For many parents, having their children move out doesn’t always mean getting their space back. Years later, closets, attics, basements, and garages may still be packed with boxes and belongings their adult children left behind.
A recent Talker Research survey commissioned by CubeSmart found that 46% of Americans still store belongings at their parents’ homes, with the average person leaving about nine boxes behind. Parents may not mind helping out, but many would love for their grown children to sort through those things and decide what they actually want to keep.
Some items hold special memories, while others have sat around for years. Here are 10 things parents are probably hoping their adult kids will eventually take off their hands.
Old Clothing
Many parents still have closets filled with their children’s old school sweatshirts, winter coats, prom dresses, and shoes. If those clothes haven’t been worn in years, it’s probably time to bring home the pieces worth keeping and donate the rest.
College Textbooks
Those expensive college textbooks may have felt worth saving right after graduation, but chances are they haven’t been touched since. Unless you still need a particular book, it’s probably taking up shelf space that could be used better.
Furniture From Childhood Bedrooms
Old desks, dressers, nightstands, and bookshelves often stay in the same rooms long after children move out. Parents may have kept them in case their kids wanted them, but they’d probably appreciate having the extra room back.
Collections
Baseball cards, comic books, dolls, model cars, and vinyl records can be hard to part with, especially if you’ve collected them over many years. If these items still mean something to you, your parents would probably rather see you take them home and enjoy them than leave them sitting in storage.
Holiday Decorations
Homemade ornaments, childhood crafts, and other holiday keepsakes often get packed away with the family decorations. Parents may be hoping you’ll take some of these pieces to your own home and use them as part of your holiday traditions.
Musical Instruments
Guitars, violins, keyboards, and old band instruments can end up collecting dust in spare bedrooms, closets, and garages. If you’re no longer playing them, decide whether to take them home, sell them, or pass them along to someone who will use them.
Boxes of Random Memorabilia
Old ticket stubs, yearbooks, notebooks, school awards, and souvenirs tend to end up together in boxes that rarely get opened. Your parents may not want to throw away your memories, but they probably don’t want to decide what happens to them either.
Old Electronics
Outdated laptops, gaming systems, DVD players, flip phones, and tangled chargers are common finds in parents’ storage spaces. If you’ve been saving them for a reason, it’s time to bring them home, while anything broken or no longer useful can be recycled properly.
Sports Equipment
Old baseball gloves, hockey gear, bicycles, tennis rackets, and camping equipment can take up quite a bit of storage space. If you haven’t used them in years, take home the pieces you still need and donate or sell the rest.
Items With Family History
Some belongings deserve a special place in the family, and parents may hope their children will take responsibility for them while there’s still time to share the stories behind them. Grandma’s quilt, Dad’s pocket watch, or a favorite piece of family furniture can mean much more when you know who owned it and why they treasured it.
Give Your Parents Some Space Back
Your parents may have held on to these belongings because they wanted you to have the chance to keep what matters. But if years have passed and those boxes are still sitting untouched, it’s probably time to make a trip home and sort through them.
You don’t have to take everything, either. Pick out the items you truly want, pass along what someone else could use, and let go of the things you no longer need. Your parents will probably be happy to have a little more storage space, and you’ll finally know where all your old belongings ended up.
