Dumpsters for Cleaning Up an Estate

Written on: February 27, 2023

PRO Hauling can help you in this difficult time

estate cleaning pennsylvania Losing a loved one is a time of grief and stress. Cleaning out their home exacerbates both those emotions.

PRO Hauling is here to make that cleaning-out process less stressful with our easy dumpster rental services. Our team has helped many of your Tunkhannock area neighbors with this, and we can put our experience to work for you and your family.

We start with a discussion of what you’ll be needing and the scope of the cleaning out, and give you a FREE, no-obligation quote. PRO Hauling offers a wide range of dumpster sizes so you’ll have the right one for your project.

6 tips for estate cleaning-out

While this will be a difficult process, the cleaning out can be made easier and less stressful in several ways. Here are some important tips for you.

  1. Secure the home immediately. Sadly, there are people in the world who see your loss as an opportunity for their gain. Notify your local police about the death so they know to keep an eye out for burglars. Change the locks and the security system passcode right away, as you don’t know who may have keys to the house or the passcode.
  2. Gather essential paperwork. Ideally, your loved one had their paperwork organized. That may not be the case, so you need to look for that before you start emptying the house. Papers you need include the will, power of attorney, bank and credit card statements, tax returns and receipts, military records, 401K and pension records, passports and other ID, utility statements, property deeds and titles, car titles and registration, mortgage deed if there was a mortgage on the house, lease agreement if your loved one lived in a rental, and stocks and bond certificates.
  3. Decide how to tackle the work. Are staring at the house and the accumulated possessions of someone’s lifetime and feeling like a tsunami is coming your way? Take a deep breath and break down the job into bite-size chunks. You can create projects based on objects, such as the furniture or clothing, or go room by room, based on what works better for you, the way you work, and your schedule.
  4. Go on a treasure hunt. Are there items you or someone else know they want, such as a piece of art, a quilt made by a great-grandparent, or the china set brought out for every holiday and celebration? Find those first and either take them out of the home or put them in a designated space such as one empty room so they don’t accidentally get pitched.
  5. Focus on the easy stuff first. Arrange to get the things to be kept or items for donation such as clothing or furniture out of the house first. Put the stuff you know that is trash in the dumpster. These will make later sorting and purging easier.
  6. Rent a storage unit. If you are on a time crunch because the house is going on the market quickly, a small storage unit can be used for family mementos and other items you want more time to carefully go over and distribute.

Make clearing out a loved one’s home less stressful with our dumpster rental services. Contact us today to learn more about what PRO Hauling offers.