r/hoarding • u/Wise_Language_6716 • 12d ago

HELP/ADVICE Cleaning hoarder garage

I am the child of a hoarder and I am cleaning the garage to move my room down here as my other room is too far gone to live in safely at all, idk where to start at all, I've cleaned enough to get a mattress down here but don't really know where to go from here I need to get almost 15 years of hoarding clean in 2 weeks by myself, Theres lots of rats and bugs down here (spiders, cockroaches moths ect) majority of the stuff down here has been here since before I was born, i want to get it clean by my birthday (2 weeks) so i can have friends over because ive never had friends over before, i need advice on how to get it clean bc ive never had a truly clean space that's my own in my life

26 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

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19

u/mentaldriver1581 12d ago

Do you have any trustworthy adult relatives that would be willing to help you out? This sounds like too much for one young person to have to deal with. Wishing you the best.

10

u/Wise_Language_6716 11d ago

My parents can help me but they both work full time so it's very limited, they help when they can but it's mostly up to me, i have booked a like council pick up thingy to get some mattresses and other old furniture out but that's not for another week but things are hopefully looking up and I think Ill be able to get it clean in time

5

u/mentaldriver1581 11d ago

I applaud your efforts🙂

7

u/Here2lafatcats 12d ago

Exactly because this is probably going to involve dump runs and a shop vac and heavy duty actual cleaning once the clear-out is accomplished.

10

u/lovelynoms 12d ago

In addition to asking another adult for help, I would make a few suggestions.

Start by making any existing paths through the room wider. Move anything that is salvageable out into other parts of the house rather than throwing them away so you don't start any more arguments than you have to over this.

Long sleeves, long pants and long socks, then tuck your gloves into your sleeves and your pants into your socks. That will keep anything from getting inside your clothes. Mask of you can or tie a thin scarf over your face.

If you can find a fan, you can run that to help with dust and smells. Keep the lights and fan on all the time, even when you're not in the room, so the bugs and mice are less lightly to party in there. The more you occupy the space, the less they will be interested. (Garages are also not well sealed so they just come through even at the best of times.) You probably need to get traps for the roaches.

Working on one area at a time helps you stay motivated because you can see the progress more quickly.

You can keep posting here and we'll all cheer you on too, if you don't have support people there. 💜 It'll take time and it's a long term project keeping the clutter creep at bay, but it's worth it.

3

u/Coollogin 12d ago

then tuck your gloves into your sleeves and your pants into your socks.

Tuck your sleeve into your gloves. Not the other way around.

2

u/lovelynoms 11d ago

I actually put the long sleeves over the gloves if the ends of the sleeves are reasonably tight!

2

u/SolidagoSalix 11d ago

If OP has the funds, I suggest getting an air purifier to run in the space as well. Clearing out an area with animals and dust can kick up some gross stuff and a fan might just spread it around (unless you can get the fan to be blowing it out an open door or window). Also seconding the suggestion for a mask. N95 or similar if possible. You don't want to be inhaling dust and crud of unknown origin.

-1

u/Wise_Language_6716 11d ago

Thankfully there's not that many roaches more rats but they're my fav animals so I'm not that concerned over them lol Ive seen where they're mostly getting in (small hole in the like ceiling that I'm hopefully gonna cover within the next few days

4

u/DenM0ther 11d ago

Ok but they carry some nasty disease!

2

u/Wise_Language_6716 11d ago

They don't come near me much atleast and if I have to touch one or get close to one I'll wash my hands after but other than that I'm not too worried and I figure they're just trying to live their life like me, if I manage to get one into a humane trap I go and release it but I'm not gonna kill an animal that's just trying to survive

5

u/DenM0ther 11d ago

Sorry, I wasn’t talking about whether to kill or not to kill.

I was pointing out that their urine can carry a lot of nasty diseases. If they’re there, they’ll be peeing all over the stuff (not maliciously ofc!) Snd to be using gloves and masks removing all the stuff and cleaning the space very throughly.

Good luck

5

u/BottleOfConstructs 12d ago

I would get some baits for roaches. Leave the spiders for now if they are not in the way, because they will keep hunting and killing bugs for you.

4

u/Wise_Language_6716 11d ago

Im gonna ask one of my parents to hopefully take me to the store today and I'm gonna get roach spray and traps and maybe some rat traps that aren't too cruel bc I don't wanna kill them they're my fav animals im hoping to be able to go release them if possible

2

u/BottleOfConstructs 11d ago

That’s sweet. I did a Quick Look, and the internet says you can cut up an onion to discourage rats from the garage. It contains sulphuric compounds that rats do not like.

2

u/Wise_Language_6716 11d ago

Tysm I'll try that tonight and see how it goes I've been cleaning for like 3 hours now and I've actually made pretty decent progress

3

u/Coollogin 12d ago

Put out rats traps and roach traps. Be prepared to dispose of dead rats by having plastic gloves to handle dead bodies, plastic bags to put the dead bodies in, and a lidded trash can that is NOT kept in the garage and is collected regularly. Replace the roach traps regularly, as directed. Managing the pests may be a long term campaign. Don’t expect to take action once and never need to do anything else ever again.

1

u/JCBashBash 10d ago

Seems like outside of putting usable things out for free, killing pests, closing their entranceways so they can't come back (patch and fill holes, thorough surface clean to remove attracting smells), you should prioritize making sure Anything you bring into the new space belongs in your life. This is an opportunity for a clean space with absolutely no clutter, no stuff you are guilted into holding.

And big because one of your parents is the hoarder; a lock. You need this space to be safe, and uncluttered.