The Secret Lives of Hoarders: True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter [Paperback]

Matt Paxton (Author), Phaedra Hise (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 3, 2011

On the front lines with extreme hoarders

The Secret Lives of Hoarders is much more than harrowing tales of attacking the ugliest, dirtiest, and most shocking hoarding cases in the country. It is a behind-the-scenes look at this hidden epidemic- what it means, how to recognize it before it gets out of hand, and how to deal with it.

Through his work with hundreds of clients in the worst circumstances- from the giant "rat's nest" that hid more than $13,000 in cash to a vast cache of cartoon pornography to twenty-five years' worth of unopened mail-Matt Paxton has learned to understand this disorder and his clients' impulses to collect, to speak the hoarders' language, and to reach out to them with compassion and concern while avoiding criticism and judgment. Most important, he guides compulsive hoarders successfully through every step of the clean-up and healing process.

The Secret Lives of Hoarders is an engrossing and sometimes unsettling look at extreme clutter but one that helps hoarders, their families, and their friends to find meaning in the chaos.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matt Paxton is one of the most popular experts on the hit A&E show Hoarders. Since 2006, Matt and his company, Clutter Cleaner, have worked with hundreds of clients, several of whom have appeared on the show. A popular speaker at trade shows, where he addresses issues of hoarding and senior relocation, he is a sought- after expert whose commentary has appeared on radio and television and in the press. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Visit his website at ClutterCleaner.biz
Follow Matt on Twitter @ClutterCleaner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1 edition (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399536655
• ISBN-13: 978-0399536656
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matt Paxton
Entrepreneur
Founder of Clutter Cleaner
A&E hit reality series (Hoarders) personality

Matt has always been an entrepreneur; he started out selling gum as a child on the school bus for a 70% profit. Upon graduating from college, he moved through a variety of careers, from a Federal Reserve analyst, to an inventor of an all-natural flip-flop cleaner, to a wet suit company owner. He even tried selling pre-cut limes to Budweiser. Matt was determined to find an area of business where he could be successful.

The idea for Clutter Cleaner came to him in 2006 as a way to pay rent, with the first project being his own grandmother's basement. As the business grew, Matt's philosophy of "no job too extreme" began to take hold and eventually garnered a following large enough to land him and his tell-it-like-it-is approach onto A&E's hit reality series, Hoarders.

Matt now helps compulsive hoarders clean out their homes and their lives in the process.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 70 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you...no sensationalism here! May 3, 2011

By Cecilia A. Garrett

Format:Paperback

First of all, let me first say that hoarding is a topic and issue close to my heart. My mother is a recovering hoarder, and I am a recovering child of a hoarder (COH). I have walked the walk and talked the talk. I know what hoarding can look like at its ugliest stations--the damage it does to the person, to the property, and to those around them.

Matt (with Phaedra Hise's help) has set out to write a book to help families, friends, and loved ones first as they try to understand and perhaps even intervene in a hoarding-affected individuals life. He doesn't tiptoe around the dark reality of this mental illness, but he doesn't sensationalize it to sell the book either. His case examples, from his own experience working in extreme cleaning, represent a broad spectrum of hoarding scenarios--from a family whose home looks much like most Americans to the extreme level 5 hoarders who have no utilities in their home anymore. He treats both situations with respect and honesty.

Some have criticized Matt as being nothing more than a glorified junk guy, but this book should rid the public of this naive notion. Few people choose to do what Matt does for a simple reason--It's a TOUGH job and requires a HUGE heart. The same character and friendly personality Matt shares with his clients and friends are present in the book.

He shares his knowledge but defers to psychologists when necessary, acknowledging where his ability to "know" the disorder ends and respecting that boundary. His background, his own personal failures, as well his training as a grief counselor all translate into a solid, real person and a good read.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a family member, loved one, or friend who struggles with "things" as well as anyone who has found themselves sucked into shows like Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive.

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Fascinating And Hopeful May 16, 2011

By Janette Fuller

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

According to a study by Johns Hopkins University,there are an estimated 12 million hoarders in the United States. Hoarding is not about how much stuff a person has. It's about how we process things. Most people can easily make decisions about what to keep and what to toss or donate, and then they follow through. A hoarder can't.
Matt Paxton, founder of Clutter Cleaner and star of the A & E Reality Show Hoarders, has written a book about some of his experiences working with hoarders.
"The Secret Lives of Hoarders: True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter" is a first-hand account of how Mr. Paxton and his team help hoarders deal with the "stuff" in their lives. He does not dwell on the details of the clutter. He explores the causes of hoarding and the solutions to overcoming this problem. Mr. Paxton explains that hoarding isn't a character flaw. It's not laziness or forgetfulness. It's a mental disorder. The author works with therapists and psychologists to gain knowledge about this disorder. Mr. Paxton explains the five stages of hoarding and has identified the following kinds of hoarding;

The Animal Rescuer
The Information Junkie
The Shopaholic
The Do-It-Yourselfer
The Collector
The Food Saver
The Clothes Hoarder
The Memory Keeper
The Trash Master Compactor (Bags of trash that never get taken out to the curb or recycle items that never get recycled.)

The author explains exactly how he and his team approach a hoarder, work with the hoarder and his family, actually clean out a house and the process of staying clean. There is an excellent "Resources" section at the end of the book. The author lists organizations, top treatment centers, support groups and additional books to read.

I Found This Book Informative, Fascinating and Hopeful BECAUSE....
it gives a well-researched, comprehensive overview of a growing problem that society tends to sweep under the rug. I was very impressed with the sensitivity that the author displayed in dealing with this complex issue.
After reading this book, I am much better prepared to deal with my own hoarding tendencies and hopefully be a help to others who are dealing with this problem. The real-life examples that the author presented demonstrated that this is a problem that touches all ages and socio-economic groups. The follow-up reports on people that the author has worked with shows that not all stories have happy endings. Sometimes the hoarders go through the clean-up process but are not mentally ready to stop hoarding. Mr. Paxton is very realistic and honest about what has to happen before real change can take place.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who might be struggling with this issue in their own life or dealing with the hoarding of a loved one.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look into the lives of hoarders May 8, 2011

By Sherin White

Format:Paperback

Excellent view of hoarders from Matt Paxton, an extreme clutter cleaner who deals with hoarders on a daily basis. Well-written and interesting, Matt takes us inside the minds and lives of those who live with or deal with this miserable illness. Written with compassion, Matt shows us that hoarding is indeed an illness, and that those who have it are not lazy or sloppy people.

Great resources are included for those who hoard or know a hoarder, and the follow-ups to the cases in the book are interesting, although not all are happy endings.

One of the best non-fiction books on hoarding I've read.