Clearing out a loved one’s home is one of the hardest jobs a family can take on. It’s physical work, but it’s emotional too. Every drawer has a story. If you’re facing it right now, we’re sorry. This checklist won’t make it easy, but it can make it more manageable.
Take it one step at a time. There’s no prize for doing it fast.
Before you start
Check the paperwork
- Find out who has the authority to make decisions about the property, like an executor or the family member handling the estate.
- Look for a will or written wishes about specific items.
- If the home is going to be sold, find out if a realtor is involved and what timeline they have in mind.
Get everyone on the same page
- Talk with family about who wants what before anything leaves the house.
- Agree on a way to handle disagreements. Some families take turns choosing. Others write names on sticky notes.
- Set a realistic timeline. If family is coming from out of town, plan around that.
Walk through the home
Go room by room before you move anything. Take photos of each room. These help with planning, with insurance if needed, and with getting a cleanout quote later.
Look for important documents
Before any clearing begins, search for things you don’t want to lose by accident:
- Bank statements, checkbooks and account information
- Insurance policies
- Property deeds, titles and tax records
- Medical records
- Passports, IDs and birth certificates
- Keys, safe combinations and passwords
Check the less obvious spots too: inside books, under drawers, in coat pockets, in the freezer and in shoeboxes in the closet.
Sort into four groups
For each room, sort things into four groups:
- Keep: items family members want.
- Sell: valuable items you’d like to sell.
- Donate: things in good shape that someone else could use.
- Let go: everything else.
Use colored tape or sticky notes to mark what’s staying. If a whole room is off limits, tape off the door. When we do the cleanout, clear labels help us know exactly what goes. If something isn’t clear, we’ll ask before it goes on the truck.
Handle the special stuff
Photos and keepsakes
Old photos, letters and small keepsakes are easy to throw out by mistake and impossible to replace. Box them up early and set them somewhere safe. You don’t have to go through them now.
Hazardous items
Garages and sheds often have old paint, gas cans, pool chemicals and cleaners. These can’t go out with a regular cleanout. We can’t take paint, gas, chemicals or other hazardous materials the dumps won’t accept. Set them aside and check your county’s household hazardous waste drop-off program. Our guide on what junk removal can’t take has more on this.
Medications
Don’t flush them or toss them in a pile. Many pharmacies and local programs offer medication take-back options.
Plan the cleanout
Once family has taken what they want, it’s time to clear the rest. This is where a cleanout crew helps the most.
- Get a quote. Send photos of each room or ask for a walkthrough. We’ll give you an upfront price before we start. It’s based on how much of the truck it fills, the weight and dump fees. Jobs start at $150, and the quote is free.
- Decide if you need to be there. Many families live out of town. If someone can let us in or you can share a lockbox code, we can work from photos and a plan.
- Loop in the right people. We’re happy to work with your realtor, executor or whoever is handling the property.
- Ask about donations. We can help sort what stays, goes, or gets donated.
On cleanout day
- Do one last walk-through for anything you missed.
- Make sure kept items are clearly marked or moved out.
- Let us know about stairs, attics, sheds or anything outside.
We handle furniture, appliances, household contents, the garage, shed and attic, and yard debris. One crew handles the whole job, and we sweep up when we’re done.
After the cleanout
- Walk through the empty home.
- Take final photos if a realtor or executor needs them.
- Return keys and lockbox codes to whoever needs them next.
Take care of yourself
This is a lot. Ask for help, take breaks and don’t try to do everything in one weekend. If you’d rather hand off the heavy part, that’s what we’re here for.
You can learn more on our Estate & Property Cleanouts page, or text photos to 954-408-4024. We’re open 7 days a week, 7AM to 8PM, and we serve Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade.