Created a new Google account just to leave this review. 💞 I recently hired Bio-One PDX for their "PDX Hoarding" services. About a year ago, I became disabled--and then proceeded to just do nothing related to my apartment. There was trash everywhere, boxes of things I'd never opened, year-old dishes left in the sink, year-old food left in the fridge, a pet I hadn't cleaned up after--it was bad. I had so much stuff that I'd created pathways around my apartment, and when some of the lights went out, I just left them out because I couldn't replace them, myself, and couldn't ask maintenance to replace them for me. Family occasionally asked to visit from out of town, but people could not safely enter, so I visited them, instead. Friends would ask to come over, but I'd arrange for us to go out for dinner. Once I got past a certain point, I didn't know what to do to get myself out of that situation. There was too much stuff to hire cleaners, but the apartment wasn't clean enough to hire haulers. I also couldn't even hire normal cleaners, because I'd let things go for so long that there were parts of my home that were a biohazard--and I couldn't find them all to clean beforehand because they were hidden behind so much stuff. After months of telling myself I'd take care of it all, I gave up and called Bio-One PDX to take care of it for me. That was the best decision I made in a long time. They did a great job; my apartment went from basically uninhabitable to clean and spartan within a day. In the process, it was clear that, at least from a hoarding perspective, they deal with a lot of rough things: buildings left in that state for decades, buildings with needles in them, buildings with many neglected animals in them. They were really prepared for anything, and my apartment was not a problem. They were also very aware that people only call them when something bad has happened. Despite the terrible circumstances, they were somehow kind and cheerful, and they kept a really positive attitude throughout the entire day. They were also as discreet as I can imagine is possible, given the kind of work they do. It can be hard enough hiring normal cleaners without feeling like a burden, so I expected to feel really terrible about this entire process. Instead, it felt like I was just hiring someone to do a job, in the same way I'd hire an electrician or a plumber: I was not personally qualified to do the work, so instead I hired specialists, and there was nothing wrong with that. It is not a personal failure to ask for help. It took a lot to clean out my apartment: a box truck (twice!), professional-grade chemicals, equipment for deep cleaning, training and equipment for cleaning up waste, a ton of trash bags, three people cleaning for an entire day, and all the training, work, and equipment necessary to properly dispose of or donate the stuff they took away. I didn't negotiate; the price seemed entirely fair, and it was within my budget, so I paid it all the day of the job. However, they proactively offered to work with me on payments or price, which speaks to how understanding they are as people and business owners. It really takes exceptionally kind, empathetic, and hard-working people to do the kind of work they do, and I deeply appreciate they exist. For the first time in a long time, my apartment feels like a home. I've since hired "normal" cleaners to come in every other week, and I've put HEPA filters in every room. Guests have visited in the weeks since Bio-One PDX cleaned out my apartment, and unprompted, every one of them has commented on how tidy it is--not knowing how horrible a state it was in just days or weeks before. Hopefully, I'll never need to hire Bio-One PDX again. However, if I do, I won't hesitate to call them. My only regret is I didn't call them sooner.
Some Random
