[lorris]

I sympathize with you. We moved into my mother-in-law's house to keep her out of the assisted living facility she despised. We are living upstairs and I could not believe the things I found. We had to clean out drawers, closets, etc. just to put our things. If she saw us walk by with a trash bag or box, she wanted to see inside and know what was going out the door. It really is some type of disease. We mentioned getting a dumpster to clean out the garage (no room to even put a car in) and cellar - she had a fit! Not sure what we'll do, but it is horrible.

[retrokitten]

My MIL isn't even elderly! She's 64 and in good health. She has a spare bedroom that is just full of junk. There is hardly a path to walk into the room.

I am far from a neat freak, in fact I can live in hearty denial about the state of some clutter (like too many books or messy closets/drawers, etc.), but once I snap out of the denial I can't relax until I do something about the clutter. I guess MIL/SIL/BIL have an even heartier sense of denial then I do, because it would drive me crazy looking at that junk every day.

[angkor]

Not sure what we'll do, but it is horrible.

I've had this problem with a certain relative.

It starts with the foot-tall stacks of "important papers", continues to the pens and pencils that I know have been in that pencil holder for the last 20+ years, and then right down to an infatuation with the most trivial of personal possessions (e.g., a $20 entrance mat from K-Mart).

During the garage sale, several items almost but didn't sell because of a $2 or $5 dispute. Stuff that will ONLY go in a yard sale. So instead of getting things cleared-up, there is the need for yet another yard sale.

It took more than a year to get the accumulated junk cleared out.

It was a test, since my own spring cleanings are utterly ruthless.