Decluttering a Hoarder House in One Year: Lessons in Letting Go with Eileen Stukane (Ep 294)
About the episode
What can a year of decluttering a hoarder house teach us about letting go? Author Eileen Stukane shares her journey from horror to healing, plus practical tips for helping loved ones and releasing your own grip on stuff.
Helpful Links:
Links mentioned in this episode (some may be affiliate links):
Additional Resources Mentioned:
Buried in Treasures Workshop (by Dr. Robert Frost & Dr. Gail Steketee): group therapy sessions often sponsored by state health departments
Dr. Michael Tompkins: Harm Reduction approach for helping loved ones who hoard
Connect with Eileen Stukane
What would you do if you inherited a home from a family member, a home you'd visited many times and remembered as warm and elegant, only to open the door and find it had become a floor-to-ceiling hoarder house?
In this episode, host Deanna Yates talks with author and journalist Eileen Stukane about her memoir, The House That Held Everything. When Eileen and her sister inherited their cousin's childhood home after his death, they were shocked to discover rooms so packed with stuff they could barely get through the front door.
What followed was a year-long journey of clearing out the house and uncovering family secrets that had been buried for decades.
With an estimated 19 million Americans affected by hoarding, this episode offers hope, understanding, and practical wisdom for anyone who knows someone struggling with this issue or recognizes tendencies in themselves.
Key Takeaways:
How possessions become "mini autobiographies" that reveal sides of people you never knew
The difference between collecting and hoarding, and warning signs to watch for
A powerful tip for letting go: create a photo album "museum" of items you can't keep
How to help a loved one who hoards using trust-building and the harm reduction approach
Why checking in on people matters, even when they say "don't come over"
About Eileen Stukane:
Eileen Stukane, the author of The House That Held Everything, is also the co-author of four popular books on women's health, Listen To Your Body among them. She has held editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Self magazines, and for eight years she wrote the “Healthy Eating” column for Food & Wine. Her articles related to women's health have appeared in Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, Redbook, and numerous other national publications.
Time Stamps:
00:00 Introduction & Welcome
01:52 Meet Eileen Stukane: From Magazine Editor to Memoir Author
04:18 Inheriting the House: The Shocking Discovery
06:20 From Repulsion to Compassion: Why Eileen Wrote the Book
09:15 Possessions as Mini Autobiographies
14:08 Uncovering Family Secrets
18:15 Discovery via Ancestry.com and the Year-Long Cleanout
23:17 The Photo Museum Tip: Taking Pictures Before Letting Go
24:55 Sorting Categories: Keep, Throw Out, Auction, Donate, Not Sure
29:57 Understanding Why: The Psychology of Hoarding
34:11 Helping a Loved One: Building Trust First
41:00 How the Experience Changed Eileen's Relationship with Stuff
43:44 Rapid Fire Questions
47:09 Closing Thoughts: 19 Million Americans Affected
Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Subscribe & Review:
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cheers!
About Deanna Yates
Based in San Diego, CA, Deanna helps high-achieving moms clear the clutter from their homes and lives.
Through coaching, courses, summits, and her top-ranked Wannabe Clutter Free podcast, she supports modern women in building organized, peaceful homes where they can thrive.
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