A self-proclaimed ‘hoarder’ spends her days remodeling different hoarders’ messy and clutter-filled properties.
Lisa Curtis, 53, grew up with a keenness of ‘gathering’ issues – which she later realised could be classed as ‘hoarding’.
When her dad, Keith Robinson, 65, died in 2013 – she found his home was bursting full as a result of he was additionally a hoarder.
She spent months sifting via his belongings selecting what to maintain, donate, promote and discard – clearing the property on weekends over round six months.
She then turned her consideration to her personal three-bed dwelling – stacked filled with random collections – and managed to do away with hundreds of things.
Lisa’s mates and colleagues began asking her if she may assist them de-clutter their properties too and it went from being a interest alongside her full-time job in trend to her enterprise.
Lisa’s decluttering journey started after her dad went right into a nursing dwelling shortly earlier than he handed away in 2013. Pictured: Lisa cleansing a house
Lisa, often called @motherclutteruk on TikTok, stated she finds the job rewarding as she will be able to ‘make a distinction’ to lives
Lisa’s mates and colleagues began asking her if she may assist them de-clutter their properties too and it went from being a interest alongside her full-time job in trend to her enterprise
Now the mum-of-three spends each day strolling into hoarders’ properties to assist them deal with their habits.
A few of Lisa’s most tough initiatives have seen her deal with big collections of intercourse toys, rat-infested chairs and even a consumer who saved his poo in containers.
However Lisa, often called @motherclutteruk on TikTok, stated she finds the job rewarding as she will be able to ‘make a distinction’ to lives.
Lisa, from Jesmond, Newcastle, stated: ‘My dad would by no means allow us to into his home and when he died I discovered time had simply stood nonetheless in the home – he hadn’t thrown something away.
‘I emptied his after which I began alone dwelling – quickly individuals began asking me to assist them too.
‘Now I have been doing this job for years – I’ve labored on every thing from stacks of books and letters to intercourse toys and porn collections.
‘I will help individuals as a result of I perceive how they really feel – it is not simply laziness, there is a story behind each hoarder.’
Lisa’s decluttering journey started after her dad went right into a nursing dwelling shortly earlier than he handed away in 2013.
His mum, Lily Robinson, 80, had died again in 2001 and Keith began hoarding her outdated possessions to take care of the grief, and had additionally didn’t carry on high of his housekeeping.
Heartbroken Lisa cleared out his cluttered, soiled dwelling bit-by-bit within the months after Keith handed away.
Lisa realised all through this course of she shared a number of the identical ‘gathering’ tendencies.
She started taking requests for decluttering assist and in 2017 the side-hustle turned her full-time job – which sees her make round £50k a yr
Lisa additionally has to confront her personal hoarding habits at occasions when she lets litter pile up for too lengthy, though she retains every thing clear
She stated being a collector would not essentially imply a home is unsanitary – however because of the lack of area, it may possibly usually result in that for some individuals
She defined her purchasers have even included ‘high job’ financial institution managers and designers – however you’d by no means know from the surface
Lisa stated: ‘I used to be an enormous collector and had a great deal of the identical collections as him – outdated ticket stubs, birthday playing cards and random cash.’
She started taking requests for decluttering assist and in 2017 the side-hustle turned her full-time job – which sees her make round £50k a yr.
She stated: ‘I work with numerous older blokes, whose homes are piled full and so they have a tiny little nook with chair the place they spend all day.
‘Some even pay hundreds to hire storage as a result of they cannot match all their stuff.
‘I discover with girls – some have addictions to locations like B&M and compulsively purchase issues like homeware and craft stuff.
‘I had one girl who had hundreds of knitting magazines, all utterly unopened.
‘I handled males who’ve saved their wee and one man who saved his pee in pots. I requested ‘why?’ and he could not give a solution – he simply could not do away with something.’
Lisa additionally has to confront her personal hoarding habits at occasions when she lets litter pile up for too lengthy, though she retains every thing clear.
She stated being a collector would not essentially imply a home is unsanitary – however because of the lack of area, it may possibly usually result in that for some individuals.
She defined it ‘occurs slowly’ over time and sometimes leads to her getting elbow-deep in mould, grease, mud and even ‘mummified animals’ resembling hen, mice and rats.
She stated: ‘I had a consumer who had a nest of rats dwelling below his divan and he simply accepted it, even when he heard them working round.’
She recalled a mouldy freezer she cleaned out lately the place she pulled out a 16-year-old bag of oven chips.
However Lisa stated as a result of she has struggled with hoarding tendencies herself, she will be able to empathise – and persons are extra comfy letting her into their properties in consequence.
She defined her purchasers have even included ‘high job’ financial institution managers and designers – however you’d by no means know from the surface.
This, she stated, is as a result of hoarders usually really feel nice disgrace round their habits.
She stated: ‘Some individuals will not have advised their households, like my dad did not, or possibly their habits trigger arguments with family.’
Lisa now needs to teach others on hoarding and lift consciousness, so hoarders do not feel such disgrace.
She stated: ‘Imply feedback are what hold individuals from asking for assist, as a result of they’re so ashamed.
‘Everybody has a narrative and when you knew theirs, you would be much less inclined to say horrible issues.’
