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compulsive hoarding is a growing hidden
problem he's hoarding in both his homes
in his cars in his garden it's estimated
to affect 6% of Americans
it just looks like everything that's
supposed to be in the kitchen cupboards
are all in the garden and up to 3
million people in the UK is in denial
and it's really really not good but when
things get this serious the experts need
to take action I've had to bow down to
that I need help
it upsets me that I can't do it
this suburban house looks ordinary
enough from the street but inside and in
the garden it's a very different story
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tea and casts from NGOs cleaning
services are in the process of clearing
it there currently seven days into the
job when we first came you couldn't see
it you couldn't see anything from here
she had made a little path without
Stumpy's through here by cutting my way
through so now from here literally was
pure greenery it was all bushes from
here so we've had to cut our way through
watch your step this is a lovely
conservatory which is not able to use
because it's absolutely full width is
bits and bobs
there's old curtains old suitcase old TV
empty paint buckets empty land shades
old newspapers old printer just things
that he actually doesn't need to use
there's a lot of broken crockery in here
carrier bugs that have disintegrated so
you can see how long they've been here
it's such a shame because he really
needs to use his property there's holes
in the kitchen floor it doesn't actually
have a kitchen here
there's not even a sink I don't know
what happened I don't know why it's like
this but he spends most of his time in
his car and it's really really not good
right now one of the lads is stepping on
a sink which we didn't know was there
this is the problem that we're facing
we don't know things are there until we
actually start to cut and uncover and
how ironic there's one in the garden but
there's not one in the house the more
the chart the more they find it just
looks like everything that's supposed to
be in the kitchen cupboard ie plates
casserole dishes saucers are all in the
garden this house and another two doors
down on the same street are owned by
Michael Saunders a 74 year old who shows
no signs of retiring now I work in a
luxury hotel I play the piano at night
for the guests I cook the breakfasts and
I'm the duty manager of a 69 bedroom
Hotel my days in the last few years have
been helping people who have been less
fortunate than myself what was family
and sit and associated friends I lead a
very very busy life during the cleanup
mr. Saunders has been happy chirpy
cheerful but he's in denial
severely we've given him a task to do
yeah
which yet actually hasn't completed
which is to clear some of the rubbish
from his car and also for us to gain
access to the garage the state of mr.
Saunders his properties
pretty bad he's had foxes living inside
his home they've been gaining access
through underground cellar hole he has
always shaved so I think he may be going
to his place of work
we've able to scrub off yeah I know he
goes to a calf up the road to have a
meal in terms of helping us with the
hoard he's not actually participating at
the menu I went into hospital with
cancer I was in hospital for six months
I had the loss of the loss of salary for
six months and then I was asked not to
lift anything for about 11 weeks after
coming into hospital imagine that and
trying to pay your bills but we got
through but obviously things got into a
dilapidated State t and cars are not
just cleaners they are trained in mental
health care and unlike many cleaning
firms they know that hoarding is a
mental health condition mr. Saunders
hoardings on a level 5 isn't it level 5
which she's really actually yeah really
extreme for the fact that he's hoarding
in both his homes in his cars and in his
garden and he's actually hoarding in the
car so it's really really bad he just
over spills into everything mr. Saunders
doesn't admit to having a problem he
doesn't think he's got a problem yeah
he's in complete denial yeah all his
possessions they're there for something
for some reason or they've got value but
really and truly not all of this stuff
have value even all of his stuff he
needs
how long have you have things in the car
well
would probably two years the kitchen
equipment right this is flooring for the
kitchen flooring tiles right tiles here
for around the around the washbasin
which is going to be in the utility it
was the only place I could store things
I imagine you can't go in no you can't
might at the moment I wouldn't have
anybody in anyway
mr. Saunders hasn't allowed the same
series property one of his houses you
can't actually get into it and the other
property when we asked he said he
couldn't find the key so sensitive and
you know we don't want to push him away
you know we're trying to gain his trust
when he's ready to have that help then
he'll let us know yeah with compulsive
hoarders you have to build the trust and
and take it a day at a time with them so
basically so we'll deal with these
gardens first then we'll deal with these
cars and then we'll gain access to his
home hopefully I haven't actually had a
look in this shed to see what's in here
could you see us when you first came no
you couldn't see it not over all the
shrubbery and the greenery you couldn't
see the floor you couldn't see anything
you couldn't see that bench it was
really really bad
right I think one of our labs has
actually found the door behind this
creepy Nighy thing is it a door yep
so I think it's a door with a glass
window the glass windows broken but I
think we've actually uncovered the door
to get through to the front so he's just
going to keep snipping away until he
uncovers it completely the beginning was
a very hard test to go and didn't know
what to expect with my team
smashed it don't see this much do ya I
looked upon buying my equipment for my
home as an investment and I was still
regarded as an investment but obviously
things got into a deal a dilapidated
state I became what you call probably
people might say a hoarder so I'm
grateful for this company that came
along who were going to come and help me
without them I know that I would have
been in some dire trouble eventually
I've always wanted to do things myself
I'm not a lazy so and so I've had to bow
down to that I need help
and sometimes that is hard to ask for
help when you've always given help I've
only just learning that it's not to be
ashamed to ask for help
although that upsets me it upsets me
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emotionally that I can't do it I do what
I can
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so thanks thanks very much for giving me
the opportunity I know it's honest
bounine or and we finish the job we
offer an aftercare service and so
basically we will still maintain contact
with mr. Saunders so we're not just
going to clean and leaving we'll be back
once a month to check up on him and so
forth but I've been talking to him all
week and I say people don't live like
this
hence or saying that he was in denial
yeah but now if I can retract what I
said I would after hearing him speak to
you
you know he's realized that all this
time he's a hoarder yeah so he's no
longer in denial because he's openly
admitted it now and that's what's really
shocked us but we were proud of him and
the part that he said that so we now we
know that we'll be able to move forward
yeah yeah so I'm looking forward to that
it's still a little bit of work left to
do
but I'm very very pleased how far we've
come was in seven days I mean it was
like an Amazon jungle in here so yeah
yeah we could be standing here seven
days about no a lot of all just have a
thing that we're just going to go in
there and throw away their prized
possessions when that's not the case not
a House Clearance no and the next step
would be to sort out the cars will you
drive and encouraging to let us go into
the house of the house and you start
from there
bit by bit
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you