There may come a day in which your aging parents can no longer live on their own. When this time comes, you will face many challenges. One of these challenges being clearing out your parents' home. Your parent may be able to take some of their things with them to a nursing or retirement home, but many of the things in their home will need to be divided among the family, sold, donated or thrown away. Here, you will find some tips that can make this transition a little easier for your entire family.

Take Baby Steps

After your family has decided on the retirement or nursing home that your parents will transition to, don't go rushing into clearing the house all at once. Your parents will have taken the things that they cherish most with them, but there will be several things that mean a lot to them left behind in the house.

Those items left behind may be intended to go to a member of the family or a personal friend. Be sure to discuss everything with your parents before you do anything. To make the process easier, take pictures of each room of the house and the contents in each. Your parents can use those pictures to make their wishes known for each item that is special to them.

Rent a Storage Unit

Although it seems that you have done everything to ensure that you have removed everything that your parents cared about from the house before clearing it, they may be reluctant to let go of several other things. Instead of putting off the task of clearing the house, rent a storage unit, maybe from a place like Regency Self Storage.

Be selective with the storage unit that you rent. Choose one that is close to the home, that is secure and that offers climate-controlled units. The following are reasons to look for these features:

• You will likely be making many trips to and from the unit.
• You need to know that the items kept in storage are safe and that you are safe when you visit the facility. A facility with a locked gate, good lighting, and security cameras on the grounds is likely to be safer than one without these features.
• Climate-controlled units will ensure that every single item that is put in storage remains in good condition. Wood furnishings, furniture, collectibles, and many other items from within a home will get destroyed if exposed to high or low temperatures and moisture. These units maintain a steady temperature and low humidity level throughout the year.

This can be a very difficult time for your entire family. Using the above tips can take some of the heartache out of the letting go process and make things a little easier for everyone.