Tips For Cleaning Out A Deceased Loved One’s House
Nothing can prepare you for the death of a loved one, and everything that comes along with it. That’s especially true when left with a home full of their belongings that you must now navigate. While there’s no right or wrong way to sort through a deceased loved one’s house, there are ways to simplify the process.
Before cleaning out adeceased loved one’s home, walk through it and take note of where everything is. From there, it helps to categorize items based on whether you want to keep, gift, sell, or donate them. Contact an estate sale or buyout company if you need help and want to get rid of items that don’t hold sentimental value.
The one thing you should not do is force yourself to clean out the house too quickly. Doing so can result in decisions that you may regret regarding what you keep or discard. Follow along as we highlight six tips for cleaning out a house after the death of a loved one.
Steps For Cleaning Out A Deceased Loved One’s Home
1. Walk Through And Reflect
You don't want to rush through the process and neglect your emotions. Cleaning out a loved one’s home is painful, and there’s no need to mask your feelings. A walkthrough will help you process things and plant seeds for how to approach the eventual cleanout.
During the walkthrough, you will notice things differently than how you normally saw the home. As you reflect, remember where key items are and mentally map the house to help you when you clean it. Take pictures if need be, and pace yourself to avoid becoming overly emotional.
2. Find Bills And Documents
Before tackling the rest of the house, locate essential documents and bills. Mourning a loss is overwhelming enough without panicking about your loved one’s credit card bills and legal documents. Not everyone keeps legal papers, bills, and payment plans in the same place, so you may need to look around.
Search desks, drawers, and file cabinets for folders and traces of financial and trust information. Upon finding them, organize them and look for pertinent information. That way, you can contact financial institutions, insurance companies, lawyers, and whoever else the information leads to. However, you don't need to do all of this at once.
3. Create A Plan
Now that you know where the important legal documents are, it’s time to create a plan. It helps to separate everything into categories. For sentimental items that you or another family member wants to keep, place those items in the “save” category, whereas others may fall into the “donate” category. You can slowly categorize everything throughout the process, and it will help lighten the load.
Take your time, as you don’t want to regret selling or donating anything that will be impossible to get back. It’s worth noting that you must ensure you aren’t keeping, selling, or donating anything that wasn’t entrusted to you. Check the will and trust to ensure you don’t discard anything meant for someone else in your family.
4. Declutter As Needed
Undoubtedly, you will encounter clutter while cleaning out your deceased loved one’s house. After all, every home has clutter, but identifying it can be difficult while handling a loss. For example, you may attach more significance to old receipts and trash, given the context of the recent tragedy.
You don’t have to declutter right away, but it is eventually necessary for most people. Don’t tackle it all in one day if doing so will cause too much emotional pain. Be as objective as possible and remember that sometimes clutter is just clutter.
5. Contact Loved Ones
While honoring the will and trust is important, there will likely be wiggle room regarding who gets what. If you’re the executor or main beneficiary, you can largely decide what happens with your loved one’s belongings. This is a great time to contact other relatives and friends and give them the chance to take some items. You don’t have to invite them to come to the house if that would make you feel uncomfortable.
However, it’s worth looking at things and thinking about who your deceased loved one would want to have certain items. This is a great way to get some closure and help brighten another mourning person’s day during such a tough time. Don’t feel obligated to quickly give everything away, however, or you may regret it later.
6. Enlist Help If Needed
Clearing out a deceased loved one’s house without help can be overwhelming. Not only is it emotional, but it also often involves moving lots of boxes, decorations, and furniture. Finding estate buyout and liquidation services is easy using the Internet and social media. Estate sale services handle everything from sorting through and listing items to selling them and collecting the money.
This can significantly lighten your load. Estate buyout services are similar, but they buy everything upfront for a flat fee. Some people prefer estate buyout services because they offer more privacy and a quicker process. There is no right or wrong answer, as it’s ultimately up to you. That said, it’s worth reading reviews and researching the options in your area.
Summing It Up
While cleaning out the house of recently deceased loved one, you should locate legal and financial documents that you may need later. From there, it helps to declutter and take inventory of items that you want to keep and set aside items that you want to sell or donate. Pace yourself and hire a service that specializes in estate cleanouts if necessary.
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Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
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