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Deceased Estate Clean Up
A deceased estate entails the things a dead person leaves behind, including documents, jewellery, furniture, clothes, and other home items. After a person is deceased, these things need to be taken care of on their behalf.
Estate cleaning is always a very challenging job for the deceased's loved ones. Having to go through the belongings of your loved ones after they are long gone can be emotionally traumatising as well. There are a lot of deadlines when getting the deceased estate cleaned, which necessitates you to do it as soon as possible. It doesn’t help that the process will involve a rollercoaster of your emotions on your end, but you do not have to carry out this daunting task alone.
This article gets into the sensitive matter of cleaning out a deceased estate, providing a guide on how to do it without having to deal with too much stress. Read on to find out.
Discontinue Running Deliveries And Ongoing Services
To clean out a deceased estate, start by discontinuing the deceased's running delivery services to avoid unexpected expenditure. These services include milk, fruit boxes, and groceries, among others.
If the deceased was an old-aged person using the services of an aged care facility, you should also notify the particular agency for the discontinuation of its services. Unsubscribing from the phone company, online media such as newspapers and magazines, social clubs such as yoga, travel, gym, etc., also has to be done.
Taking Care Of The Deceased's Documents
A deceased person leaves behind documents like identity information, bank documents, and most importantly, a will. It is best if these documents are preserved and taken to court so that the necessary actions can be taken. Moreover, this will facilitate the process of passing down their properties to the rightful beneficiaries.
After which, the beneficiaries can decide what they want to do with the properties. This also allows the court to determine who should pay the leftover debts of the deceased if any.
Complete Clearance Of The House
Whether the deceased lived in his own house or at a rented one, house clearance has to be carried out either way.
What to Do with Common Items
During the deceased estate clearance, things which are commonly found are:
• Photos albums - The close family members of the deceased may keep those for memory’s sake.
• Clothes and cash - The deceased's clothes and any loose cash found around the house can be given to charity if the family members don’t require them.
• Jewellery - Jewellery usually holds a lot of emotional value as well as a currency value. Jewellery is generally kept or divided among the deceased's loved ones but can be given to charity as well if the family members do not want to claim them.
• Other items - Common items like utensils, electronics, and mattresses can be given to charity, and if they are not in good condition, they can be set up for recycling or disposal.
• Hazardous items - There can be things that were useful to the deceased but might prove dangerous to others. A deceased's house may contain things like that as well. These items usually include medicines that can prove hazardous to children who might accidentally consume them. Different kinds of chemicals kept for cleaning purposes can be toxic, and so on. You must ensure the proper disposal of these kinds of items.
What to Do with the Furniture
• New furniture - If the furniture left by the deceased is new and to the liking and need of any family members, they can keep it. However, if that is not the case, the furniture can be signed up for sale. Before carrying out a sale, you can check up with the furniture company if they have any return policy in this case. If they do, the original price of the furniture could be attained.
• Old furniture - People often have an attachment to some of the deceased's old furniture and choose to keep them. However, if that is not the case, you can have a sale. A better rate can be obtained if you carry out an upholstery cleaning and furnishing of the furniture.
• Useless furniture - Now comes the matter of furniture that is of no use and should be given to charity or a recycling company.
Getting The Property Ready For Sale
If the property's beneficiaries decide to sell it, then it should be in its best condition. Thus to get the best price out of it, the house must be renovated. Here are some of the renovations that need to be done to get the house in perfect condition for sale.
Mould Remediation and Air Purification
If the deceased's house was old, it is ubiquitous for it to have mould growing at some corner or of it being very prone to it. Mould removal is not only sensitive but also hazardous. It involves dealing with several chemicals, and if they're not handled correctly, they can prove to be very dangerous.
Owing to this, you should leave this task to an expert. Several companies can do it for you. You can hire them for this job but make sure to hire a licensed one. After the mould remediation, air purification of the house must be done to remove airborne contaminants. It can be done by installing an air purification unit around the house or an air purifier.
Floor Cleaning
Cleaning the floor of a house that will be put out for sale means the floor needs to be spotless. You can hire a reliable local cleaning company to do the job for you. However, suppose you have decided to do it yourself instead of hiring a professional cleaner. In that case, you must follow some safety precautions like wearing protective goggles, rubber gloves at all times, and clothes that can be disposed of after you are done.
If the house was fully carpeted, first of all, you need to remove the carpet. Ensure that you do this very carefully as a carpet in one of the favourite places for mould to grow. Whether it has mould or not, it has to be sent off for cleaning to a deep carpet cleaning company. After that, when the floor is exposed, scrub it with floor cleaners until it is shiny and spotless.
Window Cleaning
Windows fall in the list of things that are usually cleaned only occasionally; shiny windows are also a must for a house on sale. Start by loosening the dirt with a dry brush. Then, clean the windows with your desired kind of glass cleaner. You can also make a DIY glass cleaning solution for better results by mixing water, dishwasher liquid, and around two tablespoons of vinegar or ammonia.
Outdoor Cleaning
The outdoors must be cleaned as well. This includes removing all the cobwebs from the surface and roofs. Ensure that you clean the external walls as well. For the most effective solution, the pavement of the house should be cleaned with a hydro-jet cleaning machine, but cleaning it with soap solution and brush would also be fine. If the house consists of a garden, trees and bushes, they must be trimmed in the most presentable way.
Check Gas and Water Pipes
Before renovating the house, checking all the pipelines is mandatory; ensure the water and gas pipelines are working correctly. Check for leaks as well; if leaks or cracks are found, the pipes have to be replaced by a professional plumber.
Renovate Ceiling and Stairs
If you want to sell the house at a higher rate, several renovations must be done where necessary. The ceiling and stairs are the two most common places that need renovation. Renovating the ceiling and stairs into the latest wooden interior design would add a very classy look to the house.
Clearing Deceased Estates May Require Professionals
Coping with the loss of a loved one and having to clean up their estate can be both emotionally and physically tasking. Luckily, neither you nor the deceased's loved ones have to deal with this task. There are a lot of estate cleanout companies who can do a thorough job. You can easily hire them; they will take care of everything on your behalf from the very beginning of clearing everything to what has to be done with the belongings.
After the estate cleanout, if you want to sell the property, there are several companies you can hire to get the house ready for sale. You can tell them how you want the house to be, and they will take care of it, from cleaning the floors and windows to making the necessary adjustments and renovations.
Once that is done, you can hire realtors to sell the house on your behalf at your desired rate. They can set up the property for sale, find a suitable buyer and transact the money to you after it is all done. Therefore, if you need help cleaning out a deceased estate, do not hesitate to reach out for help.
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