If you are facing dealing with a house clearing after someone’s passing, you might feel overwhelmed or daunted by the task. Dealing with hundreds of tiny but impactful decisions at an emotionally charged time can add a lot of stress. As a professional organiser and declutterer, I offer a specialised service of sensitive house clearing in the Glasgow area, Scotland and beyond.
Imagine you wake up one day and you get only the boxes of essentials delivered to you, all other belongings and clutter having been sorted though appropriately, sent to other family, passed to an auctioneer for sale, donated, recycled or carefully disposed of.
You can feel free from this massive task that was dealt with sensitively and professionally, that might otherwise have weighed on you for some time.
Here are seven benefits of working with a professional organiser when dealing with a house clearing after someone has passed away.
“I am really glad for your help. I feel I’m on the right lines now. I was very happy with your hard work. Organising a life after bereavement is really difficult.”
It is never easy to part with a loved one’s belongings. From personal experience and from chatting to clients, I understand that it can be difficult to make decisions at a stressful time. A professional organiser can lessen the overwhelm of going through each and every belonging.
After going through the process of clearing houses sensitively for the past few years, I have a tried and tested method and can be speedy and efficient. While you might be quite organised, it can still take days and even weeks going through an average household – time you might want to use in other ways.
Managing paperwork appropriately is also a consideration – whether it is to find important documents or to dispose of papers confidentially.
I have recently been instructed by a solicitor to do a sensitive house clearing for one of their clients – with the note of finding the person’s will as a matter of priority. Paperwork can be time consuming and needs a meticulous, attentive approach. I am efficient and proficient at going through files and archives, sorting through documentation and disposing of confidential paperwork according to clients’ instructions.
“Well done. Great job. Understanding and considerate under difficult deceased estate conditions. Thank you for the very professional service and work done by your team.”
I generally work on a room by room method, sorting out the space one room at a time. I will agree with clients the categories based on which I do the sorting – but generally my system includes the following:
– Items for family/friends
– Items for auction or specialists i.e. book dealers
– Items to be sold/offered on eBay, Gumtree, local FB pages
– Items for charity uplift i.e. furniture – I will deal with calling to see what they will/won’t take and be there to oversee uplifts. (As a rule of thumb, beds and sofas must be stain-free, have fire stickers and be in a clean, saleable condition)
– Items to be dropped off at charity shops or specialist shops i.e. musical instrument libraries or tool libraries
– Items for clothing banks, food banks and book banks
– Items for recycling i.e. electrical recycling, cardboard recycling, glass bottles
– Paperwork for confidential shredding
– Items for storage or posting
– Items for disposal
Any further instructions or special items will be dealt with confidentially and based on your wishes.
When it comes to items that you would like to keep, imagine at the end of a house clearing having tidy boxes sorted appropriately to simply hand over to family or friends without hassle and emotionally loaded exchanges. I will work according to instructions to keep aside the most precious items and pack them carefully and appropriately for storage or transport.
When donating and selling you are offering a new lease of life to things that might otherwise end up in landfills or cluttering your own personal space.
I find my work most rewarding because in the end it gives clients peace of mind, as belongings are organised in a way that clears the path for them to move on. Handing over only the essential and most important items, helping with selling, and donating or disposing of items can offer great relief at an undoubtedly challenging time.
I can work with you, for you or a combination of the two. While I can work alone in your loved one’s home, I can still be in touch regularly according to your preferences; seeking your guidance, catching up, showing you progress and updating you on items every step of the way so you can be involved without being hands-on, if time or location prevent you from being physically present.
If you are feeling unsure about what your next step should be in your own house clearing, organising or decluttering journey, please get in touch, I will be happy to offer my support and professional expertise. I will leave you with one final client testimonial that I think summarizes why I find my work so rewarding:
“The thought of undertaking this project on my own was overwhelming, but Kate came in and quickly and methodically got things sorted, including my brain. I’m delighted with the way she organised everything.”
You can further read my tips on dealing with a house clearing here or book a confidential chat with me here.
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