Hoarder Cleanout South Shore MA, With Respect

If you're reading this for yourself, a parent or a tenant, you're probably worried about being judged. You won't be. A hoarder cleanout on the South Shore is junk removal with more care: more decisions, more conversations, and a plan everyone agrees to before the first bag leaves the house. Count On Me! is a family-owned business based in Assonet, and we're there to carry, not to comment. Call or text us, and you'll get a free estimate and a firm price before any work begins.

How a hoarder cleanout works with us

The person who lives there stays in charge. Hoarding disorder is a recognized mental health condition: the American Psychiatric Association describes it as persistent difficulty parting with possessions and puts it at about 2.6% of people, more often adults over 60. People who work with hoarding warn that a cleanout forced on someone tends not to last. So we agree on the plan first: what's going, what's staying, and which room comes first.

It doesn't have to happen in one day. A kitchen and a clear path to the doors this week, a bedroom next month, the cellar after that. Each stage is priced before it starts, so whoever is paying knows the number in advance.

Tell us what to watch for. Documents, photos, cash, keys, a ring that's been missing for a year: name it at the start, and when it turns up it goes to you, not the truck. Nothing is thrown out that the person living there, or whoever has the legal say, hasn't agreed to let go of.

What we don't do: biohazard or trauma cleaning (human or animal waste, bodily fluids, needles), mold remediation, pest extermination, or deep cleaning and disinfection. We're a junk removal company, not a biohazard cleaner. If a home needs any of that, a licensed biohazard cleaning company or a pest control company comes first or alongside us, and we haul what's left. We also don't take hazardous waste such as chemicals, solvents, propane tanks or gasoline.

What this covers

Full-home hoarding cleanouts
Staged cleanouts, one or two rooms per visit
Clearing a safe path to doors, stairs and the heating system before an inspection
Cleanouts for a family member who has moved into care
Landlord and housing-provider cleanouts, coordinated with the tenant and their case worker
Garage, cellar, yard and shed piles

What’s included

A free estimate, from photos or on site, and the price before any work starts
A plan agreed with the person who lives there, and with family, landlord or case worker when they're involved
All the lifting, carrying and loading
Items you've asked us to watch for set aside for you
Sorting for donation, recycling and disposal
A broom sweep of the cleared areas

What a hoarder cleanout costs

We don't publish a price, because no two homes are alike. You get an exact number before any work starts, from photos or a free on-site estimate, and you're under no obligation to book.

What moves the price: volume first, meaning how much truck space the job fills; then weight, since paper, magazines and books are heavier than they look; then access, such as stairs, narrow paths and a cellar with one way out; then items that cost more to dispose of in Massachusetts, like mattresses, TVs and screens, refrigerators and air conditioners that hold refrigerant, and tires.

Staged jobs are priced stage by stage. That keeps each decision small for the person living there, and it lets a family member or landlord who's paying see every number before it's spent.

Call (774) 209-2211

Hoarding help in Southeastern Massachusetts: who else to call

A hauler shouldn't be your only call. The Greater Brockton Area Hoarding Task Force covers the 23 communities served by Old Colony Elder Services, including Brockton, Bridgewater, Lakeville, Middleboro and Plymouth, and runs peer support groups and training. On the Cape, Barnstable County's Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force relaunched in 2023. MassHousing keeps a statewide directory of local hoarding disorder networks, and the International OCD Foundation lists task forces and therapists who treat hoarding.

Around Fall River and New Bedford, help is thinner. In 2019 a Boston hoarding-intervention expert told the Fall River Herald News he knew of no hoarding task force in the immediate Fall River area, and the city then logged about six reported cases a year while he estimated hundreds more went unreported. If you're on the South Coast, start with a doctor or therapist and the statewide directory, and bring us in for the hauling.

Blocked paths are a safety problem, not just a mess. In a 2017 Fall River fire, firefighters had trouble reaching an elderly woman because the house was packed with belongings. In older triple-deckers and Capes with narrow stairs, that risk is higher. That's why we suggest the first visit clears the doors, the stairs and the path to the furnace and electrical panel.

