Clearing house

leslee

Registered User
Oct 9, 2009
275
0
Tyne and Wear
Mam is now settled in her care home. She went with absolutely no arguement in the end and was sitting watching the tv in the lounge when we left.

Now we have the daunting task of clearing her house. Mam is a hoarder. This is to the extent that one of the bedroom doors cannot even be opened because of the collapse of piles of junk behind it. There are 4 bedrooms like this. Over the past 10 years or so Mam has hidden and lost cash throughout the house. This may well amount to tens of thousands of pounds. Where are the typical hiding places of people with Alzheimer's? There is poo all over 2 of the bedrooms so I'm not keen on delving too deeply but it's going to have to be done.
 

rajahh

Registered User
Aug 29, 2008
2,790
0
Hertfordshire
I donot think there are any set places to hide money. All I canreally suggest is a strong pair of gloves. probably a box of them.

I remember a neighbour going intoa home and I helped clear his flat we found money in the airing cupboard wrapped up inside an old mattress cover. You will literally have to go through everything. Good luck

Jeannette
 

Austinsmum

Registered User
Oct 7, 2012
303
0
Melton Mowbray
As a starter for ten, when we cleared my mum's house out she'd hidden lots of her jewellery in odd socks and stuffed them in the laundry basket - with other nuggets which weren't so golden - lol.
She also had masses of small change in dozens of handbags - easy to find but dirty and tedious.
Goes without saying you need to check all the pockets of her clothes.
Ooh, and there were premium bonds hidden inside the books of her book case.
Sure there will be lots of other suggestions along soon. Happy Hunting!
 

jeany123

Registered User
Mar 24, 2012
19,034
0
74
Durham
Under mattresses, in the bottom of wardrobes, behind or inside books in bookcase, in bags in freezer,under items or wrapped in things in drawers, old handbags and many more, good luck ,

Best wishes , Jeany x
 

Beenie

Registered User
Jan 14, 2013
100
0
Surrey
We have just started clearing our uncles flat and have so far found money in tissue boxes with tissues put on top, in the back of photo frames, inside toilet roll tubes and in a ready meal box in the freezer! Is very hard and slow going so good luck! x
 

acacia

Registered User
Jan 15, 2013
66
0
When my FIL died we found lots of steredant tubes with pound coins in them.

. Also money in his old coats and jackets hanging up in the hall. as well as paper money in his favourite books. Fortunately he was quite a clean person. so I didn't have the arduous task you are faced with, so sorry you have to do this, there are specialist cleaners that do this, but I expect they are expensive. All the best.
 

Mo_N

Registered User
Oct 29, 2009
1,007
0
73
South East Essex
We've had to clear houses for various relatives & so far the hiding places have been, in fridge, freezer, food packets, down side of chairs (& inside the actual frame), inside cushions, pillows, mattresses. Interleaved in sheets & table linen, in the lining of curtains, in the button box, taped to backs of furniture & pictures and even in the garden shed! :eek:

In other words I'm afraid you have to check absolutely everywhere.

We did one room at a time, cleaned it & then shut the door.

Good Luck
Mo
x
 

dotty12

Registered User
Jan 23, 2013
19
0
hiding money

I have stumbled across money hidden in food jars , in photograph frames and in handbags (usually in zipper pockets at the side). My aunt doesn't remember putting money in any of these places!
 

loveahug

Registered User
Nov 28, 2012
1,071
0
Moved to Leicester
I can only reinforce the messages on here to check absolutely everything! When helping to clear a house as part of my volunteer work, many years back, one old man had managed to hide over £20k! Favourite places were taped underneath drawers, hidden underneath the bottom drawer, underneath the bedroom floorboards (we noticed this when moving a rug to throw it out because it stank), so yes, absolutely everywhere! Oh yes and another hiding place was up the chimney, he stopped using the open fire s he couldn't carry the coal scuttle anymore and central heating was fitted by the council.

Face masks sprayed with febreze could come in useful when you steel yourselves to tackle the more unsavoury places. :)

Best wishes
 

Katrine

Registered User
Jan 20, 2011
2,837
0
England
A few years ago when a family member was hoarding cash we found £20 notes laid out flat under the paper liners of her bedroom drawers and cash stuffed in the packaging for tights and knickers (as if no burglar would be so impolite as to go through a drawer of ladies underwear!) :D

I have also heard of notes being laid out flat under rugs and fitted carpets, sometimes between the underlay and the carpet, and sometimes on the bare boards. Pinning an envelope of notes between a curtain and its liner is a favourite, and taped to the underside of anything, e.g. drawer, table, vase, toilet lid, laundry basket, curtain pelmet etc.etc. It can be quite fun looking around a room and imagining yourself to be a secret agent! As well as looking in coats, purses and old handbags, you should also check the heels of shoes and boots because these can be swivelled to access a hollow space. Old suitcases and empty boxes may be piled up as a decoy to the box of valuables at the bottom of the pile.

