Did you know that hoarding is actually a psychological disorder that affects way more people than you might think?
In fact, some studies have shown that up to 6% of American adults might be hoarders. These people have real problems when it comes to parting ways with their possessions and end up with houses full of stuff as a result.
You should look out for the signs of hoarding if you suspect that one of your family members might be a hoarder. You should also lookout for the hoarding symptoms in your own home and know how to tell if you’re a hoarder.
Today, we’re going to talk about a few of the most common hoarding signs that you’ll see when someone has a hoarding problem. We’ll also touch on several of the negative effects of hoarding in the process.
Check out the different signs of hoarding below.
A Person’s Home Is Filled to the Brim With Stuff
When you walk into a hoarder’s home, it might not take you very long to spot one of the first signs of hoarding. Hoarders will often have stuff everywhere throughout their homes.
It’s obviously not all that uncommon for most people to have tons of stuff crammed into the closets in their homes. But hoarders will take this to the next level and have their houses as a whole crammed with more stuff than can fit inside of it.
If you’re having a tough time walking around inside a person’s home because of all their stuff, it’s safe to say that they’re a hoarder to some degree.
The Stuff in a Person’s Home Doesn’t Seem to Be Organized in Any Particular Way
In addition to having a whole bunch of stuff scattered around inside their homes, hoarders will also fail to keep their stuff organized in any logical way. They’ll have all kinds of different things piled high to the ceilings without any rhyme or reason.
This is another one of the most common hoarding signs. You might want to help a person find more information about cleaning up a hoarding problem if you see this going on in their home.
A Person Gets Upset When Others Try to Touch Their Stuff
A lot of the stuff that’s jam-packed inside of a hoarder’s home is going to be worthless. There isn’t going to be much of a market for it outside of the person who owns it.
But even still, a true hoarder hates when other people come to their home and touch their stuff. It’s a big part of the reason why so many families have trouble convincing hoarders to throw out the things that are tossed around on the inside of their homes.
You might not think twice about picking something up when you’re walking around in a hoarder’s house. But they could react very negatively to you doing it, which is why you should steer clear of touching anything that a hoarder owns.
A Person’s Home Has Become Very Dirty Because of All Their Stuff
When a person has a million and one things lying around all over the place in their home, it can become very difficult to clean it. This leads to dirt, dust, and other debris building up in a home and making it very dirty.
It can actually get to be so bad in a hoarder’s home that it’s no longer safe for them to live in it. The mess that exists in their home will serve as an invitation for everything from mold to rodents, and it’ll put their health at risk.
A Person Continues to Pile New Stuff on Top of Their Old Stuff
When you’re walking through a hoarder’s home, you’re likely going to see layers of stuff piled on top of one another. You should try to get some sense of how new and old certain things are so that you can see how bad the hoarding has gotten.
Another one of the common signs of hoarding is that a person will begin to pile new stuff on top of their old stuff. In some cases, that new stuff will be the same as the old stuff, but it won’t matter to the hoarder. They’ll feel as though they have to keep it.
This should be a big red flag and should show you and your family that this person might need some help with a hoarding problem.
A Person Refuses to Get Rid of Even a Little Bit of Their Stuff
If you believe that someone you know might be a hoarder, you should try to confirm your suspicions by gently suggesting to them that you would be happy to help them get rid of some of the stuff that they have in their house. You can do this by talking to them about a great organization that you just heard about that’s actively looking for donations right now.
If the person is quick to take you up on your offer, they might not have a hoarding problem after all. But if they tell you that they’re not interested in getting rid of even a few items, that could be a sign of hoarding.
Those who are truly hoarders don’t want to throw out or even donate a single item because of how attached that they’ve become to it.
These Are Just Some of the Many Signs of Hoarding
You could make the argument that most Americans are hoarders to some degree. The average home has more than 300,000 items stuffed inside it.
But hoarders really go above and beyond this. They show all the signs of hoarding that we’ve talked about here while accumulating more stuff than they could ever possibly use.
Hoarding is a big problem for many people, and it can take a toll on their lives. You should try to help a person out if you see any of the hoarding symptoms while visiting their home.
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