Hoarding and mental illness:

[Kaylee]

And I'd like car windshields, complete with the wipers and the cleaner sprayer, as my home windows. (If it came down to the ol' lady making me wash the windows.)

Fantastic idea! Could one of you brainaics patent and market this please?

 

[GlennB]

As per dust, to me its obvious that surface area is the culprit, as per the difficulty of removing it. I've done some math on this. I can envision a modern living space with a mere 5% of the surface crud-catching area of most homes.

We're back to Quentin Crisp. He noticed that after 4 years the dust got no thicker. I take the same view with the mud on my car - pretty soon there'll be a storm that washes most of it off

 

[DragonLady]

Some hoarders seem to attach very strong emotional response to each item... They recall exactly where they got it and who gave it to them and the circumstances. Getting rid of the item seems to be deliberately getting rid of a cherished memory.

This is me, to a point.

I save reminders because they are hard evidence of times past -the very stuff every skeptic is asking for.

I have a box of tiny items that I saved while I was with an ex. We once loved each other, and I have proof. He was alive, he was warm and funny and we took care of each other.

We broke up years ago, and I still loved him when he drove away for the last time. It turned into hatred later because of other things he did, and a few months later he died.

I know throwing away my few little scraps of our relationship is not the same as throwing away the memories. Hell, I don't even have reminders of most of the best memories. But they are proof of my life, of my life with him, of his existence, of a love affair we shared that will never, ever come again.

People can give me hell for hoarding such things, and they have. But no matter what anyone says, I'm keeping them. I'm not going to appologize, and I really don't give a damn if you visit my home in ten years and can't find a place to sit.

Like so many other things, we all have to decide for ourselves where our priorities lie, and what is -or is not- a treasure worth keeping.

I don't save trash, or body fluids, or collect explosives. So I don't really see why people who don't save such things have any real right to pass judgement to diagnose those of us who do as having some kind of mental or emotional issue.

 

[quarky]

We're back to Quentin Crisp. He noticed that after 4 years the dust got no thicker. I take the same view with the mud on my car - pretty soon there'll be a storm that washes most of it off

I've never washed a car I've owned. I'd worry about blasting water into rustable parts. So far, none have died from that issue. Its usually the engine, and the cost of repairing it, which so far, has been greater that getting a new 'beater'.

 

[rwguinn]

Every time I sweep the garage/workshop, I have to force myself not to save the tiny Oak cut-offs and such. Yeah, that 1x3" chunk Oak might make a good shim or stop block, but I've got lots of it stacked up in 8' lengths. Or that small piece of 1/16" Balsa might be useful to repair a model, but I have a dozen 3"x36" sheets of it in the racks...
I run a magnet through the detritus to recover the little screwdrivers and sockets I may have dropped and had roll under something, but have to force myself NOT to recover the dropped hinge screws, nails, and other tiny hardware. I used to save everything, and the shop was never well-ordered.
It's better now..

 

[DragonLady]

Every time I sweep the garage/workshop, I have to force myself not to save the tiny Oak cut-offs and such. Yeah, that 1x3" chunk Oak might make a good shim or stop block, but I've got lots of it stacked up in 8' lengths. Or that small piece of 1/16" Balsa might be useful to repair a model, but I have a dozen 3"x36" sheets of it in the racks...

Yes; people who are creative all tend to have those tendancies. If you stop to think about the price of things like wood, or fabric, or paint...watching it being swept out the door or down the drain can be painful.

 

[quarky]

Every time I sweep the garage/workshop, I have to force myself not to save the tiny Oak cut-offs and such. Yeah, that 1x3" chunk Oak might make a good shim or stop block, but I've got lots of it stacked up in 8' lengths. Or that small piece of 1/16" Balsa might be useful to repair a model, but I have a dozen 3"x36" sheets of it in the racks...
I run a magnet through the detritus to recover the little screwdrivers and sockets I may have dropped and had roll under something, but have to force myself NOT to recover the dropped hinge screws, nails, and other tiny hardware. I used to save everything, and the shop was never well-ordered.
It's better now..

I've got some friends that do fine woodworking. They save their bits for my kindling, as we have wood heat. I bring them some veggies; its a symbiotic thing. Pity is, I can't stand to toss the beautiful bits into the stove. I started to save a bunch of them, ostensibly to make puzzles and kid's blocks.

Eventually, they end up in the stove. But its like they want me to move them around a lot, and sort them and such, before I yield to the thermodynamic logic of the situation.

 

[dlorde]

Fantastic idea! Could one of you brainaics patent and market this please?

Whatever happened to that self-cleaning glass I was hearing about years ago? When I got my double-glazing put in 18 months ago, it wasn't mentioned. Too expensive, perhaps?

I wonder if superhydrophobic glass will go the same way...

 

[dlorde]

I know throwing away my few little scraps of our relationship is not the same as throwing away the memories. Hell, I don't even have reminders of most of the best memories. But they are proof of my life, of my life with him, of his existence, of a love affair we shared that will never, ever come again.

People can give me hell for hoarding such things, and they have. But no matter what anyone says, I'm keeping them. I'm not going to appologize, and I really don't give a damn if you visit my home in ten years and can't find a place to sit.

I keep the scraps of my life too - tickets, papers, notes, photos; but not more than will fit in the sideboard, oh, apart from the bag of old letters & postcards, the bag of photos, yada yada... like old friends, they're keys to memories I couldn't otherwise retrieve

 

[quarky]

One would think that there might be a decent incentive, on glass and steel skyscrapers, to not need to hire window washing crews.

 

[Kaylee]

Whatever happened to that self-cleaning glass I was hearing about years ago?

Good question!

When I got my double-glazing put in 18 months ago, it wasn't mentioned. Too expensive, perhaps?

