they save it, but the most common one is "it has sentimental value" or "so many memories". That seems to make them feel better about their stuff. I don't need an item to remind me of a person. My memories are in my heart and my mind.

My son lives out of state and comes home once a year and he teases me about my "four spoons, four glasses, four plates". LOL

[Rorey]

24. My daughter is just like you

She said her goal is to get down to just one of each of the things she needs.

I do have one obsession. I have way too many coffee mugs. I really need to work on that. Fortunately they really don't take up that much space.

[machoneman]

32. Hey, I need those coffee mugs! Moved to FL and left behind old mugs that would not cleanup.

Now, I need 6-10 new cheap mugs!

[OnDoutside]

38. Actually I said to my son that he should be thanking us, as we are

saving him the job in years to come !

I'd get rid of a lot more but am still working on my wife...that said she has moved hugely after having to clear her mother's house. That was a real eye opener.

[Celerity]

51. perfect minimal techno/glitch soundtrack for your minimalist life

Various Artists - Clicks_+_Cuts (Full Album, 2000, Germany)

Label: Mille Plateaux – mp79, Mille Plateaux – _mp 79_, Mille Plateaux – mp 79
Series: Clicks & Cuts
Format:
2 x CD, Compilation
Country: Germany
Released: Jan 2000
Genre: Electronic
Style: Abstract, IDM, Experimental

[Demovictory9]

16. its amazing how many people can't park car(s) in garage because of boxes of stuff

i got rid of a lot of stuff by following the rule - if haven't used it / worn it within a year or so.

[Rorey]

21. I just tell myself that it's time for someone else to enjoy it

I'm looking forward to sorting through my holiday boxes this week and donating most of it. I intended to do it last year, but the pandemic messed up that plan.

[OnDoutside]

39. That's a great rule to have. The only thing of value to me are

boxes containing family history records etc.

[machoneman]

31. This is the reason too so, so many mini-storage places have popped up in the last 20 years or so!

Talked to an owner of one of those places a few years back. Here in FL, one MUST use air-conditioned stalls since the moisture and warmth quickly create mold. He opened a door to show us a 1 year used stall w/o air. My God, the green mold was everywhere and while even warned, the renter refused to pay the bill.

Anyway, even some of us who aren't hoarders at home pay good money to store stuff in a rental place and never, ever, take anything. The only time they come by is to add more junk to the stall.

[OnDoutside]

37. And most of it really is junk or out of fashion.

[Demovictory9]

43. Omg..so not only storing.stuff but having to keep it airconditioned!?

[kaotikross]

7. This is what happens

When you spend more time junking than you do recycling. If you just target recyclables you can make some decent money. I know a few people who did that between jobs, made them some quick cash. They'd go around picking up old appliances and such for free, tear down the stuff for clean copper and aluminum and then scrap those separately and sell the rest as metal by the ton. They never had to buy screws or bolts, they had jars of them from all the stuff they took apart.
A lot of the stuff pictured here is just trash.

[multigraincracker]

12. Better to "cost average'' the scarp and

take in some every week. Most likely you won't sell it all before it goes up or down. But, that would be reasonable.

[LeftInTX]

49. I take my scrap metal to the metal place...I don't collect any cash though..Not worth the hassle

[jimfields33]

10. No offense, but this is why I live in an HOA development , warts and all it's better.

[Rorey]

14. Makes sense

It takes being irritated about messy neighbors out of the equation.

[Demovictory9]

15. I live in an HOA also. they'd have been all over their *sses the moment 1 box appeared in the yard

we get notices reminding us to take down the holiday decorations by xxxx date. No xxxx in the patio, etc. Can only have xxx
figurines outside.

