Inside: How to Declutter a Lost Loved One’s Home. Collaborative post.
There are no right or wrong ways to “declutter” after the loss of a loved one. If you think it’s time to sort through your loved one’s possessions, read on for our top tips to make the process as easy as possible…
“Decluttering” after a loved one has passed away can be an upsetting and overwhelming time. Not only do you have to deal with the actual loss itself, but you may come face-to-face with inheritance act claims from disgruntled family members.
So, before you start, be sure to ask for help and remember to be kind to yourself throughout this process. Otherwise, if you don’t know how to declutter after a death or loss, these steps will walk you through the process of letting go…
- There is no right or wrong time
Do you feel ready? If it’s been a short time since the passing of your loved one, don’t feel pressured into starting to declutter straight away. You will feel more level-headed once you have taken some time and space to process your feelings.
That being said, holding on to your loved one’s possessions for too long can stop you moving on and make the process of letting go harder. So, be sure not to leave it too late.
- Ask for help
This isn’t going to be an easy process, and some difficult emotions might arise. Therefore, we’d recommend having people you trust around you whilst you declutter your loved one’s home.
Whether you get this support from family members or friends, or choose to seek professional help, it’s up to you. If you need further support, the NHS has some great resources.
- Prepare
Make sure you are prepared. This includes materialistically, for example the things you might need, including boxes, tape, and pens. It also means being prepared with a strategy to organise the home, for example, will you split things into keep, donate, bin?
Finally, it also means emotionally; ensure you’re ready before you jump right in, and this is where points one and two may come in handy.
- Start with the least sentimental possessions
Speaking of forming a plan, this next point could be a place to start. This gives you a chance to start the decluttering process in a less emotionally intense area and prepare you for what is to come.
You could start with possessions in the kitchen, office, or look for open or old products that can be discarded of e.g., old shampoo or shower gel bottles.
5. Choose a few of your favourite items
Unfortunately, you can’t keep all of your loved one’s possessions, but it can be challenging to separate the person from their things. Ask yourself if there are items that remind you of your loved one, or an item you know they wanted you to have. Decide on a few items that are important to you, rather than what was important to your loved one.
Try upcycling or buying a memory box to keep some of your favourite items in. This will also help you to choose smaller items instead of cluttering up your home with stuff that won’t fit. Add pictures that remind you of happy times into the box too.
6. Invite family and friends to look through belongings
If you are struggling to give your loved one’s belongings away to strangers, ask their friends and family to come over and look through their possessions. You also never know whether a seemingly insignificant trinket has a great deal of meaning for someone, so this can save any upset.
This way you know that your loved one’s most special items have gone to people who knew and cared about them. This will hopefully make the process of letting go of other items easier.
7. Take Photos
Some items will be extremely painful to part with, and you might feel guilty. But, the rational part of your brain will know you can’t keep everything and someone else will get more use out of it. You could consider photographing items that are hard to part with and add these to your memory box.
8. Donate any unclaimed items
Donate any unclaimed items to charity shops that you know your loved one liked. We’re sure they would appreciate this gesture.
9. Have a plan for the things you are going to give away
Make sure you know what you are going to do with the insignificant items to make the process easier. We would recommend identifying the nearest charity shops that will accept the belongings, hiring a skip to put unwanted items in, or locating car boot sales so you are not left with more stuff than you can hold.
10. Take your time
It can be hard to know what to keep, what to give away, and what to throw, so take your time. This means you won’t have any regrets once you have completed your decluttering. We’d also recommend working in short sessions, so you don’t get too overwhelmed.
Remember, it’s ok to feel sadness and grief and to go through a range of emotions throughout the process. So, make sure you factor this into the time you need to declutter.
Create some realistic goals for the process. You aren’t going to get this done overnight.
Are You Ready to Start Decluttering Your Loved One’s Home?
There is no perfect formula to decluttering after the loss of a loved one when you inherit an estate. We know that this isn’t going to be an easy journey, but these steps will give you some focus for your decluttering journey.
If you are finding it hard, practice some selfcare techniques throughout the process to keep you feeling positive.
If you have any coping strategies or tips for others going through the loss of a loved one, let us know in the comments down below.
Photos by Karim MANJRA on Unsplash, cottonbro from Pexels, Clem Onojeghuo from Pexels and Sage Friedman on Unsplash.