Why sorting matters so much
The biggest fear families have about a hoarding cleanup is that something irreplaceable will end up in a dumpster. A deed. Their dad's Army medals. The only photo of a grandmother they never met.
That fear makes sense. In a home that's been filling up for years, the important things aren't in a safe or a file cabinet. They're mixed in with everything else. A will might be folded inside a magazine. A ring might be in a sock drawer under twenty other socks. Cash might be in an envelope marked "electric bill."
So we slow down where it counts. Sorting takes more time than just bagging everything, and it's one of the things that affects the cost of a job. But it's also the part families are most glad they paid for.
What we look for
Our crews know what to watch for, and your project manager will add anything you tell us about ahead of time.
Cash and valuables
Money turns up in a lot of places: books, coat pockets, purses, envelopes, coffee cans, shoeboxes, freezers and under mattresses. Jewelry and watches show up in drawers, bags and old pill bottles. Coins, stamps and collectibles get set aside too. If the crew finds money or jewelry, it goes straight to your project manager. It doesn't sit in a pile.
Important papers
Paperwork is where we're most careful. Mail and paper piles get boxed separately and looked through by hand, because a stack of grocery flyers can be hiding something important. We watch for:
- Wills, trusts and powers of attorney
- Deeds and mortgage papers
- Car titles and registration
- Tax records and returns
- Bank and brokerage statements, checkbooks and stock certificates
- Insurance policies
- Birth and marriage certificates, Social Security cards and passports
- Military discharge papers
- Medical records and prescription information
If you're handling an estate, these papers can matter a great deal. Our page on estate and probate cleanouts covers that side of things.
Photos and keepsakes
Photo albums, loose prints, slides, home movies, letters, cards, kids' artwork, yearbooks, recipe cards, a baby's first shoes. None of these are worth much to anyone else, and all of them can matter a lot to a family. We set them aside even when they're water-stained or stuck together. You can decide later whether to keep them.
Anything you ask us to find
If there's something specific, tell your project manager before the job starts. "Mom's wedding ring is somewhere in the bedroom." "Dad kept his father's pocket watch." "There's a lockbox, and we don't know where." The crew will know to look for it in every room.
The keep, donate, ask and toss system
Every item that gets picked up goes into one of four places.
Keep. Things the family or the person who lives there has said they want, plus anything valuable, personal or important. Keep items get boxed and labeled by room.
Donate. Clothes, furniture, dishes, books and other things that are in good enough shape for someone else to use. These go to local charities instead of the landfill.
Ask. Anything the crew isn't sure about. If it might matter, it goes here. The ask pile gets reviewed with the family or the person who lives there, usually throughout the day instead of all at once at the end, when everyone's worn out.
Toss. Spoiled food, trash, broken items, things damaged by water, pests or waste, and anything the decision-maker has agreed can go. Recyclables get pulled out of this pile when we can.
The ask pile is the important one. It's what keeps the crew from making guesses about someone else's life. When in doubt, we ask.
Working with the person, not around them
If your mom still lives in the home, every item in it is hers. Some of what looks like clutter to you may feel important to her, and those feelings are real. Hoarding disorder is a recognized mental health condition, and pushing someone to throw things away fast usually backfires.
So before the job starts, your project manager will sit down with everyone and agree on some ground rules. Things like:
- Which kinds of items she wants to see before they go, and which she's fine letting the crew decide on
- What happens to things she isn't ready to decide about yet
- How often she'd like to take a break
- Who has the final word if the family disagrees
During the job, we talk to her, not past her. We explain what we're doing. We hand her the ask items and let her decide. If she needs to stop for the day, we stop. That might add time, but a cleanup she was part of tends to go much better than one that happens to her.
If the home is yours, we'd encourage you to read our page for people calling about their own home. If you're the family member trying to help, our page on helping a family member has ideas for starting that conversation.
When the person can't be part of it
Sometimes the person who lived in the home has passed away, moved into memory care or isn't able to make decisions. Then we work with whoever has the right to decide, such as an executor, a family member with power of attorney or a landlord. We still treat everything in the home with the same care, and we still set aside the papers and keepsakes for the family.
After the sorting
Once the home is sorted, the rest of the work moves faster. Keep boxes get labeled and set in one room or handed off to you. Donations go out. Everything else is hauled away, and then the deep cleaning begins.
To see the whole process, read our main hoarding cleanup page or how it works. For costs, see what affects the price.
Common questions
Will you find our parents' important papers?
We look hard for them. Mail and paperwork get boxed separately and checked by hand for wills, deeds, titles, tax records, bank statements and other important documents. If you know a certain paper is missing, tell your project manager so the crew can watch for it.
What happens if you find cash or jewelry?
It goes straight to your project manager, who keeps it secure and hands it to you or the person with the right to receive it. Money and jewelry never sit in a sorting pile.
Do I have to go through every item myself?
No. You decide up front which kinds of things you want to see and which the crew can handle. Most families ask to review papers, photos and anything that might be valuable, and let the crew decide on obvious trash.
What if my dad doesn't want to get rid of anything?
That's common, and it's why we plan with him instead of around him. Your project manager will help everyone agree on ground rules he can live with, and we go at a pace he can handle. If he isn't ready yet, our page on helping a family member may help.
What happens to the things you donate?
Usable clothes, furniture, kitchen goods and other items go to local charities. Things that aren't in good shape for donation get recycled where possible or disposed of properly.
Can you save photos that are damaged?
We set aside photos even when they're stained, faded or stuck together, so you can decide what to do with them. Some families take them to a photo restoration shop later. We don't throw out family photos without asking.