A HOARDING expert has been helping a group of people who have suffered in silence since the pandemic began.

Clare Baker, who is based in Banbury, has been providing virtual help to hoarders and clutterholics around the world from her garden shed.

At the beginning of lockdown back in March, lots of people put their time at home to good use by having a clear-out of clutter.

But for the people Ms Baker helps, clear-out was never going to make a difference.

The people she helps have at least three rooms in their home that they cannot use or be comfortable in because of the clutter, and have had these three rooms in this condition for at least three years.

ALSO READ: Oxfordshire villagers fly-tip home of Hollywood director Tim Burton

Ms Baker said: "The people I help need more than just a clear-out or tidy-up. They have habits that cause them to accumulate clutter without them even realising it, so a lockdown clear-out was never going to work and make a meaningful or lasting difference.

"The people I help have told themselves for years that they just need time to go through their clutter and that once they’ve cleared the backlog they’ll be able to keep their homes clutter free.

"Although lockdown provided some focused time without the normal distractions, it also meant a lot of people realised that it wasn’t just an issue of time and they didn’t have ‘just a little bit of clutter’.

Oxford Mail:

"Many people realised as a result of being in their homes 24/7 that they had a lot more clutter than they thought, that it was going to take more than a few weeks to clear, that they didn’t know where or how to start, and that they didn’t know how to make decisions.

"Charity shops and other outlets were closed so there was nowhere to be able to pass on unwanted clutter to."

The 46-year-old says these realisations made them feel mentally overwhelmed and hopeless, so many started searching for help and advice online.

ALSO READ: Witney MP Robert Courts hasn't done sexual harassment training

Consequently the hoarder expert saw an instant increase in demand from people around the world.

Ms Baker, who has been helping people declutter since 2001 after successfully clearing her own clutter said: "I’ve been helping people in the UK, Europe, Canada, America, New Zealand and even Japan since the pandemic began.

"I know first-hand that living with and struggling to deal with a clutter challenge can lead to mental health issues, and unfortunately the pandemic has merely increased the challenges that clutterholics and hoarders face to maintain their day-to-day mental health as they are forced to live with their clutter 24/7.

"What’s more, there are just as many clutterholics and hoarders who were in denial about the extent of their clutter until the pandemic which has forced them to finally face the reality of their extreme clutter – which has also lead to anxiety and depression in those people who didn’t previously suffer."

She set up an online support group called Social Gatherings which allows people battling with the problem to talk about it and seek advice.

Those participating say it is a relief to find a ‘safe space’ to talk in real time and face-to-face about what it’s like to be living with clutter during the pandemic and what a comfort it is to be able to connect and talk to others with the same challenges without having to justify or explain themselves.

ALSO READ: What help is available for people self isolating in Oxford?

Ms Baker added: "Most people think that you can only help clutterholics and hoarders by going into their home and encouraging them to get rid of their stuff quickly.

"That’s not true, and that type of ‘help’ doesn’t work long term. I’ve been successfully helping clutterholics and hoarders around the world become clutter-free forever for the last 20 years, without stepping a foot inside their homes and instead from my shed at the end of my garden."

She will continue to support clutterholics and hoarders from her shed at the end of her garden regardless of changing restrictions on daily life.

She said: "I’ve already got some exciting new things planned over the next six months to make it even easier for people to succeed with clearing their clutter so that they – like me – can know what it’s like to change your live and become completely clutter free so they never have to worry about their clutter growing back ever again.

"I’m determined that more and more people will be able to look back on 2020 and say ‘that was the year I finally started to successfully clear my clutter and became clutter free’."

If you need help, go to www.clutterclearing.net.