For adults 60 and older, Massachusetts treats hoarding that puts someone at risk as a possible sign of self-neglect, which Adult Protective Services can look into; any services go ahead only with the older person's consent. For renters, Massachusetts fair housing guidance treats hoarding disorder as a disability, and one example of a reasonable accommodation it gives is extra time for a tenant to clear the apartment to pass a housing inspection. We're not lawyers; a fair housing organization can explain the rules. What we can do is work to the timeline everyone agrees on.

How it works

1
Make the first call
You, a family member, a landlord or a case worker can call or text. Tell us the town, the rooms involved and any deadline, such as an inspection date. Photos help, but skip them if taking them feels like too much.
2
Free estimate and a plan
We look at the home, on site or from photos, and agree with the person who lives there on what goes, what stays and where to start. You get the price before any work begins.
3
Name what matters
Tell us what to watch for: documents, photos, cash, keys, jewelry. When those turn up, they're set aside for you.
4
Clear in the agreed order
Our crew does the lifting and carrying, room by room or in stages, and sweeps as each area opens up.
5
Sort and haul
What can be donated or recycled is, including the mattresses and textiles Massachusetts bans from the trash; the rest goes to a licensed facility.

Hoarder Cleanouts questions

How much does a hoarder cleanout cost?

It depends on how much is going, how heavy it is, how hard it is to reach, and whether there are items Massachusetts charges more to dispose of, like mattresses, TVs, appliances with refrigerant and tires. We give a free estimate from photos or on site and an exact price before any work starts. Big homes can be done in stages, each priced in advance, so nobody gets a surprise.

Will you throw things away without asking?

No. Before we start, we agree with the person who lives there, or whoever has the legal say, on what goes and what stays. Anything you've asked us to watch for, like documents, photos, cash or keys, is set aside when it turns up. If something comes up that wasn't discussed, we ask. The goal is a home that stays livable, and that only works if the person living there is part of the decisions.

Can a landlord or case worker arrange a hoarding cleanout for a tenant?

Yes, as long as the tenant is part of the plan. Call or text us with the address, the rooms involved and any inspection or court date. We'll price it, stage it if that helps, and work to the agreed timeline. In Massachusetts, extra time to clear a unit can be a reasonable accommodation for a tenant with a disability; a fair housing organization can advise on that side.

Do you do biohazard cleanup or deep cleaning?

No. We remove belongings and junk and broom-sweep what we clear. We don't clean up human or animal waste, bodily fluids or needles, we don't treat mold or pests, and we don't disinfect. If a home needs that, hire a licensed biohazard cleaning company or a pest control company, and we'll coordinate the hauling around their work. Tell us what you know when you call so we can plan safely.

Is there hoarding help near Brockton, Plymouth or Cape Cod?

Yes. The Greater Brockton Area Hoarding Task Force serves the 23 towns covered by Old Colony Elder Services, including Brockton, Bridgewater, Lakeville, Middleboro and Plymouth, with peer support groups and training. Barnstable County runs the Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force. MassHousing's statewide directory lists other local hoarding disorder networks, and the International OCD Foundation lists therapists who treat hoarding.

How do I help a parent who's hoarding?

Start with a conversation, not a dumpster. The American Psychiatric Association points to cognitive behavioral therapy as the treatment with the best evidence, so a doctor or therapist is a good first step. If your parent is 60 or older and their safety is at risk, Adult Protective Services can assess the situation. When your parent is ready to let things go, we'll work at their pace, one room at a time if needed.

Sources (11)

Hoarder Cleanouts on the South Shore, Done With Respect

Get your free quote

How a hoarder cleanout works with us

What this covers

What’s included

What a hoarder cleanout costs

Hoarding help in Southeastern Massachusetts: who else to call

How it works

Make the first call

Free estimate and a plan

Name what matters

Clear in the agreed order

Sort and haul

Hoarder Cleanouts questions

Start with a quiet conversation