It is inevitable that within our lifetime, a loved one will pass away and we will be left to clean out their home. It can be a trying time and one that takes a great deal of internal strength. Cleaning out your grandmother’s home, for instance, can take a great deal of courage and strength during a time that can be quite sad. However, you may find that cleaning out your grandmother’s home is somewhat therapeutic as you will be able to see her treasures and most prized possessions. This article will provide some tips that will help you clean out your grandmother’s home, or any loved one for that matter.
- Read over your grandmother’s will. This is important because you will want to make sure that your grandmother’s wishes are carried out. For example, if your grandmother wrote in her will that she would like her china set to go to your aunt Mary Jane, you will need to make sure that that happens. Remember that cleaning out your grandmother’s belongings is truly a labor of love.
- Divide up the tasks among other family members. Taking on the task of cleaning out your grandmother’s home all by yourself is quite an undertaking and one that should not be left for you to handle alone. Ask your siblings and other close family members to help with the tasks. Otherwise, you will become overwhelmed and may not be as thorough as you need to be.
- Find all the financial documents. Before you throw out any paperwork, make sure that you are able to find all of your grandmother’s papers that pertain to her will, trust fund, 401k, bills, and other documents that will be helpful to you in closing out her estate. You will want to keep it all organized in files so that you can meet with an attorney to discuss what needs to be turned over to your name. You will also want to keep any receipts for tax documents so that filing taxes is easy.
- Consider hiring an auctioneer or someone who can come in and determine the value of the estate. This will help you determine how you will sell all the items that are leftover after the family has staked their claims. This may feel weird or unnatural to do, but your grandmother will not want you to have to worry about all of her belongings for the rest of your life. The best thing to do is to liquidate and clean out her home so that you can take time to grieve.
- Rent a dumpster. It may sound strange to consider a rental dumpster but you will be surprised at how much stuff you will find that can be tossed out. Old newspapers, magazines, trinkets, clothing, rugs, towels, and lots of other things will be found that will not be in a condition to donate and can be tossed out. Renting a dumpster is a great way to be able to dispose of a lot of stuff all at once instead of having to take multiple trips to the landfill to do it yourself. You can find the best dumpster rental company in Lawrence, or for your location, on websites online. This is definitely worth considering when clearing out any house, as well as your grandmother’s home.