When I went eyeglass shopping on-line a few months ago it seems that a version of this coating was a higher priced option available from some of the vendors. I ended up getting my eyeglasses through my insurance plan so I didn't get it and I don't know how good it actually is.

Also don't know why its not available for plate glass or windows. It would be great for computer monitors also.

I wonder if superhydrophobic glass will go the same way...

Don't know. I confess I read these wiki articles* very quickly but it doesn't seem like the main ingredient, titanium dioxide is rare or expensive.

Beats me. My guess is that "the market", contrary to what my economics professors said ages ago, is not actually always responsive to what most consumers what. /end being serious for now

* Wikipedia articles

Self-cleaning glass^WP
Titanium dioxide^WP

One would think that there might be a decent incentive, on glass and steel skyscrapers, to not need to hire window washing crews.

Yep.

 

[Modified]

Rain-X works for glass shower doors. You'll get no mildew or soap scum, without any washing at all, for about two years. I've never tried it on house windows though.

 

[dlorde]

Rain-X works for glass shower doors. You'll get no mildew or soap scum, without any washing at all, for about two years. I've never tried it on house windows though.

I've tried it on mirrors and some house windows. It works OK - the windows still get dirty (although not as quickly as untreated windows), but it's really easy to wipe off.

 

[CelticRose]

This is me, to a point.

I save reminders because they are hard evidence of times past -the very stuff every skeptic is asking for.

I have a box of tiny items that I saved while I was with an ex. We once loved each other, and I have proof. He was alive, he was warm and funny and we took care of each other.

We broke up years ago, and I still loved him when he drove away for the last time. It turned into hatred later because of other things he did, and a few months later he died.

I know throwing away my few little scraps of our relationship is not the same as throwing away the memories. Hell, I don't even have reminders of most of the best memories. But they are proof of my life, of my life with him, of his existence, of a love affair we shared that will never, ever come again.

People can give me hell for hoarding such things, and they have. But no matter what anyone says, I'm keeping them. I'm not going to appologize, and I really don't give a damn if you visit my home in ten years and can't find a place to sit.

Like so many other things, we all have to decide for ourselves where our priorities lie, and what is -or is not- a treasure worth keeping.

I don't save trash, or body fluids, or collect explosives. So I don't really see why people who don't save such things have any real right to pass judgement to diagnose those of us who do as having some kind of mental or emotional issue.

Society likes to stigmatize anyone who is different.

If you can't move about your house or if your house in unhygenic, then I'd say you've got a problem. Or your stuff is a source of stress for you (not for others), then you've got a problem. Otherwise, whatever floats your boat.

 

[CelticRose]

Every time I sweep the garage/workshop, I have to force myself not to save the tiny Oak cut-offs and such. Yeah, that 1x3" chunk Oak might make a good shim or stop block, but I've got lots of it stacked up in 8' lengths. Or that small piece of 1/16" Balsa might be useful to repair a model, but I have a dozen 3"x36" sheets of it in the racks...
I run a magnet through the detritus to recover the little screwdrivers and sockets I may have dropped and had roll under something, but have to force myself NOT to recover the dropped hinge screws, nails, and other tiny hardware. I used to save everything, and the shop was never well-ordered.
It's better now..

Actually, it's smart to save the little bits, as long as they're not too little to use. That's less that you have to buy later.

I'm always saving scraps of fabric and yarn, and I do use them.

 

[The Don]

We're back to Quentin Crisp. He noticed that after 4 years the dust got no thicker. I take the same view with the mud on my car - pretty soon there'll be a storm that washes most of it off

Mud protects paintwork.

Clean car gets hit by a chipping, the paint gets chipped. Dirty car gets hit by a chipping, the mud gets chipped. QED

 

[godless dave]

I kinda have a problem with the mixed messages we all get: we're supposed to work hard to be able to buy the things we want, purchase everything we need, and then...throw it away when we suddenly notice that said possessions take up space???

I never got the first part of that message. If they're things you actually need, then I don't think they would take up enough space to impact anyone's quality of life.

But as a wise man said, what we want and what we need has been confused.

 

[dlorde]

Actually, it's smart to save the little bits, as long as they're not too little to use. That's less that you have to buy later.

It's a reasonable and admirable principle; the problem is in how one puts it into practice. Many people (myself included) tend to collect up potentially useful bits and pieces, chuck them in a drawer or box, and walk off feeling smug.

But when we need a bit or a piece, even if we're think we might have what's needed, we have the choice of either scrabbling with increasing frustration through the box or drawer trying to find it, or tipping it out on the floor and making a horrible mess, finding all the things we couldn't find last time, and with the chances against actually having or finding what we want; or alternatively we can just nip to the shops to get a new bit or piece. The last is the most common.

On the occasions when we are determined not to buy more (e.g., it's raining), and to find what's required in the box, we generally end up with something that doesn't quite fit or match, and then struggle and bodge to make it work.

If we were well-organised, we'd have a large organizer containing numerous separate hobbyist-style little boxes or drawers, into which we'd sort and place all potentially useful bits & pieces as we encountered them.

But we're not, and we don't - although I've no doubt there are some OCD types that do

 

[Dancing David]

Thoughts?

Most hoarders have OCD, they have a panic attack if they try to get rid of stuff or think about not bringing in new stuff, the therapy usually starts at the not bringing in new stuff end.

 

[quarky]

Most hoarders have OCD, they have a panic attack if they try to get rid of stuff or think about not bringing in new stuff, the therapy usually starts at the not bringing in new stuff end.

I'm starting to sense a "just right" level of chaos.

I can almost see myself pro-actively arranging some dirty dishes around the house, that no one suspects my underlying neurosis.

Would that be nuts?