Homes should ideally be spacious, with enough room to move around and perform daily tasks. But personal items and new furniture can accumulate over time, and sometimes, they appear out of nowhere. At this point, you may need to perform an extensive home cleanout.
But ceaning out a home requires a lot of time and effort. And depending on the size of the structure, it could take days to complete and a whole team to remove everything. So, you need a good plan to start.
Set a Specific Goal
Before you start removing items, determine why you’re cleaning out your home in the first place. Are you handling an estate cleanout? Downsizing or preparing for a move? Or are you addressing a hoarding situation to improve your or a loved one’s quality of life?
A clear goal makes the rest of the steps of a home cleanout much easier. You’ll know how long it could take, what items you must remove first, and where they go. This will keep you motivated and focused on the job at hand and potentially lessen the efforts involved in cleaning out a home.
Setting a goal and planning around it also lets you know if you need professional services. Local junk removal teams like Junk Moovaz can make home cleanouts much easier, especially if they offer 24/7 assistance. So, if you aim to empty the building for new occupants or clear renovation debris within a week, a reputable team of experts can help.
Decide on a Realistic Timeline
For a thorough property cleanout, give yourself enough time to do it properly. Rushing the process often creates more mess and stress than you started with. So, be honest about what you can realistically accomplish. If you know a weekend or even a few weeks won’t be enough, adjust your timeframe accordingly.
This timeline becomes especially crucial for situations like foreclosure cleanouts, where you’re working against a hard deadline. When you have limited time and overwhelming tasks ahead, breaking the work into manageable phases helps you stay organized and work more efficiently.
Make a Room-by-Room Checklist
Are you cleaning out the whole house or just a few rooms? Either way, making a checklist per room is a wise move. Think of a home cleanout as a series of smaller, individual projects. You’ll have a much faster and easier time emptying the building if you take it room by room instead of all in one go. It also reduces burnout.
Take an inventory of each room you need to clear, too. You might find things you need to remove immediately, such as food waste or moldy furniture. Note everything you see to give yourself or the junk removal services an idea of what should go out first. You can use a physical list or make one digitally for easy access.
Consider getting an inventory of rooms based on urgency to make the process smoother. Start with the rooms you don’t use or visit often, such as the guest or storage rooms. Removing items from these areas is less likely to disturb daily life. After clearing these rooms, you can easily focus on high-traffic areas like the living room and kitchen.
Gather Your Cleanout Supplies
Once you’re ready for a home cleanout, gather the right supplies to help you. You’ll need the following essentials:
- Garbage bags
- Broom and dustpans
- Vacuum
- Disinfectant sprays
- Mop and squeegee
- Wipes and microfiber cloths
- Crates, large bins, or containers to sort smaller items
A comprehensive set of supplies eases the cleanout process. If you don’t have access to larger bins or need special disposal services, don’t hesitate to get help from professional junk removal teams. Otherwise, you can begin the cleanout once you have all the necessary supplies.
Practice Safety at All Times
Cleaning out a home often involves removing large items and electrical appliances. If you’re not used to carrying and moving heavy things, you could get into an accident or damage the house. Before these incidents occur, consider hiring professional cleanout services to perform the heavy lifting. The experts often have the equipment to get everything out safely.
Watch out for potential hazards like exposed pipes and electrical wires throughout the process, too. More importantly, wear protective equipment, including gloves, face masks, and appropriate clothing, when cleaning. You never know when you’ll encounter mold, harsh chemicals, or other dangerous materials hidden in storage areas.
Sort Your Items into Clear Categories
When facing rooms full of belongings, start with the smaller items you can easily carry by hand. This prevents you from feeling overwhelmed and builds momentum as you work.
Then, create four clear categories: keep, donate, recycle, and toss out. Having these designated zones helps speed up your decision-making and keeps you organized throughout the process.
Old and broken items, tattered clothing, or non-functioning equipment should go directly to the ‘Toss’ pile. Usable items you no longer need belong in the ‘Donate’ or ‘Recycle’ categories. When you’re unsure about something, ask yourself: ‘Have I used this in the past year?’ or ‘Would I buy this again today?’ Trust your instincts to avoid endless second-guessing.
Plan Where Things Should Go After
Sorting your items is only half the battle. You still need to properly dispose of things in your ‘Toss’ pile and find another home for those in your ‘Donate’ pile.
Handle trash and hazardous waste responsibly by checking your local municipal programs for e-waste disposal locations or special collection events. These options are great for used batteries and old electronic devices. Ensure you also properly dispose of old paints and other leftover chemicals, especially for real estate cleanouts.
Charities and donation centers will gladly accept salvageable items such as clothes, furniture, or household items in good condition. For other things you can’t donate, you can discard unwanted items by selling them online or at garage sales. Consider setting a deadline for this task so you won’t hold these items in your possession or property for too long.
To Conclude
Getting rid of many items from your home can take up much of your time and energy. But with a good plan, a home cleanout can happen with little stress or trouble. If you need help, junk cleanout services can lend a hand.
Just stick to your plan and take things slowly, step by step. You’ll clear out all that needs to go in no time.
