My Story
Mission Statement
Seven years ago, my great-aunt Bernie’s house was condemned by the Board of Health. She was put into a nursing home for dementia, so we knew that she would not be returning to her house. The town said that we needed to clean the house, but didn’t give us any information on how to go about it. “Get a company in there” was the best advice that we were given.
Bernie’s sister Ann was in charge of taking care of the clean-up and reporting back to the town on the progress. She’d recently had quadruple bypass surgery and her children lived out of state. I stepped in and became the point person to alleviate her stress level. Armed with the letter of consent signed by my aunt, I went to the Board of Health and requested all information associated with the condemned house.
I had a bunch of questions:
Do we have a certain timeline that needs to be followed?
Are we allowed to enter the house?
Are we allowed to do any of the clean-up ourselves?
How do we proceed?
The person at the Board of Health in the town was not helpful at all. (Side note, she no longer works at the Board of Health). I was trying everything that I could think of to find out about my aunt’s rights and what we needed to do to properly dispose of any trash. Again, I was unsuccessful at finding information.
I finally received permission to enter the house and begin the cleaning process.
I had been going to Ann’s house every Wednesday to visit and bring out her trash. We discussed the house and decided that I would go through everything. Books would all be donated to the church for their annual yard sale fundraiser. Anything of value would be brought to Ann, and trash could be thrown out.
We also discussed some of her sister’s old habits. For example, she used to use $50 or $100 bills as bookmarks. This meant that I had to hold every book upside down and fan it before putting it into the donation pile. Ann wanted a bracelet that she knew was somewhere in the house and also a cookie jar that had belonged to her father.
I went out to the house on the weekends for several hours each day. I visited Ann on Wednesdays to give her an update on the progress of the cleaning and to find out if she had thought of anything else that might be in the house.
In the cleaning process, I found the bracelet and the cookie jar. I also found my aunt’s prepaid funeral arrangements and over $5000.00 in cash, checks and gift certificates.
I found that it was like a treasure hunt, never knowing what I would find. I discovered some really nasty things and now I no longer have a problem with dead mice. It was worth all the time that I spent cleaning knowing what I was able to give back to my aunt. I found that I actually enjoyed the cleaning, and always left with a huge sense of accomplishment. This is when I got bitten by the cleaning bug.
I did the cleaning because I knew how other companies operated. The typical clean-out companies will come in with their shovels and dumpsters. Everything will be thrown away, unless they find a beautiful, expensive bracelet, which they put in their pocket. Any valuables are sold for their profit. The family pays a lot of money and gets nothing back.
Since then, I have watched the television shows about hoarders and cringed. Cleaning by using shovels? Watching people go through one of their most traumatic experiences makes me sad. There has to be a better way to do this. Thus my idea was born, if I were a millionaire, I would help these hoarders with the clean-up, causing the least amount of trauma. I would work with them the entire time…yes, it may take a year to clean versus the weekend, but it might stay clean. I would bet that every one of the houses that were cleaned completely out in one weekend are far worse today, because the reason behind the hoarding was not addressed.
I have not won the lottery, and have very little savings. But when I was laid off from a home heating oil company in January, I realized that I don’t want just another job. I want to feel the satisfaction of helping out again. I want to help hoarders conquer their addiction to stuff. If they are unable to return to their homes, I want to make sure that their stuff goes to good homes, if possible. I want them and their families to get back as much of their money and valuables as possible, while providing a pleasant experience.
Laura Lemay
Owner and Training Manager
'Let me help you have the life you deserve and the chance for a new beginning by cleaning out the clutter of the past. Because...
"Helping Others Makes My Heart Happy".'