2 Hoarders on A & E right now

[NikoSan999]

There are 2 Hoarders shows on A & E tonight. I've only watched it once. This is scary and sad.

[frugalwarrior2]

Every time I get lazy about really getting into cleaning all I have to do is watch that show. Sends me into a whirlwind. I truely don't know why they cater to those people so much They are mentally ill and need immediate help. I know they are adults but tell me how they are not a danger to themselves and other around them. I don't get it.

[ravenwolf31]

I have not seen Hoarders, but along the same lines, I love to watch "How Clean is Your House?" That show always gets me in the mood to clean out.

[MaryCarney]

There's a similar show on maybe Discovery (?) and they proceed much more slowly with the hoarders, and seem to have better success. I would like to see the long-term follow ups on these people, it;s an interesting illness to be sure.

[MaryinFL]

I own a cleaning service and it amazes me the number of people that dont realize they have a problem. I have seen homes that have aisles instead of hallways.

One man had 12pk soda cartons that completely lined his hallway on both sides. He was about 65 and would never be able to drink all the soda he had. He could also challenge any small grocery store with his canned good collection. When something was on sale he would go back to the store several times a day and buy buy buy. He was very proud of his accumulation. There is no way he would have ever been able to use it all.

Another woman had about 5 stacks of deli containers in her garage that were 4-5 feet tall. She probably had every bread bag tie for the last 10 years, along with every butter tub and other container that come with a lid.

I will never understand this "syndrome" I use to think it was older people who lived through the depression, but obviously not.

[HandyMom]

I think it has a lot to do with depression and some Obsessive-compulsive disorder mixed in. Both my parents are pack rats but they could just as easily become full fledged hoarders at any moment. Not all of them keep "trash" either. I was watching the hoarders episodes online and it makes me get busy, too, because my whole house is turned upside down at the moment and I can't invite anyone over until this is all straightened out. It's hard when the mess gets out of hand and you have no help and things happen to prevent you from clearing up clutter. I sympathize with the hoarders.

[Josephhgoins]

I was always told this was to do with "The Depression" (you know oct 29, 1929) growing up not ever having enough of what you need from food to clothing to shelter sometimes. My grandmother kept everything neat and clean, but we found that she saved everything just in case. We found rolls of string that she kept from dog food bags.

She kept the butter bowls and reused them too and a hundred of other things you wouldn't believe. no matter how little food was left from a meal she would save it for later. I have seen her put a tablespoon of beans in a bowl and into the fridge.

[DukesAngel]

My grandmother does the same thing with any container with a lid! She does throw them out after a few uses...

I have been known to keep yogurt containers, glass salsa containers, or anything else I could think of that could be used as a food storage device. They get thrown out after a couple uses. The only thing that is not ever thrown out is the glass apple juice containers. When our first batch of beer is made its going into those. We also used them for eggnog this year. Fun stuff!

As far as saving string and twist ties? No, those go in the trash. Although I'm saving the paper egg cartons because those are getting shredded and thrown in the garden this year.

[JerryG]

Watched Hoarders for the first time last nite. My heart went out to them.

My parents were Depression raised. They were not "pack rats" but my mom did save every bit of leftovers to 're-purpose'. . .

As their relatives have died (they're both babies of the family) their upstairs has filled with stuff . . .Boxes and boxes and crates fill their upstairs. I'm sure there's stuff up there that they don't even know about.

My sis died several years ago, in my care. I've had a VERY hard time letting go of the most minutia of her stuff. I JUST pitched the junk mail that she received, after she died . . . this year.

[rudypoo98]

I know a woman here that owns several rental houses.She has a big contract the renters have to sign, no cops called to the house is one that will get you kicked out.She tells the renters they better keep the house clean she dosen't like messy housekeepers.She goes in the houses and noses when the renters are gone ,neighbors see her.She always finds an excuse to keep the deposits when renters move.Some of her renters told me they went to her house to pay the rent and she only has paths to get through it.One of them told me they are taking little cam recorder next time film her house. Then if she shows up tells them this house is messy.They are going show it to her ask who's horder house is this.

[PlainCash4]

There was a panhandler here in town that passed away years ago. When they went to where he liived , they found not junk.....but he hoarded money ! They found uncashed social security checks and jars of money totaling nearly $30,000. Pretty amazing.

[Libby]

I watched one of the two episodes yesterday. What I fail to understand is this one common thing (that I've noticed)...all the hoarders have cats. What is up with that? And I'm also thinking back to the episode of the woman in the south where they found her dead cats when they cleaned out her home

[Trishagirl]

I've seen that show and those people truly have a mental problem. It gives me the willies!!!!!!

[MyMelody]

I know a woman here that owns several rental houses.She has a big contract the renters have to sign, no cops called to the house is one that will get you kicked out.She tells the renters they better keep the house clean she dosen't like messy housekeepers.She goes in the houses and noses when the renters are gone ,neighbors see her.She always finds an excuse to keep the deposits when renters move.Some of her renters told me they went to her house to pay the rent and she only has paths to get through it.One of them told me they are taking little cam recorder next time film her house. Then if she shows up tells them this house is messy.They are going show it to her ask who's horder house is this.

This sounds JUST LIKE a former landlady of mine, except for the dirty house part! If you'd also said the woman was racist, I'd know we had a dead ringer.

I agree the hoarding tendency can be scary. I also saw the episode of Hoarders where the woman in Louisiana had dead cats in her home she didn't even know about, and it was so creepy and yuck. Thing is, her house had been cleaned out a couple times professionally already and she'd filled it up again! It definitely seems that a long-term approach would be necessary to help these people.

[Nana2two]

Well up to last year, i was a Hoarder. I have talked with you all this before. I wasn't dirty like that, i just had wall to wall stuff it was sad. I had a break down, depression,have a mild case od bipolar. I was put on meds and in cousling ,which my last session was last week. Hoarding comes from security issues within yourself.. I did not have the best childhood. I was bought for clothes ,,toys,,,fed, ect. But alot of emotional abuse. When you get older turns into a i need to keep things hold on to them,not because you need them, its a security blanket it covers up the emotional wounds. My heart breaks for people it is a depression illness, i know some very smart well know people in the community that are hoarders. Some of you will remember hubby and i renting those huge long bubba dumpsters. We filled that to the hilt. This summer we are thinking of renting another one. But some of the hoarders i have watched is beyond believe. Amy kitchen and bathroom were always clean. Just piled up everywhere else.