[music playing]
My name is Carla, and I'm a secretary at a small bank.
[music playing]
I collect worthless stuff.
I buy lotion, shampoo, conditioner, coffee
cups, glasses, pots and pans.
[music playing]
JENNIFER: My name is Jennifer, and Carla is my aunt.
My aunt's house, it's just a mess.
You can't even walk through it, let alone live there.
CARLA: My kitchen, the mice have knocked things out
of the cabinets onto the floor.
You hear the mice kind of squeaking and rustling around.
[mice squeaking]
My name is Cindy, and Carla is my sister.
I have not seen my sister's house in 12 years.
We knew it was messy, but we didn't know how bad it was.
CARLA: I think that I shop, and I-- in order to make myself
feel better because I've had a lot of hurt in my life.
[music playing]
All my marriages were bad.
[sniffles]
My sister has a habit of getting into bad relationships,
abusive, just not very nice guys.
CARLA: Guess I really fell into a deep depression,
and that's when it really got out of hand.
[music playing]
I'm Rick, and Carla's my girlfriend.
I never have seen Carla's house from the time
that I met her, never have.
CARLA: I've tried to prepare him for what my house looks like.
I hope he doesn't blow up.
[music playing]
I did bring things into his house, and I hide it from him.
And he gets upset about it.
She does kind of hide stuff away from me,
make sure that, you know, I don't get upset.
And it kind of makes me mad.
CARLA: He has these mood swings.
He calls them mood swings.
He's very verbally abusive to my sister.
I'm kind of, like, an alcoholic.
Trying to quit, but it's not easy.
CARLA: He loses his temper, flies off the handle,
goes on a rage.
He's kept me away from my family.
He's been very controlling.
CINDY: She needs to get out of that relationship.
My sister does need a place to live away from abusive men.
[music playing]
CARLA: My hands are tied because I really don't have anywhere
else to live right now.
So I have to put up with that.
It's hard.
[sobs]
CINDY: I have tried to confront her and say, let us all plan
a day to come in and help you.
And she has always refused that.
She's very embarrassed and ashamed.
[music playing]
None of the family has even seen the house yet.
So I want to send them in so they really understand
what they're dealing with.
Oh my goodness.
Wow.
[inaudible]
CINDY: 12 years ago was the last time I was in the house.
The kitchen was messy, but no dead rats
living anywhere 12 years ago.
RICK: I never experienced nothing like that.
So I'm like, yeah.
[music playing]
Mm-mm.
You guys have been together how long?
We've been together going on five years.
I never did come in, but I never expected.
Not like this anyway.
CARLA: I'm sorry, honey.
CINDY: That's OK.
We're going to help you.
We're going to clean it up.
MATT PAXTON: So this is maggots all over there.
MELVA GREEN: Jennifer was just telling me
she came to clean 11 years ago--
I was warned not to open the refrigerator.
11 years ago.
Yeah.
MATT PAXTON: This is the thing about hoarding.
When you were able to ignore so much,
you're able to ignore the reality that this
is what's in your house.
[music playing]
Pretty ashamed.
[crying]
[music playing]
The story you told is that you've
got an abusive boyfriend.
You got to get out because you're afraid.
And since we've been here, he's been a peach.
He's putting on a show for everybody.
JENNIFER: I think he is really careful about the things
he says and the way he acts in front of other people.
When he thinks nobody's looking and when
he thinks nobody's listening, then that's
when he lashes out at her.
Every time you call me and I hear things about him,
(VOICE BREAKING) he's mean to you.
You're always crying and unhappy.
JENNIFER: My aunt needs her house cleaned out
so that she'll have a safe place to live to get away from Ricky.
[music playing]
I haven't been honest with you,
and I'm afraid to tell you how I really
feel because I'm scared of you.
You make me so unhappy.
You've threatened to come over and trash my house before.
I never did that.
CARLA: You threw my purse at me and hit me in the back.
I'm lucky you haven't killed me.
You make it sound like I'm a evil person.
When you're drinking?
RICK: Making me like I'm some monster now.
I mean, I'm sorry you feel that way.
But no, I'm not no evil person.
You cannot deny the way that you treat her.
RICKY: [inaudible]
I have heard the way you treat her.
You call, and we can hear you screaming
so loud because that's all you do is call and scream
and call and scream.
CARLA: You'll just blurt out anything to me,
no matter how horrible it is.
JENNIFER: I think my aunt is finally
standing up for herself.
I'm tired of hiding.
Tired of hiding my house.
I'm tired of hiding my bad relationships.
I want a fresh start.
You feel that I'm that bad a person?
Yes.
JENNIFER: My aunt did break up with him, and I'm glad.
And I'm proud of her.
This is like a new start, the best start she could have.
[music playing]
We're in a fun, happy place right now,
and we don't need to be there yet.
OK.
You've done awesome, but the day is not over.
We still got a good full day of work.
[music playing]
There's the trash right behind you.
You can do it.
Yay!
Carla made my job very easy.
She let me take 95% out of the house.
We threw 16 truckloads, almost 35,000 pounds out of the house.
We're going to bring in some maids and some stagers
to make this house awesome.
[music playing]
All right, family and Carla, you did it.
End of the cleanup.
We don't always get to this part.
We did it, yeah.
And who's included in we?
You.
You ready?
I'm ready.
Let's go.
[music playing]
[sobs]
It's gorgeous.
Oh, I love it.
It's beautiful.
Well, I saw a picture of our parents up there.
CINDY: My parents knew she had a problem.
We didn't know it was called hoarding.
They knew that she wouldn't let anybody in her house,
and that upset them.
They would be so proud of you.
[crying]
CARLA: It's just amazing to have my house back.
Would have never got it back without everybody's help.
We have a dining room and table.
JENNIFER: I'm going to start coming
and having dinner with you instead of you
coming to my house every week.
CARLA: My bed.
[sobs] I never thought I'd get to see it like this.
MELVA GREEN: Carla's clearly going to need after care.
All of her things are gone.
She's just broken up with Ricky.
She's going to have to spend some time
re-building her self-esteem so that she
can really gain a new identity.
Are you worthy of something like this?
Yes.