Are you faced with the overwhelming task of cleaning out your family’s House or Estate?, please read on for helpful information and tips on how to go about this sometimes difficult & demanding Estate clean-out process.
- Items to Purchase for your Estate cleanout:
- 1 – package of colored round stickers
- 1 – box of heavy duty contractor Bags
- 1 – Rent a 20 yard dumpster
- Click here to contact local Charities
Step 1: – READ this entire article twice.
Notes: Have a Garage sale ( Reality check) have you got the time? – be prepared for a very long day of dickering with hundreds of people who only want to spend a few dollars. Tag sales are an obvious option but you will be dealing with a lot of work to set it up and will the weather and your helpers cooperate?….
Step 2: – Contact family and friends that will help you with your house cleanout, this is easier said then done, but make a list of the reliable help you will need and their availability.
Step 3: – Order a 20 yard dumpster.
Step 4: – Begin the process...”house cleanout day” prepare to realize this may take an entire weekend or 2 weekends, 2 – 4 days if your REALLY Organized, or 2 weeks if your not.
Each situation is different, but for demonstration purposes let’s assume that your house is REALLY full of a lot of stuff, like packed full.. start by cleaning out one room that you will designate the “safe room” this should be a room on main level that is close to the front or back door. After its completely empty, then start to go through the rest of the house room by room and only FOCUS on what your keeping that is small, such has photos & valuables, small keepsakes and small furniture. Do not become overwhelmed by trying to move large furniture at this time and even if your not sure about small boxes of stuff that “might have” things your keeping, just pick it up and move it to the safe room to be checked later.
Step 5: – Clothes – Take some contractor bags and go to each closet and start clearing them out, leave the clothes on the hangors that your not sure of, KEEP MOVING stay focused or you will not get this done, bag the rest, you can take all of the bags to goodwill or throw in dumpster, if its a second floor make a “safe area” that you will pile all of the bags of clothing into.
Step 6: Furniture – Get your colored stickers and Begin to assess the furniture, this requires a REALITY check, is it junk?, is a family heirloom?, is it donatable?, do not try to move any furniture at this time, just give it a once over reality check and then tag it with a multicolored sticker, 1 color sticker for “it goes to dumpster” – 1 sticker – “donations” – and 1 sticker for “furniture your keeping”. Note: Most charities only take furniture they can resell, if its badly scuffed or scratched and/or broken or flimsy they will NOT take it, they do not take mattresses or sofa beds or couches with stains or rips…stay focused and remember your “trying to get this done” its time to get rid of this stuff.
Read next week, the next steps and watch “how to move furniture” and “how properly load a dumpster” and related estate cleanout videos
Also, visit Joshua Mayo’s blog to learn more about finance and ways to make more money, invest more money, and save more money.