A specialist cleaner who has encountered bathtubs filled with human waste and removed over a tonne of urine bottles from properties has reported a significant increase in severe hoarding cases across the community.
From TfL Supervisor to Trauma Cleaner
Mufaro Mapanda, 63, a former Transport for London station supervisor, now operates a vital biohazard and trauma cleaning service. She runs the Essex franchise of Pocket Rockets alongside her niece, Mellisa Chiyangwa, 30, a business they established in 2023.
The pair are called to some of the most challenging situations imaginable. Their work includes clearing the homes of individuals with severe hoarding disorder or drug addictions, as well as cleaning scenes following violence or suicide. It is work that requires immense compassion and resilience.
The Shocking Reality of Hoarding Cases
In recent months, the scale of some cases has been staggering. One assignment required them to clear a bathtub that had been used as a toilet and was full of human faeces. Another involved removing more than a tonne of accumulated urine bottles from a single property.
"Hoarders are people and often they don’t understand that how they live isn’t normal," explained Mufaro, who is also the founder of the Hope for African Communities charity. She emphasises that hoarding is a mental health issue that requires understanding and early intervention.
"It’s so important to check on vulnerable people, not just on the phone," she urged. "Often they sound OK on the phone, but in person it's a different story. Then they can seek help early."
A Lifelong Mission to Help Others
Mufaro's drive to support her community is deep-rooted. Having arrived in Britain from Zimbabwe as a refugee in 1999, she felt welcomed and built a new life. After 17 years with TfL, her charitable work expanded formally in 2012 with the founding of her charity.
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, recognising growing need, she and Mellisa set up a registered food bank in Basildon. It now supports 80 weekly visitors, a number expected to exceed 100 next year.
The decision to launch the trauma cleaning service in 2023 was a natural extension of this ethos. "We noticed there was a need for it in the community," Mufaro stated. The work, while difficult, is approached with positivity and close collaboration with affected families.
Melissa highlighted the painstaking process of gaining trust with hoarders, which can take up to a month of phone calls before they are allowed entry. A recent nine-day job for an elderly person required five people to restore the home, which had suffered severe damage, including broken plumbing, after two decades of accumulation.
"That was their situation for 20 years and we were trying to fix it in nine days," Mellisa said, underscoring that the core issue is mental health, not simply mess.
Mufaro views her cleaning role as partly charitable, focused on helping people escape impossible situations. Despite the overwhelming challenges, she and Mellisa believe they are providing an essential service, raising awareness, and encouraging the community to look out for its most vulnerable members.