[jimfields33]

18. Absolutely. Lol. We must live in the same place. Ha!

[llmart]

23. I wish ours was a bit more diligent.

My rabidly Catholic neighbor decided to put out a 4' stark white statue of an angel in her backyard right on my property line. We are only supposed to have one statue per yard and no taller than 2'. I usually don't complain, but every time I opened my bedroom blinds in the morning I had to look out on that. It looked like it belonged in a cemetery. I asked them to move it closer to their house (so I couldn't see it), but they did move it to the opposite side of their backyard so the neighbors on the other side have to see it. Very inconsiderate. They are constantly reminding me how religious they are. One of these days I'm going to spring it on them that I'm an atheist. It may push them over the edge.

[Rorey]

25. Blatant displays

I get notices all the time about houses for sale in my neighborhood. I noticed in some photos last week that one house had MANY crosses on the walls in every photo. I think I'd be worried that the house needed an exorcism. It was kind of creepy.

[Hekate]

56. It used to be that when showing a house you'd remove "personal" items, including religious tokens...

However when we were looking (almost 5 years ago now) I was surprised that several of the “staged” homes included multiple crosses and those squishy mottos you can get at the craft store about how much God loves them.

Would they buy my house if I left up MY altars, or would they come back and torch it?

[leftyladyfrommo]

26. I think people would be surprised if they knew

How many houses look great from the outside but are completely full of trash.

[pfitz59]

27. I live a Spartan life

Easy to get around. Cleaning is a snap. Room to breathe. "
Minimalism in Spartan Lifestyle: To this date, you will find thousands of people trying to adopt a minimalistic lifestyle. People have become so spoilt with all the possession that it is almost impossible to survive without them. So, adopting this spartan mentality might be helpful in case you are one of them." https://livingapex.com/minimalism-in-ancient-spartan-lifestyle-and-philosophy/#:~:text=The%20Spartans%20were%20by%20far%20the%20most%20minimalist%2C,supported%20one%20of%20their%20most%20prized%20abilities%3A%20War.

[Vinca]

28. When you encounter a hoarder it's always startling, but I've never seen anything

quite like that. It looks like it might be a cute, little house once it's unearthed. Bet the inside is just as bad.

[malaise]

29. This is hoarding - burying the neighbors alive

WTF?

[malaise]

30. This is hoarding - burying the neighbors alive

WTF?

[MissB]

33. My mom is a hoarder

It wasn’t bad when I was growing up but she’s in her 80s now and over the years it’s just gotten…bad.

The house she lives in is stuffed to the gills with small pathways. She sleeps in a camper in the yard because the two bedrooms in the house are full of stuff, coming out the doors into the hallway.

My siblings and I joke that the only thing we will argue over when she dies is who has to pay fir the dumpsters.

I live in a very nice neighborhood. Currently, there isn’t a house for sale under 1.2m. It’s unusual to find one under 900k. (We bought a fixer upper ages ago for cheap.) There is one small house near the elementary school that is a hoarders house. They are flanked by multi million dollar houses. The hoard has crept into the front yard over the years- they have a tall rickety chain link gate set up on each end of their driveway and tarps cover the chain link gates and the piles in the yard. Their garage door started bulging put a few years ago. A mother and son live there. It’s utterly fascinating to watch it grow. I assume they get hit up often by developers that want the property- it’s a prime spot really and at this point the place is dilapidated enough that it’s clearly a tear down. Still, it’s sad to see because I can easily imagine what the interior looks like.

[Demovictory9]

44. Sweden has that.cultural thing where people cleanout their homes when the age

As politeness to the next generation

[haele]

34. The 90 year old mother probably hasn't been able to clean much for a few years.

And that level of clutter can easily come from 5 years of the son not being mentally or emotionally able to pick up after himself - and constant deliveries - how many of those boxes are empty?
If boxes were broken down, recycling taken out every week, and if he asked for more than one city trash can so that the trash can be taken out daily, it would do a lot to reduce the clutter. But once the clutter starts becoming too large, it's too much for most people to deal with, especially if there's even a minimal presence of mental or physical issues.

