What to Do with Grandma’s Stuff After She Dies: A Professional Organizer Gets Real

Even Professional Organizers Struggle with Inherited Clutter

Sorting through a loved one's belongings is harder than the funeral—and no one tells you that upfront. When my grandmother died, I thought the hardest part would be the funeral. Turns out, the real gut punch came later—when I'm standing in her bedroom at 2 AM, holding a shoebox full of recipes and wondering why she kept so many expired coupons for Hamburger Helper.

You know something. Not even being a professional organizer would have prepared me for clearing her estate. Nothing really prepares you for the weird guilt of throwing away someone's treasures. Or the fact that what felt precious to her might feel like straight-up junk to me or you. Sorry, Grandma, but I'm not keeping your collection of twist ties organized by colour.

Here's what I learned about clearing out an estate without losing your mind—or drowning in a sea of doilies and mystery keys.

What to Do with Grandma's Stuff After She Dies: The Stuff Worth Saving (Spoiler: It's Less Than You Think)

Everyone tells you to "honour their memory" and "preserve what's important." Heck, I've said it myself. But when you're in the thick of deciding what to keep or how to keep it—and it's your beloved Nana—it's a different story.

I spent three hours deciding whether to keep my grandmother's recipe for tuna casserole. Three hours! For a dish I'd never make that she probably copied from the back of a soup can in the 1960s. But it was in her handwriting, which made it feel...sacred.

Here's the uncomfortable truth I finally realized: Most of the stuff wasn't about grandma — it's about me. I felt afraid. I wasn't keeping the handwritten recipe because I loved tuna casserole or even because it reminded me of her. I was keeping it because throwing it away felt like throwing HER away. And it was scary.

Keep: documents, photos, and anything that truly tells their story. Use acid-free boxes and archival sleeves. Store items somewhere cool and dry (your damp basement doesn't count). Digitize everything you can—because technology is fragile, and memory is too.

How to Sort Without Going Crazy

• Make a spreadsheet. List what's sentimental, important, or valuable. Use coloured tape to mark boxes. Trust me, you'll be grateful for the organization later.

• Work on one room at a time. Trying to tackle the whole house will end with you crying in a pile of half-finished afghans.

• Get the family involved. Host a "memory party" where everyone claims what matters to them. Let people snap photos of the big furniture they can't keep.

When to Wave the White Flag

Sometimes you need backup—and that's not a character flaw.

• Professional organizers exist for a reason. We'll help you make decisions without getting emotionally hijacked by every Reader's Digest from 1973.

• Specialized scanning services handle fragile items you're scared to touch.

• Appraisers and insurance experts can tell you if that vase is valuable or just odd.

The Emotional Roller Coaster

This process will hit you in unexpected ways. One minute you're sorting linens, the next you're sobbing over a half-used tube of lipstick because it still smells like them.

Don't rush. Take breaks. Keep a few things that make you smile, not everything that makes you feel guilty. The memories live in your heart, not in their collection of ceramic roosters.

Let Go with Love (And Without Apology)

It's okay to donate things that don't do it for you. Give items to people who will actually use them. And yes, some things just go in the trash—that doesn't make you a terrible person. It makes you human.

Clearing a loved one's estate isn't really about organizing. It's about figuring out how to honour their memory without drowning in their belongings. Some days it's preserving photo albums. Other days it's finally tossing 200 plastic containers with no lids.

Both are acts of love.

I've been there, both personally and professionally—and after helping over 40 families navigate this process, I promise it gets easier with the right support. If you're wondering what to do with grandma's stuff after she dies, remember this: professional organizers like In and Out Organizing exist to help you navigate without losing your mind. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do—for them and for yourself—is ask for help.

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About the Author

I'm Cathy, a partner at In and Out Organizing. I help people over 55 in Toronto and beyond downsize, declutter, and rightsize with less stress and less waste. When I'm not working with clients, I write about the messy, real-life side of organizing—because even professional organizers face clutter and tough decisions.

Ready to start your own rightsizing journey? Call Brad 416-859-0518 at In and Out Organizing today, and let's make your first step the easiest one.