The clutter and hoarding severity levels

The five-level scale cleanout companies quote from, in full, and what each level means for cost, crew and the kind of company you need.

Cleanout and remediation companies assess properties against a five-level clutter and hoarding severity scale. It is the single most useful thing to understand before you request quotes, because it determines what kind of company you should be calling in the first place.

The level descriptions below are published verbatim by the source cited under the table. The cost and company-type columns are our own reading of what each level implies.

The five levels as published

Level	Published description
Level 1: Low	Minor but not excessive clutter. Doorways and stairways still accessible. Appropriate number of pets. No unpleasant odors.
Level 2: Guarded	Noticeable clutter and overflowing garbage cans. Odors from dirty dishes, food prep surfaces, or toilets. Evidence of rodents or pests. One major appliance or HVAC device is not functional. One major exit is blocked with clutter.
Level 3: Elevated	Noticeable garbage, waste, and odors. Evidence of unsanitary conditions in kitchen and bathrooms. Clutter extending to outside the home. At least one room not being used for the intended purpose due to clutter. HVAC system and more than one appliance not functional. One or more blocked exits. Light insect or pest infestation.
Level 4: High	Unsafe and unsanitary environment. Common living spaces unusable for intended purpose due to extensive clutter. At least one other room not being used for intended purpose due to clutter. Fire hazard due to blocked stairways, hallways, and exits. HVAC system and several appliances not functional. Insect, pest, and/or rodent infestation. Mold and/or mildew.
Level 5: Severe	Unsafe, unsanitary, and potentially unlivable home. Extensive waste and animal or human feces. Pervasive mold and/or mildew. Fire hazard due to multiple blocked exits. Multiple appliances not functioning. Unreliable or non-functional plumbing or electrical systems. Heavy or pervasive insect, pest, and/or rodent infestations.

Source: HomeGuide, Hoarding Cleanup Cost, published September 2024

What each level means in practice

The transition that matters most is between level 3 and level 4. Below it you are buying labour and disposal. At and above it you are buying remediation, and that is a different trade.

Level	What you are buying	Who to call
1 to 2	Labour and haulage. Published per-square-foot rates apply reasonably well.	General cleanout or junk removal, a senior move manager if contents need sorting rather than discarding, or an estate sale or liquidation company if the goal is to sell the contents rather than clear them out.
3	Labour, haulage, deep cleaning, and usually a separate pest contractor.	Cleanout company experienced with hoarding, plus a pest contractor, or a regional full-service operator if the property also needs other trades coordinated alongside the cleanout.
4	Remediation. Protective equipment, containment, mould and pest work, contents largely unsalvageable.	Biohazard or trauma remediation firm. A general crew is the wrong call here.
5	Full remediation with structural and services assessment. Property may not be safe to occupy.	Biohazard remediation firm, and expect building trades to follow.

Our own interpretation of the published level descriptions, not published guidance. Treat it as a way to have a better first conversation, not as an assessment.

Why the level matters more than the size

Published costs run $1 to $2 per square foot, which on a 2,000 square foot house is $2,000 to $4,000. That range is realistic at levels 1 to 3.

At levels 4 and 5, the cost drivers change entirely: protective equipment, biohazard disposal, containment, longer timelines and often a second contractor. Anchoring on the per-square-foot figure at those levels will leave you badly wrong-footed.

If you are not sure which level you are dealing with, the blocked-exit and non-functional-appliance markers in the table above are the easiest to check and the most diagnostic.

Source: HomeGuide, Hoarding Cleanup Cost, published September 2024

See what a level costs, and how long it might take

Our hoarding cleanup cost estimator looks up the exact published row for your size and shows when a level moves the job into remediation instead.

Our cleanout timeline estimator gives our own planning range for how many days the clearing work might take at your size, for Level 1 to 3, separate from cost.

Not sure which level matches what you're seeing? Our hoarding severity quiz checks the property's condition against the same published table above and shows the closest match. It's about the property, not a diagnosis of hoarding disorder.