I've about three weeks worth of work in my house now just to clean, especially since both of us adults are now physically disabled and the youngest granddaughters is seriously ADHD and uses piles of dirty outgrown clothes, toys, and trash to hide stashes of sweets and items she's filched from others for a variety of emotional reasons. The other only half-heartedly cleans because "it isn't fair" because she didn't make the mess.
I don't mind minor clutter, but it's it can easily get out of hand, especially since the pandemic when we're getting more items delivered in boxes that are too big for the items that are being shipped. I used to be able to clean regularly, but after my knees gave out, and Laz's back went, we can barely get trash cans and litter boxes emptied, let alone furniture moved to pick up hidden stashes, clean floors and putting away heavier items and small projects.

Next week - the second time this year, we're hiring a neighbor and his partner who does hauling to come in and spend two days picking up the clutter and take another couple trips to the dump before Thanksgiving. Including the girl's room. They've been warned...

Haele

[Demovictory9]

50. That even the boxes are neatly stacked is hint that son is attached to the boxes

[Hortensis]

35. Good for the city to help her stay in her home while she can. nt

[ForgedCrank]

36. That's nothing that a carelessly

discarded lit cigarette butt wouldn't solve.

[MineralMan]

40. That level of hoarding is a symptom of an underlying mental disorder.

Very sad to see. Fortunately, the owner has been convinced to let the city haul it all away.

On the other hand, many homeowners have a big excess of stuff that needs to go. That's not hoarding, really, but often just means that they can't figure out how to get rid of the stuff. It can be pretty expensive, actually.

After living in our house for 17 years, we decided to move and bought a different place. Of course, that meant getting rid of miscellaneous stuff that had accumulated over those 17 years. For example, it's very difficult to get rid of a broken window AC unit. So, it gets stashed in the garage. Eventually, though, that stuff has to go.

Our solution was a 20 cubic yard roll-off dumpster in our driveway. All of the stuff we didn't need either went into it or out on the curb with a big FREE sign. A lot of usable things got picked up the same day we put it out there. If not, it went into the dumpster. When the truck came to pick up the dumpster, it was full. the garage was emptied out. The basement was emptied out. Neighbors and scrappers got the stuff on the curb that we didn't want to move to our new place.

It was plenty of work, actually, which is why the stuff was still there. We aren't hoarders. We're just lazy, I guess. So, we moved into our new place without all of that stuff, and bought some new stuff to replace things that no longer suited us.

The scene in the photo in the OP, though, is a different matter. I hope the person living there gets some help.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

41. Hoarders

Who hoard animals
need to get put on a nationwide database of animal hoarders and barred from having any creatures in thier residence. I'd also think animal hoarders should get visits from animal control checking thier house interior and land 4 times a year to check if more animals are being hoarded.

[Drunken Irishman]

42. Sorry - but that son is not taking care of his mother.

I guarantee the inside is just as bad as the outside.

[lunatica]

45. How the hell does anyone get in or out of the house?

It’s obvious that both the front door and the back door are completely blocked.

My question is answered in the video at the bottom of the OP.

[Demovictory9]

46. The video shows neighbor on hoarded side showing spot where he climbs over

[LiberatedUSA]

47. Ever see the show, Hoarders?

Inside will be just as bad, crawling around over shit, piss and junk with a smell so putrid you wonder how anyone could ever get used to it.

I am gonna go with Ellen Ripley on this one. Get them out of there, then nuke it from space. It’s the only way to be sure.

[shanti]

48. Wow

They really, REALLY don't want guests, do they? I can't even imagine the rats and other vermin in that mess.

[Duncan Grant]

52. "Billionaire Syndrome"

At some point, healthy people ask themselves, “How much is enough?”.

I sincerely hope the hoarder finds whatever comfort, safety or security they need. This is a form of suffering, imho.

[lindysalsagal]

54. Sometimes the "free country" value gets abused....

Do we even have mental health support for hoarders anymore?

[EX500rider]

55. Seems like Code Enforcement dropped the ball on this awhile back. nt