Estate Clearing: Tips for Organizing After the Loss of a Loved One

The death of a loved one is an emotionally challenging time, and the obligation to clear out your loved one’s estate can feel overwhelming in the midst of your grief. It’s completely normal to feel conflicted as you sort through your loved one’s belongings, deciding what’s useful, what’s important, and what you need to throw away. Here are some strategies to help you manage this difficult process.

Don’t Rush Yourself

The grieving process is different for each person. It’s important to go at your own pace, and not to begin clearing out the estate until you feel ready.  In some cases, you may be forced to begin clearing, if you need to sell the house or clear space for a new family member to move in, for example. In this situation, consider temporarily boxing up your loved one’s belongings, giving yourself the opportunity to go through the boxes later when you’ve had more time to heal.

When you do finally feel ready to begin organizing your loved one’s possessions, it might be a one-time event, or you may decide to go through everything slowly over several months or years. As time passes and you move through the grieving process, you’ll find that you gradually feel ready to part with more items.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Clearing out a loved one’s estate is both a physically and emotionally demanding task that can be quite a burden to manage alone. You might find it helpful to go through the possessions with someone else, such as a family member, close friend, or professional organizer. Another person can help you make those tough decisions about what to keep and what to say goodbye to, and act as a source of general emotional support during a difficult time.

Honour the Memory

As you slowly clear out your loved one’s possessions, you can begin to choose a few items that you want to keep. How much you decide to keep is up to you, but it’s best to limit it to a small collection of items that will help you remember your loved one, without being overwhelming. Decide which items bring you the happiest memories or remind you of your loved one’s personality and find a special place to keep these items, by framing or displaying them in some way. Remember that clearing out the estate and getting rid of your loved one’s belongings does not mean you are forgetting about that important person. Your memories will always be much more valuable keepsakes than the items in your loved one’s home.

ClutterBGone specializes in Bereavements and Estate Clearing Services in Toronto and the surrounding GTA.  We provide our services with respect for your family possessions and work with your to ensure the process is handled with care.  You can contact us here if you have more questions.