My mom has had many health conditions including schitzophrenia and now fell and broke her hip. My step dad has had back surgeries and both are not able to do what needs to be done. I need someone who would be able to do this quickly and at low cost. They live in about a 700 square foot house that is over 73 years old. So much stuff that they can barely walk through the house without tripping on something.
If yes, the POD idea is good if the stuff has value, or there are people who handle "estate sales" which people also using to declutter their own lives. I think there are four options for decluttering stuff based upon the value of the item: 1) Trash, 2) Goodwill, 3) Yardsale, or 4) eBay/Consignment.
According to zenhabits.net (the site I'm using to help me declutter my own life), the waste happened when you bought the thing you didn't need, so don't hassle too much over trying to eke every last penny out of the item. Chuck it. Give it away.
If they are not on board, like my parents, I'm picking one thing at a time that is causing them problems. Example, they can't keep up with the dishes. I'm going to put the excess into clearly marked boxes headed for the basement and replace the scores of dishes with a lightweight service for 4. The most important thing for them is to NOT impose a new system on them, but to make theirs work better.
If they are not on board you probably can't do it in one broad sweep without causing heartache and distrust. psalm27 brings up really good points.
Good luck!
But if you're in a hurry, heres my suggestion based on having moved a number of times IF you plan to sort through the stuff at a more convenient time.
if you plan to move the things out of the house, you're going to need a storage place, a big attic or basement or dry shed. if not you're going to need to rent one.
Best plan may be to just stack boxes for now in the room where they are packed. This would allow your folks to know their stuff is there, anfd even to 'go through it' one box at a time. (This is what we did with my Mom)
Buy 'moving' boxes (Lowes or Walmart are cheaper than the moving places). Also get a tape gun and multiple rolls of tape and a magic marker or two.
Also get a roll or two of bubble wrap for breakables.
Get heavy duty contractor bags AND regular heavy duty garbage bags.
If you can, try and recycle. magazines, newspapers, etc can go in those tall brown bags sold for lawn debi. If its filled with paper, recycle should pick it up.
MAKE SURE YOU FAN through any books or mags before tossing them! We found hundreds in cash and there were savings bonds stuffed between magazine pages).
Do one room at a time. Mark the box Living Room 1 (for example)
Ignore the breakables and heavy items at first.
Clear countertops and tables into a box. if you are doing drawers, dump those in too.
DON'T let the box get so heavy you can't move it.
When its full, tape it closed, and move on to the next box.
Breakables should be bubble wrapped and put together in a box LR2-FRAGILE. These can be stacked on top of regular boxes.
Keep a 'special' box aside for anything that looks important. (We found my Mom & Dads wedding album beneath the china cabinet, )
These suggestions might help. Good luck and let us know how it goes..
Good luck & God Bless you,
I got rid of a great deal of my Mom's things and she's constantly remembering things she "needs" that I got rid of. I also kept many of her more valuable things in my own home. I dedicated a walk in closet to her things, but it wasn't anywhere near enough.
It's a source of many arguments and if I had to do it again I think I might go with the storage unit idea.
Good luck,
Carol