Wellington Guelph Hoarding Response
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About Hoarding

The word “hoarding” is often used to describe a person’s home that has such a large number of items that the livable spaces in their home are significantly reduced.

For some people, these items make their space feel homey and inviting, for others, they make the space feel distracting and chaotic. Your preferences may not be the same as someone else’s, and it’s important not to judge or impose your taste on a friend, loved one, or client.

What is Hoarding?

When you think of hoarding, you’re probably picturing a large number of possessions in the home. It is not quite so simple. What other important things are there to look for?

Do you, your loved one, or the person you are working with:

  • Feelings of distress can include anger, anxiety, sadness, loss and fearfulness.
  • This might mean sleeping in a recliner in the living room because the bed is covered, or not being able to make a meal in the kitchen. Some homes may only have a few areas that are not useable, while other homes may have very little functional space.
  • This could look very different from person to person. For example, one person might have a strained relationship with family members, another has not filed their taxes in years because of lost paperwork, and someone else has difficulty getting places on time because of not being able to find things in their home.
  • Most people, but not everyone, who has difficulty with saving items also acquires a lot of items, too. This could mean picking up items at the dollar store, online purchases, thrift store shopping, picking treasures up from the curb, taking (multiple) free items whenever they’re available, or, in rare situations, stealing items.
  • Remember when working with families or individuals living with significant others, that many people do not feel upset about getting rid of other people’s possessions.

When is it not hoarding?

  • For example, someone who has moved to a smaller home or inherited a lot of items from a relative who has passed away may find their home very cluttered for a period of time while they decide what to do with these items. However, if the clutter remains unresolved then it may be a hoarding problem
  • When the clutter is limited to storage areas, like the basement, attic, and garage

A couple of other things to consider:

  • If they lose that support person (through death, divorce/separation or withdrawal of support), the person will struggle with maintaining their home.
  • This means that the person may recognize the high level of clutter in pictures of their home only when they are not physically at home. For example, they may look at photos of their home in a therapist’s office and are surprised to see the volume of possessions that they have accumulated.

How To Identify Hoarding Behaviour vs Clutter:2

Types of Items

Method of Acquiring

Appearance of Home

Life Impact

Hoarding

Items do not have a theme. Usually many different types of items.

Items are not acquired in a planned way.

People tend to acquire more items that their home can handle. Items may be free (e.g., from the side of the road, giveaways, etc.) and/or purchased.

Items tend to be disorganized.

Living spaces (bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc.) can not be used as intended.

Efforts to get rid of the items and not acquire new items causes distress. Spending may be excessive, causing financial distress. Can cause conflict in social/family relationships, in addition to general withdrawal from society. State of home may have a broader impact on surrounding homes (e.g. sanitation concerns, structural issues, etc.).

Clutter

Items may or may not have a theme.

Items are not acquired in a planned fashion; acquisition is not excessive.

Items are generally disorganized and located in storage spaces (e.g. attic, basement, etc.). May also occur in living spaces, but does not prevent them from being used as intended.

Items may cause mild distress, but generally do not have broad or lasting impact on finances, work, social life, etc. The thought of getting rid of items or not acquiring any more does not cause distress.

Collecting

Items center around a theme, e.g. stamps, models, figurines, etc.

Items are acquired through planned searches. Items are mainly purchased and are limited in number.

Items are arranged, stored, and/or displayed in an organized fashion. Items do not take over living spaces.

Items usually have a positive or pleasurable impact. Collecting usually does not cause financial distress, nor impairment in work, social life, etc.

Squalor

No intentional saving of items.

No intentional saving or acquiring of items. Build-up is instead due to neglect or inability to remove them.

Home is generally in a state of disrepair, may look unclean or unkempt.

State of home may or may not cause distress. State of home has a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of all inhabitants, and may have a broader impact on surrounding homes.

How To Identify Hoarding Behaviour vs Clutter:2

Hoarding vs clutter chart

Download this chart as a PDF.

Download

What can I do now?

You’ve looked around our website, and had a look at some of our resources and tools. Now what?

Contact the WHGR coordinator to talk about how the harm reduction approach can work in your situation, and discuss possible next steps. You can call anonymously and your information is confidential.

Contact us
1Frost, R.O., & Steketee, G. (2010). Stuff: compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things. New York: Mariner Books.
2Adapted from: hoarding.iocdf.org/about-hoarding/is-it-hoarding-clutter-collecting-or-squalor/

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© 2019 All rights reserved

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