Daughter hopes to help hoarder mom declutter home

DEAR HARRIETTE: Ever since I was a child, my mom never liked to throw anything away, whether it was old clothes, expired food, broken appliances or even random junk mail. At the time, I thought it was just her being quirky or frugal, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized it’s much more than that. Now, at 28 years old, I’m starting to see how bad the situation really is. Her house is no longer livable; every room is packed with clutter from floor to ceiling, and it’s hard to walk through without stepping over piles of stuff. She still insists on holding on to everything, saying that it might be useful “someday.” The reality is that most of it is garbage.