Hi Sue,

Sorry for your loss. I, too, remember clearing away my father's stuff after he died. It was hard. I also realized that he was a hoarder. It was awful to see the junk he kept as well as the valuable things that got ruined from being in his hoard. Sadly, my family ended up keeping a lot of the items. Even after all these years, we just threw away a fraction of his stuff. You can do this. Can your husband help? Do you have a good friend or relative who will come over? It's hard to do it alone. We probably kept a lot that we should have let go.

Don't give up.

Hi Sue. I am so sorry for the loss of your dad. I am also sorry you have to deal with decluttering your dad's home without the help of your brothers. You have made positive & constructive advances. 1. Asking for support (here) & 2. Clearing out a desk.
Keep selecting 1 area at a time, a drawer, a shelf or a 3' x 3' area. Stop before you feel overwhelmed. Go for a walk, have a cup of tea or coffee, play a card game with your hubby, read a book, take a bubble bath, do anything that gives you pleasure. Do not use alcohol to try to erase your feelings as this can lead to worse problems. Be sure you eat 3 healthy meals a day to keep yourself feeling strong & in control.
I am sending you hugs & my best wishes!

OK, so you are living in the house.
WAY TO GO!!! with clearing that desk! :D
You are only one person so do what you can each day.
As you come upon things you think will sell, have a box ready to put that stuff into.
Have another box or bag there to put things to donate into.
And have plenty of trash bags on hand.
Make sure to take regular breaks, drink plenty of water and eat properly.
Sorry about your brothers.
My oldest brother was supposed to divide everything equally between all five of us kids but instead he kept all the assets for himself.
This happens more often than you'd think.
Most people who have too much stuff aren't really slobs, it's just too hard keeping things clean and tidy with too much stuff to try cleaning around.
:)

Thanks for the suggestion, but I can't,in good conscience, just walk away. On a positive note, while I'm here,making progress, my husband and I have a roof over our heads. Money is tight, and with 2 dogs and 3 birds, finding a new place can be a challenge.
Like I said, I'm not a hoarder, and my dad wasn't either. I am a slob, although I'd like to think I wouldn't be if I had less stuff. Dad was born in this house, which his parents built, so it has 3 generations of junk in it. It's not at hoarder level,though. Just cluttered with crap.
Yesterday, I tackled the desk and shredded years worth of paperwork.Today,I'll try to tackle something else.
It's overwhelming, and I'm resentful and hurt about not just losing my dad, but my brothers, as well.
Nice to have people here to talk to.
Thank you.

Somethingi want to add, cuz its what im going through as well, is that it seems that our loved ones that have transcended wouldnt likely want us to be burdened by their stuff too much. Obviously i cant know this, but it just seems they wouldnt want that, especially in their ultimate Wisdom in the spirit world. Probably having some items of significance that are seen, appreciated or possibly even used, regularly, might be a nicer way to honor them? ~♡~

Yes, i agree with Tillie's suggestion. I was hesitant to post that cuz i was afraid it was a reflection of my laziness, but Tillie is the antithesis of laziness, so it must be good advice!

Yes, i agree with Tillie's suggestion. I was hesitant to post that cuz i was afraid it was a reflection of my laziness, but Tillie is the antithesis of laziness, so it must be good advice!

Hello :)

Is there any reason as to why you have to do all this?
Can you just walk away from the whole mess?
Looks like your brothers did.
Since the house will be torn down anyways, just take what you want and let whatever happen, happen.
Clearing out and recycling a massive hoard is extremely physically difficult, time consuming and expensive.

Good luck and best wishes.

I'm not a hoarder, but my 95 year old dad died last month and I have to clean out 100+ years of crap out of his house. The house will need to be torn down, so everything has to go. I'm so overwhelmed that I don't know where to start. My brothers are screwing me out of everything, so I'm broke and feeling defeated, as well. Not sleeping well, not eating, drinking too much... I know I need to sell some of this stuff, but it takes so much effort. I don't want to just fill up a landfill, either. I'd like to try to be be ecofriendly. I hate that I sound like I'm just whining... I guess I am. Can anyone give me some words of encouragement?