Handling House Clean Up After Death

January 2, 2022

Benjamin Ehinger 4 min read

Handling House Clean Up After Death

After a loved one has passed away, the path that entails can be difficult. Once the individual has been laid to rest, someone has to clean out his/her home. Cleaning out a home after a death can be a demanding task, but this isn’t something you have to do alone. We’re going to give you some tips for cleaning out a home after a death, and hopefully, we can help make the job as easy as possible.

Secure the House

You may not jump in and start cleaning right after their death, but you need to make sure the property is secure right away. During this time, you’ll want to change locks, because you never really know who may have keys to someone else’s home. By securing the home, you will be protecting their belongings. If the individual was renting, then you will want to get in contact with their landlord and come up with the best solution to securing the home.

Look for Important Documents

Once you are ready to start going through the deceased person’s stuff and get the home cleaned up, we recommend starting off with tracking down their important documents. You will need the essential documents needed in order to take care of the deceased individual’s bills. Once those have been located and you have placed them in a secure spot, you will be able to focus on cleaning the home. Those important documents to hold onto include:

Utility bills
Passwords/usernames for online accounts
Credit card statements
Any paperwork for jewelry or art
Wills
Insurance policies
Social security card
Tax forms

Rent a Dumpster

Before you get started, we recommend renting a dumpster. Residential dumpster rentals are affordable and will make this task a whole lot easier. This way, you can carry the item out of the home and toss it straight in the dumpster. When you rent a dumpster, you don’t have to worry about hauling furniture, or fitting all those bags in your small trunk. If it’s something you don’t care to hold onto, and you don’t have the desire to sell it or donate it, then just toss it. Renting a dumpster and having it put in the yard of the home your cleaning can help you get rid of furniture, debris, household junk, and that sort of stuff.

Start with the Visible Areas First

As usual, you should start by cleaning the visible areas first before you move on to cleaning out the closet, dresser, and that sort of thing. Once you have cleaned those visual areas, you can move forward to clean those hidden areas (don’t forget about the basement and closet). We recommend picking one room, like the guest room, then moving from there. Some people like to start with the living room, and that’s fine too.

Prepare the Home for Sale

We understand just how hard it is to clean out the home of a deceased person we love, but getting rid of personal belongings is only the first step. The next step involved is getting the home ready to be sold (if you plan on selling it). Go down this checklist:Furniture – If the furniture is worn or dirty, toss it in the dumpster you rented, don’t leave it in the home because this can turn people away. Floor Coverings – Look at the condition of the wood floors or carpet. If the condition is poor, then you’ll want to strip it and replace it. Also, replace ceramic tiles that are cracked. If there’s just plywood over the floor, then place clean carpet on it. You can toss any flooring you stripped up in the dumpster you rented. In fact, if you plan on doing a lot of renovation around the home, there are special dumpster rentals for home renovations that you can get.

Wall Hangings – Just remove them

Window Coverings – Look at the condition of the window covering. As a result, if it’s dated then toss them in the rental dumpster. Most windows look better without blinds or drapes.

Final Words

On an ending note, if the home had pet-related items, such as an outdoor dog house, then donate them to the local shelter. Sometimes, it’s hard to sell a home when there are signs that pets have been inside. In the end, we wish you the best of luck in cleaning up the home, and remember, by renting a dumpster, you’ll be able to dispose of the items without leaving the yard, which will make the process a whole lot easier for you.