Hoarding situation requires professional help
Hoarding situations are often hidden from view until the hoarder is removed and a family member, caregiver or landlord discovers the severity of the problem.
The task of cleanup is often overwhelming.
Bio-One Columbus approaches hoarding situations with expediency and care. We take full precautions in removing health hazards and remediating the space as quickly as possible, returning the property to a usable state. We also understand that the mementos and memories of a life are often mixed in the refuse, and we preserve anything of potential monetary or sentimental value.
The time-lapse video above was a condo in the Columbus area in which the tenant was the hoarder. When he moved out he left the house completely full of trash, flies, feces and more than a hundred bottles of urine. The room we decided to video was the master bedroom. That tiny spot you can see on the bed that wasn’t completely buried was where he slept. Typically we don’t need to remove subfloors, but in this case it was saturated to the point that they were no longer salvageable.
We never met the tenant, but we did find a high school letterman’s jacket, some photo albums and a couple other things that we thought might be meaningful, so we gave those to the landlord to pass on to him.
When we finished, every surface in the home had been treated and sealed, and the overpowering odor that had been so pervasive was completely gone. Within a week the landlord had new flooring installed, walls painted and appliances updated. It’s a beautiful home, and no one would ever guess the conditions that we found when we started.
"At BioOne Columbus, we approach each situation not as a bottom-line billable job, but a chance to help people get their lives back in order. Adding a tough cleanup on top of emotional distress can be overwhelming, and that’s where my team steps in. Contact us today to learn more about our services."
Tim Lockard is owner/operator of Bio-One Columbus, and has more than 15 years’ experience in emergency response.
