Time to enlist the kids

It may be the heart of

summer, but now’s the

best time to clear away

the excess — before

the kids go away to

school.

“You have a month,”

said Grosse Pointe

Farms resident Sean

Lane, owner of Clean

Up Clear Out and Your

Home Valet. “This is

the time to get them

looped into figuring

out what they need to

keep, what they need

to donate, what is

going with them and

what just needs to go.”

During Lane’s visits

to clients in and

around Grosse Pointe,

he’s seen stacks of

items left behind by

children who left home

decades ago. With

school starting up

again in a month or so,

now’s the time to

purge before children

leave so it’s not a burden

on parents stuck

with the mess.

“If you’re prepping

for a house sale, you

need to binge and

purge,” Lane said. “If

your son or daughter

or both are going away

for school, this goes

into effect, too. Their

interests from when

they were 12 are not

the same as their interests

when they’re 19.”

Lane said parents

should have the conversation

with their

kids — get rid of

unwanted items, rather

than leaving them

behind. And teamwork

can make it less of a

chore.

Parents who worry

about upsetting their

children by throwing

away or donating old

items can easily tackle

the task with input

from their offspring.

“Have them work on

it or work with them,

so you don’t have to

worry about the heartache

when something

gets tossed out,” Lane

said.

“As time goes on, in

some of the situations

I see, it’s almost as if

clients are their own

worst enemy,” he continued.

“Nip those

tasks now, so they

won’t be so enormous

later.”

That goes for people

lhomes. They may feel

overwhelmed if they

haven’t done any

“spring cleaning” for a

while.

“Take it one room at

a time,” Lane said.

“Right now, there’s a

mad push to sell

houses. To show it correctly,

realtors do not

want to see it cluttered.”

Clear countertops,

open walkways and

organized rooms help

sell houses. Houses

that aren’t selling as

quickly as the house

next door may want to

look at the state of

their dwelling. Is it

cluttered? Do the

bushes need to be

trimmed? Is the garage

organized? Are there

bicycles lying in the

yard?

Lastly, Lane said,

things that are in

excess should be cut

back. People who don’t

want to put items to

the curb always have

the option of donating.

People whose families

are long gone may

decide to hire help for

their purge projects.

Lane advised potential

clients do their homework

when hiring help,

no matter the service.

“If you’re going to

hire somebody in to do

cleaning, the contracting

or any type of service

work at your

home, you’re hiring a

professional for a reason,”

he said. “If you’re

seeking a service, do

thorough homework

on that service and/or

profession so you have

a list of questions at

the point of interview

or estimate. Go into it

intelligently instead of

being uninformed.

“And if somebody

tells you they can provide

service within one

hour or one day of your

phone call, I’d be skeptical

about using that

company,” he continued.

“Think of the

quality of what’s coming

through your door.”

When it comes to

clearing out homes,

you get what you pay

for, Lane said.

“You should accept  reality. If you haven’t

taken care of your

body, if you haven’t

taken care of your

home, if you haven’t

taken care of your car,

don’t be surprised at

the financial outcome

when it’s time to do

that,” he said. “You

shouldn’t be shocked.”