So sorry, I agree with others that you will have to look everywhere. If you get cavalier with the chucking out you will always think you missed something important. Just take it slowly and thoroughly and accept all the help that you can with the task. If anyone offers, SAY YES! Even if you want to manage the sorting yourself, other people can take things to the tip or charity shop for you, or make you a hot lunch on a sorting day, or whatever. It is exhausting, so please let people help you.
 

Isabella41

Registered User
Feb 20, 2012
904
0
Northern Ireland
I helped clear out the house of the old lady who lived next door to me. She didn't have dementia by the way. She was moved into a home due to her physical frailty. I knew her well as she had been a friend of my grandmother's.

Queenie was well known to hide stuff so we started one room at a time and we approached it like forensic examiners. Every book was shaken - lots of money fell out. Every jar and bottle was opened if not new - more finds. Every rug was lifted and each carpet peeled back - yep more finds. We even found money inside the piano in her sitting room. By the end of the clear our we found money running into thousands. When I moved in next door to her I found a lovely gold necklace under the floorboards when they were taken up to put in a new heating system. The old lady who'd lived there obviously stashed it there and when her family were clearind out they missed it.

So my advice would be one room at a time and slowly peel it apart. Wear double gloves and a respirator face mask too.

Isabella
 

Witzend

Registered User
Aug 29, 2007
4,283
0
SW London
Mam is now settled in her care home. She went with absolutely no arguement in the end and was sitting watching the tv in the lounge when we left.

Now we have the daunting task of clearing her house. Mam is a hoarder. This is to the extent that one of the bedroom doors cannot even be opened because of the collapse of piles of junk behind it. There are 4 bedrooms like this. Over the past 10 years or so Mam has hidden and lost cash throughout the house. This may well amount to tens of thousands of pounds. Where are the typical hiding places of people with Alzheimer's? There is poo all over 2 of the bedrooms so I'm not keen on delving too deeply but it's going to have to be done.

My FIL used to hide cash in books, so I'd have a good look before taking anything to the charity shop! It takes ages, but you have to open and check anything remotely resembling any sort of container. Also of course any pockets of clothes.

A colleague of mine found several thousand pounds hidden away in the flat of a great uncle after he died. He'd hidden it in some seriously weird places, in among piles of clothes, in piles of newspapers (he was a hoarder too) , stuffed into shoes, you name -it, besides the classic under-the-mattress.
 

Karjo

Registered User
Jan 11, 2012
481
0
We found £100 in a glasses case, never thought of some places mentioned but too late now. Mum was always losing money, it was a nightmare trying to keep track and I was so worried about deprivation of assets as a care home seemed inevitable, and I had no idea what was going on. As it turns out though I don't think too much went astray. It just seemed out of control at the time.
 

creativesarah

Registered User
Apr 22, 2010
9,638
0
Upton Northamptonshire
gosh how interesting!

given me a few new places to look for my missing dentures!:D

You can buy boxes of those latex gloves cheaply we got some when we were looking after lucy and you can just throw them away
 

DesperateD

Registered User
Sep 9, 2012
23
0
I am going through exactly the same at my Nan's (she is a hoarder too!) - it's been an absolute nightmare!! I have found quite a lot (hundreds) dotted about all over the place, BUT I think she kept the bulk of it in two biscuit tins, on the floor under the bottom drawer of bedside cabinet...... very nearly £14,000 in £20 notes!!... she told me a few months ago; I went crazy :eek::eek: Also, my Uncle had £5,000 in his biscuit tin which was hidden behind the plinth (bottom of cabinets)in the kitchen, when I went crazy with him, he said "oh, should I have put it behind the bath panel" he told me it was safe in the biscuit tin because it was "fire proof"... I just couldn't believe they had both endangered themselves in that way..... all monies in bank now.

You really will have to sift through it all with a fine tooth comb.... I am having to stagger the task as it does really get me down, on the bright side, I have found some wonderful family history hidden amongst all the rubbish :)