Clearing out a family home after someone you dearly loved has died is hard. Really hard. The process is filled with emotions. It’s overwhelming. 

My extended family recently lost a precious soul and she was the last person who still lived in their beloved family home. Now her children and grandchildren are faced with something no one ever looks forward to. They have to clear the family home of everything and sell it to a new family.

Having just experienced this journey with my own mother’s home in 2020, my heart is heavy for all of them because I know how very, very hard it is to tackle this big job. In fact, it was that journey that inspired me to start this company. (Read more about that.) While it can be healing to sort through your family’s memorabilia and everyday possessions together, it can also be heart-rending to come to terms with closing up this chapter of your family history.

Based on my own experience and what my sister and I learned, here are some First Steps.

Keep It Simple

When emotions are overwhelming, simplicity is key. We recommend that a family choose just one or two people to be in charge of the first steps. While there may be several of you going in and out of the home you are clearing, having a designated “manager” will ensure that this part of the process isn’t too crazy.

What should your manager be doing? Just two things for now: 

• Gathering every photo they can find in the house
• Securing those photos in one or more containers for future sorting

Gather

When we say “gather” we simply mean that the manager(s) lets everyone involved know that ALL photos should be put into the containers they have brought to the house. No exceptions.

This could include loose photos, photo albums, boxes of slides, slide carousels, and even video reels and VHS tapes of family videos. Photos will pop up in all sorts of places – inside dresser drawers, kitchen drawers, in the garage, in the attic, and on shelves in closets.

We understand that it is so, so tempting to sit down and go through photos as you come across them. After all, those photos tell the story of your family. For now, though, the family’s main job is to get everything out of the house to prepare it for the next steps. Spending time together going through photos and sharing stories will need to come later.

Secure

To keep your family’s photos secure before you begin organizing them, you’ll want to keep them in good containers. Of course, any box will work, but if you can afford to purchase a plastic bin that would be ideal. Why? Because you don’t want to be rushed to move on to organizing. Give yourself some grace and love during this time. Your secure container should be able to protect the photos from dust, moisture and whatever else might get inside there. 

Grieving takes time and you might find, as I did, that sometimes you just can’t get motivated to take on a big task. Give yourself and your family time to grieve. As long as the photos, etc. are securely stored, you can take the time you need.

We Recommend

If you don’t have any plastic bins with lids already, we have some favorites over on our Resources page for you to check out.

Make sure that whatever bins you choose have lids available that can be closed securely.

Give Yourself the Gift of Peace of Mind

Wouldn’t it feel great to know that you have started collecting and securing your family’s photo legacy? We promise it will be worth the time and effort to take these first steps.