Home Cleanout

The process of cleaning out a parent's home can feel incredibly daunting. On top of sorting through many items that may need to be disposed of, there are also many items that likely hold personal meaning.

Creating a plan can make this process feel more manageable.

You may need to ensure certain utilities remain active (power, water, gas) throughout the home cleanout process.

Look for bills, statements, paperwork that may require attention. This may provide valuable information to help as you take inventory of assets and financial accounts.

While home cleanout can be both logistically and emotionally daunting, there are a few steps that can be taken at the outset to help make things feel more manageable

• Identify any time-sensitive factors: Consider the cost of maintaining utilities payments, impact of local weather, and existence of perishable items, when deciding where to start. If there is a specific date by which you need to sell the house, this may also influence your approach
• Break things down into more manageable tasks: Consider focusing on one room at a time, and starting with the smallest or easiest room first. Quick progress can lend itself to more motivation, and you’ll need an empty room as storage space for the items you plan to keep as you continue to clear out the home.
• Focus on things that can be disposed of or recycled first

Clearing out items that can be disposed of can help make it feel like you are making progress in the home cleanout process.

If you have a large volume of trash to dispose of, you may need to rent a dumpster.

• Contact your local waste management company to schedule the dumpster to be delivered to the house
• Some cities may also require you to get a permit if the dumpster will be in the street

There are many junk removal services available to help with large volumes of trash, as well as with heavier objects (old appliances, furniture, etc). Resources to consider:

• 1-800-GOT-JUNK
• Junk King
• Go Load Up
• Local Business listed on Yelp

Donating items such as old clothing, kitchenware, household goods, etc. can be a great way to clear out items in bulk while also contributing to good causes.

Organizations and resources to consider

• Salvation Army
• Goodwill
• Local Children’s Hospitals
• Veterans Organizations
• BuyNothing

List items online for sale.Recommended platforms include:

• Craigslist
• OfferUp
• Facebook Marketplace

Hold a garage sale or yard sale

• Make sure to advertise this in the local neighborhood by putting signs at major intersections and include the house address
• This can also be a great way to connect neighbors who knew your parent and share stories and memories

Hold an Estate Sale: Refer to the Estate Sales section of this site for more information about planning a successful estate sale

Be aware of antique and potentially valuable items that your parent may have accumulated over the years.

There may be items with significant value that could be overlooked by the untrained eye. If you believe there may be valuable items, it may be worth hiring an Antique Appraiser to visit provide a professional opinion.

Depending on how many items from the house you plan to keep, it may be necessary to rent a storage unit while you continue to clear out the home.

Companies to consider:

• ExtraSpace Storage
• Public Storage

Warning: If you do rent a storage unit, read the contract and be aware that many companies reserve the right to increase rent at any time after you have moved in. Some companies are known to increase rent after about 6 months, and what may have started as an affordable storage option can turn into a costly monthly expense very quickly.