Clean House Season 4 Episode 8 The Saunders Family

The Saunders Family has accumulated an overwhelming amount of clutter in their once beautiful home leaving them with no room to function. The matriarch of the family, Marie, has become so attached to her possessions that she has lost sight of what truly matters. The Clean House team, lead by host Niecy Nash, steps in to restore order and create a space that the Saunders family can enjoy. However, as they begin to dig through the clutter, they find that every item seems to hold sentimental value to Marie.

The team struggles to find a balance between Marie's emotional attachment to her possessions and the need for a clean and functional living space. Niecy brings in organizational guru, Matt Iseman, to help with the massive task of decluttering the home. Meanwhile, designer Mark Brunetz takes on the challenge of transforming the cluttered space into a functional living area. Together, they seek to not only clean up the clutter but also bring a sense of peace and comfort to the Saunders family through redecorating.

As the process begins, the team quickly realizes the enormity of the clutter problem. The family has hoarded everything from old newspapers to outdated technology. Every inch of the home is packed with items, which makes navigating their way through the space a challenge. One of the most significant hurdles the team must overcome is convincing Marie that she cannot keep every item in her home. It's a delicate juggling act, as they try to respect Marie's feelings while still providing her with a way to live in a nicer space.

The team goes to work, sorting through the immense piles of items scattered throughout the house. They begin to identify what is valuable and what must go to make room for new life. They also start looking at patterns to see what leads to clutter in the first place. They find that Marie has a deep-seated fear of losing an item forever and that she has an emotional attachment to almost everything she owns. It's a common trait in those who hoard, and the team needs to get creative to help Marie get past her fears.

One of the defining moments of the episode comes when the team discovers a room filled to the brim with Marie's sewing supplies. She has almost an entire collection of fabric and notions, which has accumulated over many years. Marie's daughter, Kesha, remembers her mother teaching her to sew, but points out that the fabric has not been used in over twenty years. To help Marie let go of these items, Mark Brunetz decides to repurpose the materials and creates beautiful quilts for the family to cherish. This decision proves to be a turning point for the entire family, as Marie begins to see that not everything has to be saved, and that memories can be preserved in different ways.

By the end of the episode, The Saunders family's home is transformed. It is no longer the cluttered, disorganized space it once was and has been replaced with a warm, inviting living space. The family is delighted with the results, and Marie is happy to have clean, organized living areas where she can move freely. This transformation, however, has not only been focused on the home but on the family's mindsets. They have learned to be more mindful of the clutter and understand the importance of letting some things go. It’s a valuable lesson that will stay with them long after the Clean House team packs up and leaves.

In summary, this episode of Clean House takes on the challenge of helping a family with a considerable hoarding problem. The team works to navigate Marie's emotional attachment to her belongings and helps the family get rid of clutter to create a functional and inviting living space. Through compassion, they guide the family to learn how to control the accumulation of clutter, and provide them with a home that promotes calm and happiness.