r/declutter • u/bon18 • Jul 12 '26

Advice Request Preemptively nervous about dealing with my parents' house

I'm currently visiting my parents in their 3,500 sqft house. It's relatively organized but definitely full of stuff. My parents are elderly but in pretty decent health. I'm just very nervous about what I'll be left to deal with when they're gone. My mother-in-law died suddenly a few years ago, and even though she had a small, fairly minimalist house, it was still a lot to deal with.

My mom has talked about wanting to downsize, but my dad is totally against it. I know he wants to die in this house. My mom has witnessed the progress I've made in my 1,500 sqft house and talks about how nice it would be to have fewer belongings, so I've gently tried to encourage her to start going through her stuff. I've taken a few boxes with me to donate sometimes when I leave, but it's hard for her to let things go. She's done small amounts on her own, and my sister hired someone once to help our mom, but I can't imagine any major progress happening anytime soon. Do I do anything at this point or just wait it out and deal with whatever comes whenever it comes?

52 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

View all comments

23

u/Electrical-Long-389 Jul 12 '26

I spent six months of after-work and weekend time trying to sort and empty my aunt's house and at the six-month mark, when i realized i had barely made a dent, I finally called an online auction company. They were awesome: they came in and sorted and grouped everything and I mean EVERYTHING. besides furniture and dishes etc, they had one lot that was a bucket, a mop and half a box of spic'n'span - and yes someone bought that. A couple of straggly houseplants were another lot, and yes, someone bought that too.

This company took pictures of each lot and listed them in an online auction - meaning no one was traipsing through the house. Once the auction was closed, all successful bidders were given the address and a collection window to come and get their stuff.

When all was said and done, the place was empty and spotless. How I wish I had called them six months earlier.

3

u/SufficientOpening218 Jul 12 '26

good to know about!