Estate Cleanout Checklist: The Easy Meth
If you need to ready your property for sale, have recently experienced a loved one’s passing, or simply want to downsize, you will need to prepare yourself for an estate cleanout. Cleaning is a complex task, and doing it on your entire home or business, especially amidst sensitive matters, can quickly become overwhelming.
Despite the difficulty a cleanout project entails, there are various methods to simplify it. Our cleanout experts prefer to create a detailed checklist.
In this blog, we’ll show you how to create the perfect estate cleanout checklist with professional advice, so you can have a stress-free and successful cleanout project. Learn more below!
1. Define & Gather Your Resources
The key to any property cleanout project, regardless of size, is careful planning. Still, before doing so, you must know how much time, help, and resources you can count on.
Firstly, recruit your family members, friends, or professional help to help with the cleanup. Then, you can come up with the best schedule for everyone who will participate. To clean the entire house, you may need more than one day.
Lastly, you can gather any necessary tools and cleaning supplies such as trash bags, boxes, mops, vacuums, and more.
2. Prioritize Special Belongings
Before categorizing your items, it will be much faster and easier if you put all valuables, personal belongings, and sentimental items aside. Make sure to store and label them properly to prevent things from getting lost or taken away by accident. You can sort through them a second time to determine if you want to sell or keep some of them. Here are some of the most common items to look out for:
- Important documents (birth certificates, medical records, wills and trusts, etc.)
- Personal belongings (Electronics, mementos, accessories, musical instruments, books, antiques, etc.)
- Valuable items (Jewelry, artworks, heirlooms, and other priced possessions.)
3. Define The Timeline & Tasks for The Project
Cleaning an entire home can be taxing, especially in a single day. Even though it is possible, we recommend tackling one room at a time and spreading it throughout a couple of days to make the estate cleanout process much easier, dividing your estate cleanout checklist by room. We share an example of how you can divide your tasks below:
Note: The list doesn’t include valuable items, as it was the previous step.
Living Room
Assess and sort furniture (sofas, chairs, tables).
Sort books, magazines, and media (DVDs, CDs).
Evaluate electronics (TVs, sound systems).
Dispose of broken items and debris.
Kitchen
Sort through appliances (microwaves, blenders).
Assess food items (check expiration dates).
Organize utensils and tools.
Dispose of trash and broken or damaged items.
Sort out cleaning supplies.
Bedrooms
Sort clothing, linens, and bedding.
Evaluate furniture (dressers, nightstands).
Dispose of broken or unwanted items.
Bathrooms
Check medications (dispose of expired or unused).
Sort toiletries and personal care items.
Evaluate towels and linens.
4. Garage/Basement
Assess tools and equipment (power tools, gardening tools).
Sort outdoor items (lawn furniture, sports equipment).
Dispose of hazardous materials (chemicals, paints).
Dispose of debris and broken items.
Note: For extra garage cleanout tips, check out our blog.
5. Use a Keep, Sell, Donate or Dispose System
Once you’ve put valuable items aside and sketched out a plan, you can sort through all of the possessions. Make sure you do an inventory as you go to aid with proper disposal or selling. On that note, we recommend using a keep, sell, donate, or dispose system. Depending on the number of belongings you have, try to place them in temporary storage so that they don’t get disorganized.
Use high-quality gardening tools to ensure clean cuts that won’t damage your trees. Proper pruning will also enhance the overall shape of your landscaping, keeping your yard looking neat and well cared for even in the colder months.
6. Responsible Disposal
Getting rid of your belongings on an estate cleanout might be difficult, especially if they hold sentimental value. To ease the process, you can start by getting rid of all the waste, damaged, or broken items first since they don’t hold much emotional significance.
Hiring a junk removal company will help you remove these unwanted items responsibly without violating local regulations. For instance, at The Pick-Up Artist Junk Removal, we recycle and donate most of the items we remove to prevent them from going to landfill.
For the rest of your belongings, take your time to part with them, pausing to reflect and share memories when needed. When you’re ready, you can sell, donate, or gift them away.
The Easiest Way To Tackle an Estate Cleanout
In only 6 easy steps, you can create the best estate cleanout checklist and accomplish your project in a timely manner. If you still require further assistance with disposal or the whole project, our cleanout experts offer the perfect solution.
Here at The Pick-Up Artist Junk Removal, we offer professional estate cleanout services for residential and commercial properties. We guarantee high-quality services through a smooth experience and at competitive prices. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to CONTACT US TODAY!
