TLC Hoarding: Buried Alive – invitation to appear
Today I was contacted by TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive TV production coordinator, Nicki Marko, to participate in an episode to be taped in Salt Lake City. She invited me to be the professional organizing expert on an upcoming episode focusing on three brothers living in the downtown Salt Lake City area. The show would provide me with 6 additional helpers whom I would train and supervise, but I would be THE organizer in charge. The show’s goal was for my crew to clear out and declutter the kitchen and the two bedrooms which had accumulated stuff piled 5 feet up. The rest of the home was in the same disrepair, but the show would focus on clearing only the kitchen and two bedrooms because two of the three brothers were currently sleeping on the kitchen floor.
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TLC would provide the support crew for the 1st day only, after that I would be on my own with follow-through of an additional six days.
The show’s immediate need for home organizing professionals they invite to participate is to separate hoarders from their possessions. From actual experience I know that this is NOT an easy task in most instances!
I am selective when it comes to those who are hoarders or are chronically disorganized. (Yes…there is a difference between the two.) I work only with those clients that are mild to moderate on the diagnosis scale I administer at my first visit to their home. If they are more than moderate hoarders, it is nearly impossible for them to let me in to help them reclaim their spaces and lives.
My workable solution when dealing with someone who has hoarding tendencies:
- If you haven’t used the item in 5 years, it needs to go.
- Surround yourself with objects you use or truly love OR let it go by recycling or donating.
- If you can’t let it go, box it up to remove it from your main living areas.
Getting organized is about finding solutions that work and can be followed to live a more fulfilling life. People who hoard have often lived for many years without focus on important activities AND with an absence of people who were once important to them. From time to time I work with clients who hoard, but most of my work comes from clients who do not live as hoarders. Giving my clients their lives back is very rewarding work!
As An After Note
Three days after the invitation from Nicki, the hazardous materials report came back from the TLC pre-show analysis crew. It noted an infestation of cockroaches AND a great probability of mold spores in the home due to a hot water-tank leak in the basement years before that had never been addressed. The pre-show crew could not test for mold because the stairway to the basement was piled to the ceiling with clutter. I do not work in homes where a hazmat suit is required because I draw the line at working around hazardous materials. (The suit looks like a spacesuit and is worn as a protection against hazardous materials.)
I declined the offer from TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive to be their specialist in this instance.
If you would like to talk with me about someone you believe might be a mild hoarder ready to accept help, contact me. Be sure to include your phone number in the message you leave and I will give you a call.
Other articles of Interest:
Special Needs Clients I CAN Help
2 Responses to “TLC Hoarding: Buried Alive – invitation to appear”
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December 14th, 2013 at 9:21 am
I have watched the hoarders show and find it quite interesting. I think you deciding not to do the show because of the health conditions associated with the house is wise. Mold spores on the lungs is risky business.
January 15th, 2014 at 10:11 am
It’s amazing how disorganized we can get sometimes. But truth be told, no matter how disorganized we get, with a little help we can always get back to being organized IF we are open to expert’s best tools and ideas.