If your mom or dad is moving to a smaller place or assisted living, the things that don’t fit still have to go somewhere. Call and we’ll connect you with an independent local cleanout company for a free quote.
A downsizing move is different from an estate cleanout because the person whose things they are is still here, and still deciding. That makes it slower and more personal, and it should be. The goal is to move your parent into a space that feels like home, then clear what’s left without leaving them feeling rushed.
Madison Cleanouts is a referral service. When you call, we connect you with an independent local cleanout company that gives you a quote and does the work.
Start by measuring the new space
The floor plan of the new apartment or assisted living room decides almost everything else, so get it first. Ask the community for a floor plan with dimensions, or visit with a tape measure. Note the wall space, closet size, and where outlets and windows are.
Then measure the furniture your parent wants most: the favorite chair, the bed, a dresser, the dining table. Sketching it on graph paper, or with painter’s tape on the floor of the current house, shows quickly what fits. It turns a hard emotional conversation into a practical one about inches.
Let your parent lead the choices
Your parent should decide what comes along, even when it takes longer than you’d like. Losing a house and most of its contents at once is a lot, and having control over the choices helps.
- Work one room at a time, in short sessions, rather than one long weekend.
- Start with the easy rooms, like a guest room or linen closet, before the kitchen or photos.
- Ask which items they’d like to give to specific family members now, so they see them go to someone they love.
- Take photos of things that won’t fit but matter, so the memory stays even when the object goes.
- Move the chosen items first, so the new place is set up before the old one is emptied.
If family members want larger pieces, set a date for them to pick up. Anything still there after that goes to donation or the cleanout.
Where medical equipment can go: loan closets
Walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs and similar equipment can often go to a medical equipment loan closet, which lends them to other people in the area. Goodwill doesn’t take hospital beds, so a loan closet may be the better call for those. Dane County loan closets include:
- Access to Independence in Madison
- Colonial Club in Sun Prairie
- Cornerstone Community Center, 505 N. Main St, DeForest
- Stoughton Area Senior Center, 248 W. Main St, Stoughton
These are listed in a third-party Dane County loan closet directory, so call first to confirm what they’re accepting right now.
Furniture and household goods: St. Vinny’s pickup
St. Vincent de Paul Madison offers free home pickup of furniture and household goods, and donations stay in Dane County. Some parents find it easier to let things go knowing they’ll be sold locally, at St. Vinny’s stores on Williamson St and Odana Rd or in Sun Prairie, Verona, Waunakee and Stoughton.
Habitat ReStore Dane County is another option for furniture, tools and appliances under 10 years old, with free pickup (call 608-663-1191; waits vary from days to a few weeks). Goodwill takes clothing, housewares, books and furniture.
What to do with books
Books in good condition can go to the Friends of Madison Public Library at the Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin. They also take CDs and DVDs. They don’t take encyclopedias, textbooks or musty books, so those usually go to recycling.
If your parent is a reader, let them pick a shelf’s worth to bring along first. The new place may have room for one bookcase, and choosing what fills it can be a good afternoon rather than a sad one.
Clearing what’s left
After the move and the donation pickups, there’s almost always more left than anyone expected, especially in the basement and garage. That’s where a cleanout company helps. They clear the remaining furniture, boxes, old appliances and garage items, and handle electronics and appliances that Wisconsin bans from landfills.
Leftover medications should go to a free MedDrop box, such as Madison Police West at 1710 McKenna Blvd, not the trash. If the house is being sold, see cleaning out a house before selling. For typical prices, see what an estate cleanout costs. If there may be valuable items, read estate sale, buyout or cleanout before anything goes.
If you’re helping from out of town
Many adult children help with a parent’s move from another state. Plan to be there for the move itself and the big decisions, and let the donation pickups and cleanout happen afterward with a lockbox and phone updates. Our parent’s house checklist covers remote coordination in more detail. Town notes for Middleton, Stoughton and DeForest list nearby resources, and the FAQ answers common questions. If a parent has died rather than moved, the estate cleanout page fits better.
Next step
Once the move date is set, call and we’ll connect you with an independent local cleanout company to quote clearing what’s left.
