'I clean hoarders' homes for a living. This is what I see every day.'

For many of us, the only real insight we've had into the homes of people who hoard has been through the eyes of dramatised reality TV shows. Many of which are often dripping in judgement. 

The houses themselves are accurately portrayed — the floors caked in mud and years of dirt, rubbish and miscellaneous items piled high in every space. The kitchen is often one of the worst zones, along with the bathroom. And in most cases, there's an unavoidable concern that the dwelling is a full-blown health hazard.

But when it comes to the people who live in these homes, often there's an air of shame that permeates the show's storyline. 

Charlotte Bosanquet, the founder of Care Cleaning Services in Sydney, works with people who hoard on a regular basis. 

One of the main things she has learned while cleaning these homes is that there is often a reason behind the hoarding behaviour. And that empathy can go a long way.

Watch: Hoarding portrayed on TV. Post continues below.

Charlotte's cleaning work first began as a side hustle while studying at university, and then turned into her career. Now, 20-year-old Charlotte has nine people on her team and says the last year running the business full-time has been super rewarding. 

It's hard to imagine that only six months ago she entered a hoarding home environment for the first time.

"My first job was with an acquaintance of one of my employees. Given the relationship, we decided to offer them a free clean and in turn we were given permission to film the process and upload it online to spread awareness. And after that one job, we knew it was an area that needed the service," Charlotte explained to Mamamia. 

"It was confronting and very overwhelming. We just went through it section by section. But when it was completed, it was so satisfying."

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Nowadays to have a sustainable line of revenue, Charlotte's business does charge for hoarder homes to be cleaned, charging an hourly rate. But given the often large amount of cleaning that needs to be done, she said it can range from "$5,000 to sometimes into $20,000 or more".

As for the work itself — it's intensive, to say the least.

"For most hoarder homes, there's a lot of rubbish disposal. But to get to that point takes time. The majority of our job is organising what the client wants to keep and what they're happy to get rid and what actually needs to be thrown away because it's rubbish. Once that process is done, then we can get to disposal, labelling everything they're keeping and sorting in an efficient way. Followed by a deep cleaning!" Charlotte said. 

Some of the hardest parts of a hoarder home are often the dishes left in the sink, the ovens, the vents and the walls if there's a smoker in the home. But with time and effort, most of the cleaning is achievable. 

"My least favourite thing to come across is maggots. I don't like cockroaches either but I can deal with them. Recently at one job there was a really, really bad cockroach infestation. That's a job I wouldn't go back to doing regardless of the money, unless pest control goes in prior. But whenever there are maggots in old food or dead rats, it isn't fun," Charlotte said.

Now with plenty of experience under her belt, Charlotte says most of it doesn't phase her anymore. If anything, it's working alongside the client that takes most of the brain power.

"For anyone looking to get into this business who wants to work with clients who are hoarders, I'd advise getting a psychologist involved and asking for advice from them. That's what I've been fortunate to do."

As Charlotte explained to Mamamia, she always tells her clients that she is "there to clean — not there to change their habits", because that is a job for a mental health professional.

"Making sure there is a distinction is important. Because when it comes to hoarders, commonly there are mental health issues involved."

Dr. David Bosanquet has been a clinical psychologist for around 14 years now, working in private practice in NSW's Blue Mountains. 

He explained to Mamamia that hoarding is a psychological disorder that is associated with a "perceived need to accumulate items or possessions".

"There is anxiety or emotional distress associated with parting from these items. As such, there can be an accumulation of possessions that can cause clutter, overwhelm living space, and impair their ability to function within that space. For example, not being able to enter certain rooms because of a build-up of clutter over the course of time," he said.

"This can have a devastating effect on the person's life and can cause them to be estranged from families and loved ones."

For this reason, it's clear why an empathetic and considered approach is key. And for Charlotte, she said being able to liaise with her father, Dr. David Bosanquet, on these cases has been incredibly informative. 

"One client said to me recently that they didn't consider their place to be bad (cleanliness-wise), as they had grown up in an environment where the conditions were even worse in terms of hoarding. And for others, they have shared that their hoarding is depression-related. I don't ever ask why, it's often they just feel comfortable sharing."

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For Charlotte's clients who do exert hoarding behaviours, some have weekly cleaning appointments to make sure it doesn't get out of hand. But for others, it's a cost they can't afford, therefore only doing a sporadic one-off clean. Charlotte said for some, who particularly struggle financially, her business will sometimes provide free cleans.

Ultimately, Charlotte says she is there to work with the client on what they need in order to feel safe and clean in their own home.

"Me and my team will often only do three to five hours of intensive cleaning per day in these sorts of environments just because it's such a full-on job. We don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed – the client or staff. That's why empathy is so important."

Currently, Charlotte and her dad, Dr. David Bosanquet, are working on an eBook together for people struggling with hoarding tendencies — strategies for coping and keeping on top of the hoarding behaviour.

In the meantime, Charlotte said she wants to keep doing this line of work and making sure more of these services are available to people who need them. 

"Just getting started on such a big space can be really overwhelming. Add on mental health, and it's even harder. When they see the finished result, it can be really hard for them — but they know it's for the best and been done with good intentions and judgement-free," she said. 

"And that's always the main goal."

For more from Charlotte, you can follow her business on TikTok or the Care Cleaning Service website. 

Feature Image: TikTok @carecleaningservicessyd.