Hoarding: The Dangers for Your Home and Your Life
We’ve all seen the programmes and recoiled in horror at the masses of cardboard boxes, food products and, in the more severe cases, copious amounts of rubbish jammed into people’s homes. However far from being a documentary maker’s dream, hoarding is in fact a recognised psychological condition and is commonly associated with depression and anxiety disorders.
Hoarding literally means to excessively collect items that are of little or no value without being able to throw them away, resulting in unmanageable amounts of clutter. The results can be far reaching, causing people to become isolated, lonely and extremely apprehensive. However hoarding in its most serious form can also be incredibly dangerous and pose serious threats to your home and your life…
Risk of Fire
One of the biggest risks of hoarding in your home is the danger of fire. Your home will be full of countless flammable items, and if one of them was to set alight, your whole house could be engulfed within minutes. Not only does it present the immediate risk of fire itself, but any chances of escape from a potential fire will be severely hindered. Doorways and windows will be blocked, fire extinguishers could be obstructed and some rooms will be completely impossible to negotiate.
Hygiene Risks
The homes of hoarders are typically incredibly unhygienic. It sounds obvious, but the sheer amount of clutter around the house makes cleaning an impossible task. Dirt and dust will be collected by the items, and infestation of rats and bugs is a very real possibility. This not only makes your home an unpleasant place to be in, but it can pose a serious risk to your health, particularly if there are children in the house.
Gas and Electric Leaks
With your home filled with innumerable items, getting around your house can be a very difficult, if not impossible task. But a much more serious repercussion of hoarding lies in things you can’t see. Having a mountain of useless clutter in every room means that if you were to have a leak of some sort, it could be very difficult to detect. Cramming lots of things into a room can damage the electricity and gas systems, increasing this risk even further.
Obstructions
If the worst was to happen, and a fire was to break out in your home, obviously you’d have to call the emergency services to help you. But the amount of unmanageable items in your house could prevent the fire brigade from doing their job properly, and could endanger your life and theirs. Additionally, if you fire safety equipment installed in your home – such as fire extinguishers or fire blankets – being able to locate and access them would be an almost impossible task.
Hoarding can be quite a difficult thing to confront, whether you suffer from it yourself, or you know somebody who does. It can be embarrassing to accept, and reversing your way of life will take some doing. However, it is vital that you do, because not only is your living space getting more and more cramped, you are putting your life in more danger with every needless item you collect.
If you’re worried that you have too much clutter at your your home or business, then Contact us for a fire risk assessment with City Fire Protection.
