Home Cleanout

My dad lived in the same house for almost 50 years at the time of his death, and in some ways the house felt more like an antique shop than a normal home.

This made the prospect of cleaning out his home incredibly daunting as, on top of all of the objects with a lifetime’s worth of personal meaning, there were many items in the house that were potentially collectible and therefore required more attention during the cleanout process.

This isn’t to say that there wasn’t also a large amount of items that could be donated or even simply thrown away, but the antiques and valuable made the process feel more complex than originally expected.

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 be able to increase rent at any time after you have moved in. This expense can add up quickly