[music playing]
ANNIE: My name is Annie.
I take care of my disabled husband.
We have been married for 32 years.
He's had blood pressure and-- and diabetes issues
ever since I've known him.
About a year ago, he was diagnosed
with Parkinson's disease.
He is totally dependent on me to do everything for him.
I've tried to clean house a lot of times.
I can't get anything done.
My name is Sarah and Annie is my mom.
My dad fell down on the driveway and he broke his rotator cuff.
And my biggest fear is that, if he were to fall again,
with the amount of stuff that's there, he could break a hip,
or worse.
He could literally die from that.
My name is Freddie and Annie is my mom.
There's a lot of stuff in there.
Most of it is useless junk.
I guess you could say I'm used to it.
SARAH: My brother Freddie, we've been concerned
about him for a while.
He seems to be depressed.
He doesn't have a lot of real motivation
to do things like get a job or buy a car like other teenagers
his age might have.
I think a lot of that stems from this,
you know, just sort of learned helplessness.
FREDDIE: I don't think it's all that big a deal,
but that can be 'cause most of the time, I'm just taking naps.
SARAH: The truth is, I'm afraid for their lives.
ANNIE: Some of the houses I clean, I just go in,
and there's just a weekly routine--
sweeping, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, and I
just get in and get it done.
SARAH: The reason that she doesn't
do more in her own house is because it just seems hopeless.
You work for hours, and you look around,
and it all looks the same.
ANNIE: The previous TV got fried from roach infestation.
I have put out the foggers, I have sprayed,
I had put out the boric acid powder.
My dad and my brother both have really bad allergies
and asthma problems.
And we know that roaches and stuff that they leave behind
is really the worst thing for asthma.
This is not a situation that is OK anymore.
ANNIE: I tried to do the best I could but it
didn't seem like very good.
SARAH: It's not a situation that I'm gonna step back and pretend
like it's not there.
Good morning!
ALL: Good morning.
I'm Dorothy Breininger.
I'm a professional organizing expert
and I specialize in hoarding.
This is one big group.
Thank you for all being here.
To meet Annie and know that she cleans homes for a living,
and then to go into her house--
unbelievable.
Incongruent.
You folks have been living in this house.
We haven't.
So you're used to things that we're not as used to.
The minute we start moving things around,
dust and mold starts kicking up.
So I want the team to wear masks.
Any questions?
ANNIE: One thing to say.
You have one more thing to say?
Let's get her done.
Go!
I am coming across so many little families of roaches.
And even my 1-800-GOT-JUNK guys are completely creeped out.
But apart from that, I see lots of broken
or deteriorated furniture.
This couch, did I hear you wanted it to go to trash?
ANNIE: I did say that.
DOROTHY BREININGER: Annie has really never made a decision.
ANNIE: It-- it will go, eventually.
FREDDIE: I'm usually pretty organized.
MARK PFEFFER: I'm thinking of you choosing
one out of that bin to recycle.
My name is Mark Pfeffer.
I'm a licensed psychotherapist and specialist in a treatment
of compulsive hoarding.
Freddie's behavior almost mimics his mother's behavior.
FREDDIE: Uh-- I--
I-- maybe-- I--
I'm not gonna--
I'm not gonna say a definite yes.
MARK PFEFFER: This is a family that can't make decisions.
Indecision has become a lifestyle.
Mm.
FREDDIE: D'you need help with this thing or you got it?
Nah, that's pretty light.
Oh, well, there's some--
that's not healthy-looking.
[chuckles] No.
DOROTHY BREININGER: So-- so-- - Here's what--
DOROTHY BREININGER: --I'm gonna be
You're gonna be--
DOROTHY BREININGER: --in the dumpster.
My team accidentally empties one drawer.
And guess what?
It has to be the drawer with the wedding band in it!
I think it's [muted] It's just degrading to watch
my mom dig through a dumpster.
If we don't find that ring, I think Annie will be very upset.
I think it will be the very thing
that will make this project seem like a horrible idea.
Our first task this morning was to go through,
with a fine-tooth comb, in the dumpster
to find a wedding band.
Everybody was so ridiculously upset with me
because, who really wants to do that?
They called me over and said, can we stop?
We're sweaty.
We're full of roaches, can we stop?
And I said, can you go for another half hour?
I-- uh-uh-- I think we found it!
Oh, my god.
Woo-hoo!
Oh, my god.
Yes!
You've got to be kidding.
Give me five.
All right!
Found it!
Woo-hoo!
GIRLS: We found it!
DOROTHY BREININGER: Yeah, that's a gold wedding band.
Are you guys crying?
We called Annie over, praying that this was her wedding band.
Please--
--Annie.
--tell me this is it.
DOROTHY BREININGER: The organizers
said, Annie, is this it?
And she opened up the jar and she said--
Please, Annie.
This is it.
[girls gasping and cheering]
DOROTHY BREININGER: Because we found the wedding band,
that engaged the trust again.
I was so happy.
DOROTHY BREININGER: We found a whole family of, you know,
little roaches crawling.
And they're-- they're collecting over here by the food.
ANNIE: That can go.
Look at you. ANNIE: Go.
What do you think of that?
I'm just so happy for her that she's gonna have--
you know, she's such a great cook, and she's--
You know what?
SARAH: --actually great housekeeper and everything.
Tell her-- you tell her that, man.
That is great.
Having the incident with the wedding band allowed
us to all grow together, because yesterday,
it was us versus them.
Today, it was a full-on team approach.
[music playing]
I think Annie did a fantastic job today.
There were 15 of us working--
both organizers, 1-800-GOT-JUNK, and family members.
15 people times eight hours.
We did 2 and 1/2 months worth of work.
I'm feeling pretty good today.
I think the new room looks really good.
It's a lot better than the old one, you know.
There's not a lot of junk lying around like before,
and, uh, I don't think there will be in the future.
SARAH: I absolutely do not regret my decision.
My dad actually told me thank you today.
My mom has sort of shrugged, [laughs] you know,
that I can't see how she could be upset when now she has
a floor that she can walk on.
ANNIE: I-- I know that the shame of not, you know,
being able to have people, even fa-- you know, other family
members come in, will keep--
keep this from happening again.