Deceased estate or probate cleaning involves sorting through and clearing belongings, packing up personal items, and deep-cleaning the entire house of someone who has passed away. In some cases, it may involve making minor repairs or painting.
Whether you are the executor of the estate, a family member, or a property manager, understanding the full process before you begin can save you significant time, stress, and cost.
By hiring a professional deceased estate cleaning service like Kleen Slate Services, you can ensure that the job is done professionally, with minimum personal involvement from your side, and that your loved one’s home is left in immaculate condition.
Do You Need to Wait for Probate Before Cleaning?
One of the most common questions we get is whether you need to wait for probate to be granted before you can start clearing the property.
You can find out more here > The Legal Requirements For Deceased Estate Clean-Ups In Perth
Start By Organising
The death of a loved one is always a difficult time. In addition to dealing with your grief, you also have the daunting task of sorting through the deceased’s belongings. While it may seem emotionally overwhelming, there are some simple steps you can follow to make the process easier.
Start by listing all the items you need to sort through. This will ensure that nothing gets overlooked. Once you have a comprehensive list, go through each item individually, deciding what to keep, what to sell or donate, and what can be thrown away. Create a pile for each category.
Before you begin sorting, make sure you have located and set aside any important documents. These can be easy to miss if they are tucked away in drawers, filing cabinets, or even between the pages of books. See the section below on Important Documents and Digital Assets for a full checklist.
Also read: Tips for Clearing Out a Deceased Estate
Important Documents — Don’t Throw These Away
This is one of the most critical steps in any deceased estate clean-up, and it is also one of the most commonly overlooked. Important documents can be scattered throughout the property — in filing cabinets, desk drawers, kitchen shelves, coat pockets, or even hidden in unusual places. Before any sorting or removal takes place, do a thorough search of the entire property for the following:
Physical documents to locate and secure:
- The Will (and any copies)
- Death certificate (multiple certified copies are usually needed)
- Property deeds and title documents
- Life, health, and income protection insurance policies
- Superannuation statements and binding death benefit nominations
- Bank and credit card statements
- Tax returns and receipts
- Vehicle registration and insurance papers
- Pension or government benefit correspondence (e.g. Centrelink, DVA)
- Marriage, birth, and other personal certificates
- Any letters or notes expressing the deceased’s wishes
What Can You Do With the Deceased’s Belongings?
Although physical items can serve as a reminder of a loved one who has passed, there are ways to keep memories without drowning in stuff. You don’t need a ton of books, clothes, or photos to remind yourself of someone. Things are material, while memories can be kept in the mind and heart.
Tip: It’s worth having any items that could be valuable professionally appraised before you decide what to sell, donate, or discard. Antique jewellery, artwork, collectibles, and even certain furniture pieces can be worth far more than you might expect. A local Perth auctioneer or estate valuer can help you identify these items quickly.
A few items to consider:
The Keep Pile
Keep sentimental items or items of value. These could be family heirlooms, photographs, practical items or expensive antiques of monetary value. It’s also important to consider whether you have space for the item in question. A beautiful couch could still serve a valuable purpose, but do you have room for it?
If multiple family members or beneficiaries want the same item, it is best to discuss this before the clean-up begins to avoid disputes later. If agreement cannot be reached, the executor may need to seek guidance from a lawyer.
The Donation Pile
Donating the deceased’s belongings to charity is a great way to honour them while also helping others in need. In Perth and across Western Australia, there are many organisations that will happily accept donated goods:
- Salvation Army (Salvos)
- Good Sammy (Good Samaritan Industries)
- Vinnies (St Vincent de Paul)
- Anglicare WA
- GIVIT
- Friends With Dignity
- Starting Over Support (SOS)
- ReLove
- Local homeless shelters
- Goodwill
- Veterans’ homes
- Women’s shelters
- A charity or non-profit
- People and families indeed
The Selling Pile
This can help generate some extra income, especially if you plan on using the money to help pay for final expenses. If there are many large or complex items, you can consider using a selling company, although they will take a percentage from the sale and might not fetch the best price. Consider selling items yourself through a yard sale or popular online platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
Other selling options worth considering in Perth include estate auctions, local consignment shops, and platforms like eBay or Gumtree. If the deceased had antiques, jewellery, or collectibles, a specialist auctioneer may be able to achieve a much better price than a general sale. Some estate clean-up companies in Perth can also arrange the sale of goods on your behalf as part of an end-to-end service.
The Discard Pile
Some possessions might just be too broken, worn out, or not fit for reuse. You wouldn’t want to donate or sell these either and can simply throw these items away. Let your local garbage disposal take care of them.
However, for a deceased estate, especially one that has been lived in for many years, the volume of waste can quickly exceed what your regular bins can handle. Here are some options for managing larger amounts of rubbish in Perth:
- Skip bin hire
- Council bulk waste collection
- Junk removal services
- E-waste recycling
- Hazardous waste
Tip: If you are unsure whether something can go in a skip bin or needs to be recycled or disposed of separately, ask the skip bin company or your local council before putting it in. Getting it wrong can lead to extra fees or even a rejected bin.
Preparing the Property After the Clean-Up
Once the belongings have been sorted, donated, sold, or disposed of, the property itself will need attention. Depending on whether the home is going to be sold, rented out, or handed over to a family member, the level of cleaning and restoration required will vary. Common tasks include:
- A full interior deep clean, including carpets, ovens, bathrooms, and all surfaces
- Removal of any remaining odours, particularly if the property has been vacant for a period of time
- Checking and repairing any damage to walls, doors, or flooring
- Repainting if walls or ceilings are stained or worn
- Garden and yard tidying, mowing, trimming, and general tidy-up
- Pressure washing of driveways, patios, or exterior surfaces, if needed
If the property is being prepared for sale, first impressions matter. A well-presented, clean home will attract better offers and sell faster. Kleen Slate Services handles all professional deceased estate cleaning services like these, from start to finish.
If you need a deceased estate cleaning company in Perth, Kleen Slate Services can help. We understand that this is a tough time for you, and we will work diligently to get the property cleaned up as quickly as possible so you can move on. We can organise all of the services above for your Perth deceased estate clean-up. Contact us today at 08 9500 7999 for more information or to schedule a consultation.
Have any questions? Read our Frequently Asked Questions on Deceased Estate Clean-Up in Perth
