How to Clean Up a Home After A Hoarder Passes Away

If you find yourself stuck with the task of cleaning out a hoarder’s home, it can feel like a very daunting undertaking on your own. Let’s face it– sorting through an entire home with rooms stacked to the ceiling with old belongings is not going to be easy at all. There are two options when it comes to a task like this. You either have to do it yourself, or you can hire a cleanup company to do the work for you. Let’s lay out what each option entails, and let you be the judge of which option you should go with.

Cleaning out the home yourself

Your first option is to take on the task of cleaning out the house yourself. This will require some planning and gathering of resources. You want to be prepared so that the process can go smoothly and as efficiently as possible. Here are some things to consider when taking on the task of cleaning out a hoarder’s house by yourself:

Preparation is key

When gearing up to clean a home, your success is dependent on your preparation before diving into the cleaning. Make sure you have safety supplies such as gloves and respirators to protect yourself from any hazards you may run into during the process of cleaning. You also may want to have a dumpster delivered to the house so that you can toss all of the trash in there and have it disposed of, rather than having to get rid of a copious amount of garbage by yourself. Another thing to consider in preparation is having a strategy for how you will sort through everything. 

Do not throw everything away

Although you might want to just throw everything away to get it over with, it is worth it to go through everything to see if there are any valuable items. Perhaps it’s Grandpa’s old watch, or maybe a vintage painting. Things that look like trash to you may actually be valuable and worth a lot of money. There are businesses out there that will purchase your valuable items if you want to part with them. 

Create trash, keep, and donate piles 

A good way to stay organized and keep track of everything you want to keep is to have designated piles for trash, things you’re keeping, and things to donate. Do this for every room you clean out. It will make the process much more painless and reduce confusion.

Clean each room after emptying it

After you have cleared out a room, it is a good idea to do a deep clean and disinfect all surfaces. Dusting, vacuuming and mopping help ensure that the space is as clean as possible. 

Cleaning out an entire home chock full of belongings will consume a lot of your time as well as your energy. If doing the work yourself does not sound appealing to you, there is another option for you that will save you the headache. 

The Easier Way

If you can’t put in the hours of physical labor that cleaning out a home demands of you, there is a much easier way to go about dealing with your loved one’s collections. Consider hiring a home cleanout company to do the work for you! They deal with everything in the process of a home cleanout so that you don’t have to experience any additional emotional stress.

Home cleanout companies clear out and dispose of unwanted items so that you do not have to. Many companies recycle or donate the contents that are in good condition.  

Benefits of hiring a home cleanout company

While hiring a company to do the cleanout does cost money, there are many benefits to consider when thinking about your options:

Stress off of your shoulders

One of the main benefits to hiring a company to handle a cleanout is that it saves you the stress of having to do it on your own. As you read earlier, there is a lot that you have to do in order to achieve a clean home in a timely manner. So let the home cleaning experts come and do the work for you.

No time? No problem

Many people simply do not have enough time to take on as big of a responsibility as cleaning out an entire house. Luckily, hiring a cleanout company solves this problem by providing efficient cleanout services. If you are in a time crunch to get the house cleared out, these companies will work to accommodate your specific needs. 

Easy process

Perhaps the biggest appeal of using professional cleanup services is that it makes the entire process super easy for you. Typically, the company will come out to the house and assess the labor needs as well as give you an estimate for the job. If you accept the estimate, then you will schedule a date for cleanout. Then you get to sit back while they do the work!

The bottom line

So, what is the right option for you? Well, that depends on your specific situation. Take factors like time, labor, and stress all into account when choosing what path to take. If you have a lot of time and are able-bodied, you might consider doing it yourself. However, if you do not have time to take on that task, then hiring professionals might be your best bet. 

If you are interested in learning more about how a professional home cleanup company can help you, feel free to give us a call at 410-746-5090. Here at Sanford & Son Estate Specialists, we are here to help you.