My aunt is a hoarder. In their 3 rm basement the piles reach almost to the ceiling, and there is only a path big enough to walk through. The upstairs of the house is pretty bad, too. She controls her husband, and kids to the point that they have limited use of their rooms. She hasn't given any of the kid's stuff away since they were born. Her oldest is 22. She has saved all her t.v. guides, and dresses from the eighties. My Uncle barely has a place to sleep in their bed. She sleeps on the couch, and uses her side of the bed to store clutter. Her boys can't get to their closet, or play in their room, because she keeps their clothes piled in their floor covering their dressers, and the doors to their closet. Their bathrooms are covered in layers of dust, and urine. Their playroom/computer room is full of their old baby toys/games/books. They aren't allowed to move or touch anything. Their kitchen table is covered, and no one is allowed in the kitchen. Only she makes their plates, and doles out small portions of food. The dining room table only has room foor their plates around the edge. The living room barely has room to sit. She keeps every piece of mail, and newspaper. The refrigerator is covered with every magnet, and drawing her kids ever made.
I used to go over & clean for her, and try to help her purge, but she would go through every trash pile I made, and barely get rid of anything. She sits at the computer on facebook all day, won't work, and won't clean. She barely allows the boys to have anyone over, and I am not allowed to bring anyone over to the house to meet them. My uncle has filled dumpsters with stuff, and she makes a scene, and climbs in after stuff. He is so embarrassed, but he gave up fighting her. He's just hanging in there for the kids. It's a bad situation for all involved.