Daughters tells elderly mum someone bought home items for S$1K; enlist volunteer group to declutter her flat

SINGAPORE: Out of concern over the large amount of clutter that had accumulated in their parents’ flat, two women decided to tell their mother that someone would buy all the items for S$1,000.

They then asked a volunteer group for help in cleaning the Boon Lay Drive home. Ang Mo Kio Secondary School (AMKSS) Social Move then showed up on Sunday (Jan 4) to clean up the five-room flat of 76-year-old Madam Guo and her husband, who have lived there for more than 20 years.

In the end, the volunteers filled 120 trash bags of items, Shin Min Daily News reported.

In a Facebook post, AMKSS Social Move wrote, “Transforming a hazardous, hoarded home into a safe and liveable space is a powerful testament to our shared compassion and our commitment to step forward when help is needed.”

The group added that it took the volunteers the better part of a day, from 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m., to clear up the flat.

“They patiently consulted the resident, carefully sorted keepsakes and important documents, and thoughtfully cleared the space. After eight continuous hours of effort, the team transformed a once-hazardous home into a bright, clean, and safe environment,” AMKSS Social Move added.

The group called the activity a “wonderful way” to start the year, noting that the neighbours of the elderly couple had been kind enough to offer both hot and cold drinks to the volunteers as they carried out their clearing-up work.

Photos that the group shared showed several rooms that were covered with tall piles of items transformed into tidy, clean, and spacious living areas.

Why the pretence?

Shin Min Daily News reported that Mdm Guo’s daughters were concerned that the excessive clutter in their parents’ home gave rise to worries that their parents might easily fall down, or worse yet, that the items would become a fire hazard. This led them to tell their mother about the S$1,000 offer.

However, now that the home is cleared, the family can celebrate the Chinese New Year together next month.

The situation in their parents’ home was not always this way. After the children moved out around a decade ago and started families of their own, Mdm Guo grew too old and frail to keep things in order. It reached the point that they could not even sit down on the couch because of the mess that accumulated in the flat.

The couple’s neighbours had also worried about the clutter posing a fire hazard and reported the matter to the Town Council. /TISG

Read also: Woman claims she can’t sell her Bedok Reservoir HDB flat due to neighbour’s clutter