Life as a deep cleaner of hoarders' homes: 'The bathroom had full nappies from floor to ceiling'

Mark Healy of Phoenix Extreme House Clearance and Cleaning tells Sarah Horgan about deep cleaning trauma scenes and drug dens also

Mark Healy of Phoenix Extreme House Clearance and Cleaning working on a house in Dublin. Photo: Moya Nolan

For cleaner Mark Healy, who specialises in deep cleaning trauma scenes and tackling the homes of extreme hoarders, it was like many of the houses he visits - in complete disarray and piled high with rubbish.

However, beneath the squalor lay a poignant reminder of a life overshadowed by addiction. Mark counted 100 discarded empty vodka bottles that day. But the most grim discovery was a written warning from the woman’s employer. A nurse, she had been disciplined for drinking in the hospital where she worked.