Every Gen Xer knows the feeling: a closet full of stuff you swore you'd deal with "one day," a garage that's more time capsule than storage, and a creeping sense that your kids will inherit the mess. One mom decided that day had come — and she wasn't going to let nostalgia win.
"What stuff do I have saved just to save it? Stuff I never look at?" she wrote on Reddit after clearing out her late parents' home.
"So! Much! Stuff!" The cleanup dragged on for months and left her exhausted. She found herself knee-deep in forgotten boxes, faded memories, and what she called "a shoebox full of phone numbers of people who no longer live."
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"We found so many things that are really cool but they were hidden away. They basically just took up space," she wrote. Nostalgia made her hesitate, but exhaustion forced her hand. "So I did it. I got a dumpster…I told my kids to get what they want because I'm getting rid of everything else." The goal? Spare her kids the same "chaos" she'd just survived.
This wasn't just spring cleaning. It was a full-blown purge. She kept a few mementos, donated what she could, and tossed the rest. "I don't want my kids to spend months going through my things and figuring out what to throw away, what to keep, and what to donate," she said. "It was freeing." Her message struck a familiar chord with others who've stood ankle-deep in an aging parent's past, holding on to guilt and gravy boats.
Commenters flooded in with stories of their own house-sized cleanouts, dusty attics, and unopened storage tubs. Many echoed her choice, while others offered tactical advice—like hiring an estate sale company that handles the sorting, pricing, donating, and hauling.
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One person described how the professionals cleared their parent's house in two weeks and even found a forgotten family photo tucked in a book.
Another confessed they were still buried in four sets of china, "so many gravy boats," and glassware their own children don't want. Thrift stores turned them away. Dumping it felt wasteful. But what else could they do?
That dilemma—of keeping things no one wants, just because they once meant something to someone—is exactly why the self-storage industry is booming. According to StorageCafe, 33% of Americans currently use self-storage, and nearly half of them say it's because they don't have enough space at home.
Public Storage's website shows a medium 10×10 storage unit—enough to hold a one-bedroom apartment—costs $90 to $130 a month. That's up to $1,560 a year, just to avoid letting stuff go.
In Philadelphia, one commenter said the number of storage units "has become an epidemic," pointing out that "a lot of old historic buildings that have lost their long-time tenants just turn into a self storage place." They added, "Where does all of these possessions come from? Who's holding onto all this stuff? Is it worth it to pay for a ‘condo' for all this junk?"
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For some, the answer is no—but it takes a mindset shift. One clever fix? Use the good stuff. "I started using everything," a commenter said. "Have your orange juice in a martini glass in the morning. Why not?" Others embraced digital solutions, snapping photos of sentimental items and loading them onto digital frames, freeing up shelf space while preserving the memory.
Some have even turned to a growing movement known as Swedish Death Cleaning. The philosophy is simple: around age 60, begin decluttering intentionally so your children aren't left with the job later. One commenter, not yet 60, said they'd already adopted the mindset. "Been slowly doing that ever since."
It's not all easy. Some memories do deserve space, and the process can stir up unexpected grief. That's why others opt for a hybrid approach. "We have started the mantra: Toss, Donate, Display," one parent shared. "If it doesn't mean enough to display, we don't need it." Another called for a "holding area" for the tougher decisions, admitting that after six months, those items usually end up donated anyway.
But through all the methods, one truth emerged: dealing with someone else's accumulation is rarely quick, and never painless. Whether it's a three-story house or a retirement condo, the clutter of a lifetime doesn't go quietly. That's what made the original post so powerful. She didn't wait. She didn't rationalize. She took action—so her kids wouldn't have to.
"Not putting your kids through that shows how much you love them," one commenter wrote.
And she agreed. "Everyone who wants to purge but keeps putting it off, do it! It's worth it. My mental health is better and my house looks a lot nicer."
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