When the estate and the cleanup overlap
After a death, families or executors often need to clear a home so it can be sold, returned to a landlord or transferred. Ordinary estate cleanout companies are set up to sort, donate and haul away. When the death left biohazards behind, or the home has hoarding conditions, pests or other contamination, the cleanout has to be done safely. Some items will also need cleaning before they can be kept, donated or sold.
We handle the biohazard work and the contents work together, so one team handles the whole home.
What's included
- Planning with the decision-maker. We confirm who has authority (executor, administrator, landlord or family) and what the plan is for the property.
- Item search. A list of things to look for, such as wills and estate documents, deeds and titles, account statements, keys, jewelry, cash, photographs and firearms (which the family or law enforcement must secure).
- Sorting. Items are separated into keep, distribute to family, donate, sell, recycle and dispose.
- Safe handling of affected items. Belongings from areas affected by the death are cleaned where that's safe, or set aside with an explanation if they can't be.
- Biohazard remediation of affected areas, as described in our unattended death and decomposition cleanup pages.
- Removal and disposal of remaining contents, with donation and recycling where possible.
- Broom-clean or remediation-clean handoff, with documentation for the estate, the buyer or the landlord.
Working with executors and attorneys
Executors have duties to the estate and its beneficiaries. We provide inventories, photographs and itemized records that help with estate accounting. If beneficiaries disagree about items, we can store or set things aside rather than dispose of them until the executor decides.
Long-distance families
Many estates are handled by relatives who live far away. We can provide photos and video walkthroughs and coordinate access, so you can make decisions without traveling repeatedly.
Common questions
Can items from the room where the death occurred be kept?
Hard items such as jewelry, metal, glass and many keepsakes can usually be cleaned and returned. Soft, porous items that absorbed fluids generally can't be safely kept.
Do you buy estate items?
No. We don't purchase contents. That avoids conflicts of interest with the families we work for.