Tips For Cleaning Up An Inherited House Of Clutter

For most people, inheriting a piece of property from a distant relative is great news because it could be sold for a great amount of cash or maybe it could be rented out for making a long-term profit. However, what happens when you visit the home you inherited only to find mountains of clutter and trash? If you were unaware that a distant relative was a hoarder, you may find yourself in a serious dilemma because now that it's your property, you are the responsible for cleaning it up. Follow these tips for helping you clean the home of a deceased hoarder so you can do something with the house he or she left behind for you.

Getting Past Being Shocked And Overwhelmed

If you have never seen the home of hoarder, you may be shocked and wondering how your relative lived like that. For many hoarders, depression is a great reason they give up trying to sort out all their property. Once the piles of stuff start becoming too much, many hoarders feel overwhelmed and do not know where to start, the same way you may be feeling when you stand in the front door for the first time, trying to figure out what to do first. The good news is you can clear out the stockpile of unwanted property simply by having a plan.

Making A Plan To Clean House

The first step you will need to take when cleaning out an inherited hoarder's home is to rent a dumpster. You might even consider renting two dumpsters. When the dumpsters arrive, have one placed as near to front door as possible and the other placed as near as possible to the back door. Once the dumpsters are in place, you need to gather the following items:

  • A couple boxes of tough lawn and leaf bags:You may find waste like spoiled food or even dead animals like mice or rats, so having tough black bags for disposal of this type of waste is important.

  • A box of face masks: Get the paper kind you might wear while cutting grass. Be sure to wear a face mask at all times when cleaning out a hoarder's home. You never know when you may lift up an object to a bed of mold that will cause spores to float right into your face.

  • Rubber gloves: Buy a couple pair of thick rubber gloves and a box of latex gloves, like surgeons use, for lightweight cleanup like that of moldy magazines and books. Use the heavy duty rubber gloves for food waste and other wet or infectious waste.

  • A few cans of disinfectant spray: Having disinfectant spray may help to clean stuffy air while you are trying to work.

  • A heavy duty garden rake: Taking a rake along with you to clean out a hoarder's house may seem odd, but having one to pull out old magazines and piles of clothes could save you from being spider bitten. It might also help you avoid being bitten by a rat or mouse as well. Be sure to get the type of rake used for digging into the soil, not the lightweight kind used for raking leaves.

Make A Cleaning Path

Start cleaning out property right at the front door and work your way in. remember to take your time, especially when it comes to paperwork. Saving important documents like deeds and banking information may be invaluable to you later on. If you find any old photos, you might want to keep them as well. Placing a plastic tote near the front door for the items you need to keep is a good idea. As for the rest of the stuff, taking a bag out at a time to the dumpster is the best and safest way to clean out the home.

For some people, the time to clean out a hoarder's home was long and tedious. While you may end up working on your inherited home for several months, just remember that by following the path you started at the front door, you will soon find you have reached the other side of the house. Consider as well hiring professional hoarder clean-up crews for helping you with biggest part of the property.

To rent dumpsters, contact a company such as ESP Dumpsters & Waste Services.

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