When the clutter is also a health risk
Hoarding cleanup when there are biohazards
Some hoarded homes need more than sorting. Where there is animal or human waste, rotting food or pests, the cleanup is biohazard work and needs protective gear.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Start with the person
If the person who lives there is alive and still at home, involve them. Clearing a home over someone's objections rarely lasts and can do real harm. A company that does this work regularly will ask who makes decisions and go at a pace that person can manage.
If the person has died or moved to care, the family or the estate decides, and the work can usually go faster.
What makes it a biohazard job
- Pet urine and feces on floors or soaked into furniture
- Human waste, for example when plumbing stopped working
- Spoiled food, and the insects or rodents that come with it
- A death in the home that was found late
Tell the company about any of these on the first call. It changes the protective gear they bring and how they dispose of what they remove.
Before you call
- Find out who has the legal right to decide what is kept.
- Make a short list of things to look for, such as documents, keys, cash or photos.
- Ask the landlord, if there is one, how much time there is.
Ask the company how they handle papers and valuables they find, and whether they will stop and ask before throwing out anything uncertain.
Other situations
- Crime scene cleanupAfter an assault, a shooting or a homicide, once the police have released the home.Read more
- Unattended deathA death at home that went unnoticed for days.Read more
- After a suicideCleanup handled by people outside the family, at a pace you set.Read more
- Blood and bodily fluidsInjuries, falls and accidents that left blood on floors or furniture.Read more
- Infection and disinfectionDisinfecting a room after illness, with the product and contact time explained.Read more
- Vehicle cleanupBlood or bodily fluids in a car, truck or van.Read more
When you are ready, call
You will speak with an independent cleanup company that works in and around Minneapolis. Describe what happened in your own words and ask what they would do. You decide whether to go ahead.
Talk to a cleanup company
Call (612) 493-4397Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded. More in the referral disclosure and privacy policy.