Just tidying up your home can be a daunting task. Whether it’s cleaning up a home after a death, moving a family member to assisted living, or dealing with hoarding, it can take more effort, stress, and time to get through this emotional experience. There is a gender.
“As with all things organizing, it’s very important to remember that cleaning and organizing after someone passes away or moves into assisted living is an emotional process,” says the professional. says Shantae Duckworth, organizer and founder of Shantaeize Your Space.
“Often people associate items with emotions, moments, events and emotions. So something as small as donating a mug or tossing a piece of paper can evoke a lot of emotions in people. ” she explains.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
Tidying up your home can be a daunting task, especially after a difficult situation such as the death of a loved one, transitioning to assisted living, or dealing with excessive clutter. Before you start, you need a home cleaning plan with clearly defined goals.
‘If you jump straight into decluttering without thinking about which areas to prioritize or in what order it’s best to do them, you’re likely to get overwhelmed and give up,’ says the founder of Home Organization in London. Director Laura Price says: “To stay motivated, it’s important to think of tidying up your entire house as a series of small achievable tasks.”
Price recommends writing down small tasks to do and checking them off as you go through the list. You can also categorize these tasks into categories such as items to keep, items to donate, items to sell, and items to throw away.
If you don’t have family or friends to help, consider hiring a professional. “If you are working through this process, we highly recommend working with a professional organizer who has experience during this difficult time,” Duckworth says.
You can also hire moving companies, estate removal companies, and junk removal companies to help you lift, transport, and dispose of unwanted and heavy items. According to HomeAdvisor, it can cost between $400 and $800 to remove a truckload of junk, but you can save time and potentially recoup some of the cost by selling the items.
Also, set realistic expectations and allow enough time. “Even something as small as cleaning out the medicine cabinet can take hours if the client needs time to process their emotions,” Duckworth adds.
“You need to see the end result to determine what materials you need,” Price says. “Once we collect all the thrown away stuff, where does it go?” What do you plan to do with the clothes that need to be donated? Once you’re done, how do you clean up? Do I need trash bags or cardboard boxes? What cleaning supplies do I need? ”
Answering these questions will give you a better idea of what materials you will need.
Duckworth recommends gathering packing materials, as most items will probably not make it home. “Boxes of all sizes, heavy-duty tape, bubble wrap, tissue paper,” Duckworth says. “Of course, you’ll need garbage bags, too. I also recommend getting a large plastic box to stuff things in for storage.”
If you have a lot to throw away, consider renting a dumpster. Costs vary depending on the company and the size of the dumpster, but most cost between $200 and $800 per week.
Not all home tidying is the same, Price says, and everyone’s cleaning and tidying processes are different.
“For some people, it’s very systematic, sticking to one task until it’s completed and then moving on to the next. For others, it’s about doing different tasks to stay motivated and engaged.” You may need to go back and forth between them,” explains Price. “Find a process that works for you and write down all the little tasks you need to do to declutter your entire home to help you stay on track.”
But before you start organizing, you need to focus on your trash. “I always like to start by throwing out the trash,” Duckworth says. However, people should tread carefully and check the contents before throwing away items, she added. The last thing you want is to throw away something special or important.
Depending on the situation, you may come across hazardous materials, such as in the home of someone who tends to hoard them. Wear disposable gloves, thick work shoes, safety glasses, and a mask before disposal.
Contact your local waste management company or municipal transfer station/recycling center for information on how to safely dispose of materials that should not be thrown away with everyday trash, such as computer monitors and kerosene. Pharmacies and fire departments may accept unused or expired medications.
Marla Mock, president of home cleaning company Molly Maid, recommends decluttering first. She says, “Go room by room, starting with the spaces/rooms with the most traffic and working your way to areas with less traffic.”
When you sort everything, separate your items into four categories: Keep, Donate, Sell, or Discard. At Price, we highly recommend using labels to stay organized. “Make sure to write clear labels. A sharpie and masking tape work really well. Stick them next to the pile so you can see them at a glance. Make it easy,” she says.
Duckworth uses clearly marked storage bins to store items from storage. Some of these items may be returned home, kept, or given to family members.
You can use labeled boxes to store donated items. According to Price, it’s a high-quality item that can be reused. Check out charities and nonprofits in your area, such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Please note that not all charities accept all types of donations. For example, if you want to donate food, you may need to find a local food bank or pantry, and some charities may refuse certain types of medical equipment.
You can sell items of value, but Price recommends donating them instead. “Avoid trying to sell things, especially if you have a lot to get rid of,” she says. “It slows down the process and defeats the whole purpose of organizing because you have to store items until they can be sold.”
If you want to sell your items, consider using Facebook Marketplace or holding a garage sale. Before you start advertising your sale, contact your county recorder’s office or your town’s city manager. Depending on where you live, a permit may be required.
Once everything is organized and out of the way, give each room a deep clean. This is more than just tidying up. It’s about cleaning out your home for a clean slate, or a fresh start. Dust, scrub and wipe every nook and cranny from the ceiling to the floor.
If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can always hire help. “Once you’ve decluttered and organized your room, if you want to tackle any home cleaning projects, it’s a good idea to hire a professional cleaning service,” Mock says.