The Southampton man clearing hoarders’ homes full of rubbish

Jon Dobkin has been clearing hoarders’ homes across Southampton for over a decade – making some gruesome discoveries along the way.

The 59-year-old, who owns Greens Clearances, takes on the task of clearing people’s homes with his trusty team.

The work is not for the fainthearted, with Jon and his team often coming eye to eye with properties overflowing with waste.

Jon Dobkin of Greens Clearances (Image: Newsquest)

But what Jon calls ‘routine jobs’ spring up often and usually involve the simple clearance of furniture.

The day I speak to Jon, he and the Greens Clearances team have removed half a tonne of rubbish from one property alone that morning.

‘We are geared for dealing with internal properties like people’s homes and we are very efficient at what we do’, he said.

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According to Jon, clearance jobs fall into three categories: bereavement, downsizing/moving, or tenant abandonment.

These factors can sometimes lead to ‘extreme jobs’ of which Jon has dealt with three in eight days.

He said: “With extreme cases I see them relatively regularly, usually two or three times a month.

“But we have done three recently. It’s not common to have that many in such a short space of time.”

Jon often documents his findings at people’s homes and shares them on Facebook.

With his pictures regularly show teetering piles of rubbish and rooms jam-packed with packaging, how long does it take for him to find the floor?

The rubbish cleared from one flat by Jon and the Greens Clearances team (Image: Jon Dobkin)

‘How long it takes us to clear depends on what we are facing and the size of the property’, he explained.

Jon added: “On February 8, we cleared a flat full of plastic cider bottles and tins which filled our truck.

“It only took us two and a half hours to clean.

“Six days later we went to another flat full of wine bottles and mouldy clothing. We had to kick our way through the lounge rather than walk.”

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But he is not deterred from doing his job – and doing it well.

Jon said: “Nothing shocks me anymore.

“Ultimately, I feel sorry for the people because it’s gotten to the stage where they have no help. It’s sad they are so low and get to that point.

“But I am very pragmatic and practical – it is my work.

“You feel good when you have achieved the extreme houses, but we are not solving the problem.”