Hoarding isn’t laziness, and it isn’t a mess to be cleared out. It’s a way of coping that made sense at some point, often for very good reasons. I’m Kari, based in West Ealing, and I help people across Ealing and West London find their footing again, gently, at their own pace. The line I never cross is simple: nothing leaves your home without your say-so. Not one thing.
You don’t need to tidy first. There is genuinely nothing you could show me that I haven’t seen, or lived through myself. No tidying up before I arrive, no embarrassment, and nothing happens that you haven’t agreed to.
Fully insured (£1m) · DBS checked · Former NHS Lived Experience Professional (4 years) and Recovery College Peer Trainer (2 years) · Trauma-informed · Free initial consultation, always.
Nothing leaves without your say-so
Before anything else, here is the promise this whole page rests on. I will never remove a single item from your home without your decision. No bin bags filled while you’re out of the room. No “I’ll just get rid of this for you.” Nothing leaves without your say-so, ever.
That isn’t a slogan, it’s how the work actually runs. We agree out loud what we’re touching and what is completely off-limits before we start, and you can change your mind at any moment. This is 100% consensual support. Your home, your pace, your decisions.
This is not house clearance, and it isn’t a deep clean
A house clearance company empties a property. A cleaning company tidies a room and leaves. What I do is different, and the difference matters when hoarding is involved.
I’m not here to declutter your home for you. I’m here to do it with you, item by item, in the order that feels safe. We sort together, we decide together, and we build a little calm into the space as we go. There’s no assessment form, no checklist, and no one standing over you. You don’t need to tidy first. There is genuinely nothing you could show me that I haven’t seen, or lived through myself.
For a lot of people the things in a home are tangled up with memory, grief, safety, or a long hard stretch of life. A normal clearance crew isn’t set up for that, and frankly it can do harm. The work here is slower and kinder, because it has to be.
Why lived experience matters with hoarding
Hoarding support is built on trust, and trust is slow to earn. That’s exactly the kind of work I’m built for.
I spent four years as an NHS Lived Experience Professional and two years as a Peer Trainer at a Recovery College. I bring the kind of understanding that only comes from having been overwhelmed in my own home myself. I know what a space looks like when there’s been no energy left for it, and I know the shame that the world tries to pile on top of that. I won’t add to it.
Decades of my own experience of depression sit behind the way I work. That’s not a sad footnote, it’s the reason I do this at all. Tidying up became my way to fight depression, and I’ve made it my mission to help others do the same, with someone who’s been there beside them.
How we start, and how it carries on
We start with a free initial consultation. No commitment, no form, no obligation to book anything after it.
On that initial consultation we talk before we touch anything. We work out together what feels manageable and what is firmly off-limits. Then, only if you want to, we pick the smallest possible area, a single shelf, one corner, one drawer, and make a gentle start side by side. You see exactly how I work, and you decide what feels right next.
Most people who work with me on hoarding choose ongoing fortnightly or weekly sessions. That isn’t a sales push, it’s just what holds. A one-off clear-out almost never lasts, because it skips the part that matters: building a rhythm, and building the calm and the confidence to keep going. We go at the pace you set. If the first few sessions are only about making one corner feel safer, that is a real result, and it’s enough to start from.
For a worried family member or friend
A lot of the people reading this aren’t the person who hoards. They’re a daughter, a son, a partner, a friend, lying awake worrying about someone they love and not knowing how to help without making it worse.
If that’s you, the most useful thing to know is this: pressure and clear-outs tend to backfire, and the person almost always knows that already. What helps is patience, consent, and someone calm who has been there. You can’t do the deciding for them, but you can point them somewhere gentle, and you can read up so you’re ready when they’re ready.
If you’d like to understand more before you do anything, here’s a quiet place to start: how to help a family member who hoards. And whenever the moment is right, a free initial consultation is open to them, with no pressure attached.
Local to Ealing and West London
Based in West Ealing (W13), I cover the whole borough and well beyond. That’s the core area for hoarding support and hoarding help across West London: Ealing, West Ealing, Hanwell, Acton, Greenford, Northolt, Perivale, Southall, and out to Hounslow, Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Feltham, Hammersmith and Fulham. Travel within 40 minutes of W13 by public transport is included; further out I come by minicab and the fare is passed on at cost, quoted by postcode. If you’re not sure whether you’re in reach, just ask.
Fully insured, DBS checked, trauma-informed.
For social workers, NHS teams and housing officers
If you support someone who is struggling with hoarding, I work alongside social workers, NHS teams, and housing officers, always with the person’s consent and always at their pace. I won’t take any action a person hasn’t agreed to, which is usually exactly what makes the difference for someone who has felt done-to before.
Referrer information, how I work with services, and what I can and can’t do is here: information for professionals.
What it costs
The initial consultation is always free, with no commitment to book anything afterwards. Free initial consultation. Ongoing work is priced by the hour. I keep a small number of discounted slots each month for people for whom the full rate is out of reach. No application form, just a conversation. The full, plain breakdown is on the pricing page.
FAQ
Will you judge me? No. There is genuinely nothing you could show me that I haven’t seen, or lived through myself. I’ve been overwhelmed in my own home, and I know the shame the world tries to attach to that. I won’t add to it. No judgement is the whole point of how I work.
Will you throw my things away? Never without your say-so. Nothing leaves your home without your decision, ever. We agree out loud what we’re touching and what’s off-limits before we start, and you can stop or change your mind at any moment. This is 100% consensual support.
What if I’m not ready to let things go? Then we don’t. We go entirely at the pace you set. Sometimes the first sessions are just about making one corner feel calmer, with nothing leaving at all, and that’s a real start. There’s no rush and no target I’m pushing you towards.
How is this different from a house clearance or a cleaning company? A clearance company empties a property and a cleaning company tidies a room. I help you do it yourself, item by item, in the order that feels safe, building calm and confidence as we go. The work is as much about how the space makes you feel as how it looks, and that’s what makes it hold.
I’m worried about a family member who hoards. Can you help? Yes. Many people who contact me are a worried relative or friend, not the person themselves. Pressure and surprise clear-outs tend to backfire, so the gentlest route is best. There’s a guide on how to help a family member who hoards, and a free initial consultation is open to them whenever they feel ready.
Can a social worker, NHS team, or family member refer me? Yes, with your consent. I work alongside social workers, NHS teams, and housing officers, and I never take an action a person hasn’t agreed to. There’s more detail on the information for professionals page.
How much does hoarding support cost? Free initial consultation. Ongoing work is priced by the hour. I keep a small number of discounted slots each month for people for whom the full rate is out of reach. There’s no application form, just a conversation. The full breakdown is on the pricing page.
Ready when you are.
There’s no rush, no pressure, and nothing happens that you haven’t agreed to. When you’re ready, book a free initial consultation, or send me a message on WhatsApp and we’ll talk it through first.
Across the rest of West London: hoarding support.
Not the person who hoards? Read how to help a family member who hoards first.