How To Clean Out A Deceased Estate

The death of a loved one can often be an overwhelming and difficult time of grief for friends and family. While there are a lot of immediate arrangements that need to be made during this time, at some stage, the task of deceased estate cleaning will also have to be considered.

This article will provide some insight on what to expect as well as how to undertake a deceased estate clean up during an emotionally challenging time.

Make A Plan

Jot down a quick checklist of tasks that need to be undertaken so that you have a plan to follow. By listing all of the things that need your attention down on paper, you can quickly formulate the best plan of action when it comes to organising and getting things done during this time.

Secure The Home

Even though you may not clean out your loved one’s property straight away, it’s best to ensure their belongings are kept safe in the meantime by securing their property. Ensure all windows and doors are locked and where possible, change the door locks to prevent unauthorised entry to the property.

Keep An Eye Out For Important Documents

Sorting through your loved one’s paperwork to get their affairs in order can be a time-consuming process. If they had a good filing system and were fairly organised, this should be a straightforward task. Otherwise, it might take you a little longer and require additional work.

A list of some important documents to keep an eye out for include:

• Birth certificate
• Passport
• Insurance policies – life, home, health
• Stocks/investment papers
• Utility bills – so you can notify service providers and avoid ongoing charges to the property
• The Will – it’s important to read through this document very carefully before clearing out the property and sorting through your loved one’s belongings.

Find Their Pets A Good Home

If your loved one kept pets, you will need to find them a new home or at least a temporary one in the short term. This is an important step to ensure that your loved one’s faithful companions remain cared by someone who is able to look after them. If you are unable to find a way to rehome them, perhaps you could reach out to some animal shelters to see if they can assist.

Sort Out Belongings

Sorting through your loved one’s possessions can be a painful and difficult task during this time, however, it is something that needs to be done.

Have a think about which items you would personally like to keep and perhaps get in touch with other family members and friends to ask if there are any of your loved one’s belongings and keepsakes they would like to have.

Keep an eye out for valuables such as jewellery, antiques, artwork, and ornaments or items such as furniture that can potentially be sold at an estate sale. Consider donating everything else that isn’t going to be kept or sold to a charity.

Clean Up The Property

Cleaning up your loved one’s property will take quite a bit of time and effort. In order to prepare the property to go to market or at least be move-in ready, you’ll need to wipe down walls, windows, and surfaces as well as clean floors and storage spaces.

Should the above be too much to bear during this difficult time, as an alternative, you can hire a professional to help with deceased estate cleaning. A professional deceased estate cleaner can take on the burden of cleaning up and even sorting through your loved one’s items with care per your instructions so that you can focus on making other necessary arrangements.

In cases where a crime or accident has taken place and biohazard clean up is needed, a professional deceased estate cleaning team will have the necessary experience, certifications and training in how to safely remediate the property and ensure it is habitable once more.

Need Some Professional Help With Deceased Estate Cleaning?

If you’ve lost a loved one and need assistance with cleaning up their home and possessions, National Trauma NTCSC are here to help. Our compassionate and caring team are available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have about our deceased estate cleaning service. Give us a call anytime to discuss your specialist cleaning needs.