After a loss
Clearing a loved one's home, at your pace
After a death in the family, Abq Reclaimed can pick up the resale-worthy belongings from an Albuquerque home free, by request, once you're ready — no deadline from me. If the house has one — a listing, a closing, a lease — tell me, and I’ll say honestly whether I can make it. Text photos to (505) 250-3804. It's a for-profit reuse service, so if the estate needs a tax receipt, a charity is the better fit.
Text or call (505) 250-3804 · by request, at my discretion
I'm Josh, and I handle every pickup myself, from your photo to the Reclaim Receipt. eBay seller since 2003 — currently an eBay Top Rated Seller, 99.8% positive feedback (1,800+ feedback score, 3,800+ items sold); a trailer, and a forklift for suitable loads. Text me a photo: (505) 250-3804
Send a photo
Text a couple photos to (505) 250-3804 with your neighborhood, or use the request form. Under a minute.
I confirm what I can take
I review every request myself and reply about what is a fit and whether I can make your date, if you have one. Nothing is promised until I confirm.
Set it out
On the day we agree on, leave small items on the porch or driveway — you don't need to be home for those. Heavy items, appliances and anything inside need someone there to give me access.
I haul it free
I pick it up at no cost and give it a second life through resale and reuse.
There's no hurry from me. When the family has kept what matters and you're ready for the rest to go somewhere it will be used, send me photos.
Who can clean out a house after someone dies in Albuquerque?
Usually several people, in this order:
- The family — paperwork, valuables and keepsakes first.
- A professional biohazard or trauma-cleaning company, if the death was unattended. They come before anyone else — and that isn't me or a junk crew.
- An estate sale company, if there's enough to sell — and afterward, free pickup for the leftovers.
- Abq Reclaimed for the resale-worthy share — tools, electronics, collectibles, vintage and quality furniture and the like — free, by request.
- Habitat ReStore for everyday furniture in good shape — (505) 265-0057; ask about a donation receipt, and call to confirm what they take.
- The City of Albuquerque — the Large Item Pick-Up (311) for bulky items at the curb, and the Household Hazardous Waste center (2720 Girard Blvd NE) for paint and chemicals.
- A paid hauler, only for what's left.
Before anything leaves the house
If there's a will or a probate, the personal representative (the executor) decides what goes — check with them or the estate attorney before anything leaves. And photograph every room first, closets and garage included: the photos help the family decide, and they're what I need to tell you honestly what I can take.
Why families call me for this part
A junk crew treats a lifetime of belongings as a truckload. I don't. The tools someone kept sharp, the camera, the records, the sewing machine, the workshop — those have a second life with someone who'll use them, and I find that person. You get a Reclaim Receipt naming where things went, which many families tell me matters more than they expected.
What I take
- Tools, workshop and garage contents
- Electronics, audio, cameras, computers — any age, working or not
- Collections: records, books (those go to a local book donation drop box), toys, models, memorabilia you've decided not to keep
- Camping and sporting gear, bikes, instruments
- Small appliances and quality kitchen gear
- Vintage & quality furniture — mid-century, antique, New Mexican carved, solid wood, old steel desks and cabinets (photo the whole piece and any maker’s mark; tell me the stairs)
- Home-health equipment parts — power-chair controllers and wheelchair parts, adjustable-bed motors, control boxes and remotes, lift-chair motors, working or not (parts, not medical supplies; a whole chair or bed: send a photo first — no promise. From hospice or rented? The supplier’s sticker tells you who to call — ask whether it’s yours now)
- Shop, service and aviation manuals, and technical instruments — microscopes, slide rules, drafting and test gear
- Quality clothing and shoes — brand-name outdoor apparel (Patagonia, Burton, KUHL, Stormy Kromer), designer labels, workwear, vintage and western, good leather boots, vintage wool camp blankets (a photo of the labels and soles tells me)
What I’m hunting right now: printing presses & type · flat files & drafting cabinets · old mail sorters (nothing marked USPS property) · vintage signs & neon · vintage & quality furniture · vintage & industrial lighting · old door hardware · architectural salvage · shop pieces · vintage film cameras · tube radios & old hi-fi · ham radios, test gear & slide rules · vintage toys & games — the whole want list.
A loved one’s closet
Keep what matters first. After that, good leather boots, pearl-snap and western shirts, brand-name outdoor jackets, workwear and a vintage wool blanket are worth a photo of the labels and soles — see quality clothing & shoes. Everyday clothes go to a charity (where to donate clothes).
What I'll tell you honestly
Ordinary or particleboard furniture, worn upholstered pieces, mattresses, paperwork and true junk aren’t mine — but I won't leave you guessing. I'll tell you which pieces the Habitat ReStore takes, what the City of Albuquerque's large-item pickup will collect, and when a paid hauler is genuinely the right call. Working with an estate attorney, realtor, or probate timeline? See partners.
Doing it yourself first? The room-by-room plan for clearing a parent's house walks through paperwork, family picks and every room.
Family out of town?
Walk every room with your phone — wide shots, the garage shelves, the closets — leave a key with someone local, and text me the photos. I'll tell you honestly what I can take and who takes the rest; nothing is promised until I confirm. Clearing the whole house? See estate cleanouts.
How a clear-out works with me
- Send photos — wide shots of every room, garage, and closet. Don't sort first — but open the closets: good boots, coats and labels are worth a photo (quality clothing & shoes). I read every request personally.
- I reply honestly: what I can take free (the resale-worthy share), what a charity or the city will take, and what needs a paid hauler. You get a plan, not just a truck.
- Pickup by request, around my routes. I'm one person with a trailer and a forklift; I'll tell you what's realistic for your date rather than overpromise. Drop-off by text is the surest option for smaller loads.
- Afterward, a Reclaim Receipt: a note telling you where the things actually went.
Straight talk: Abq Reclaimed is one person, for-profit, and free because I resell what has a second life. I'm not a junk-removal crew and I don't pay cash — if something is genuinely valuable, sell it yourself and keep the money (my guide shows where). Pickups are by request and at my discretion — some weeks I can't do any — and they aren't tax-deductible.
Good to know
Common questions
Who can clean out a house after someone dies in Albuquerque?
Usually several people, in order. The family goes first for paperwork, valuables and keepsakes. If the death was unattended, a professional biohazard or trauma-cleaning company comes before anyone else. An estate sale company can sell what's worth selling. Abq Reclaimed picks up the resale-worthy share — tools, electronics, collectibles, vintage furniture — free, by request. Habitat ReStore takes everyday furniture in good shape, the City's Large Item Pick-Up (311) takes bulky items, and a paid hauler takes only what's left.
What should we do with Dad’s tools and workshop?
Let the family pick the pieces that matter, then photograph the workshop wide — benches, pegboards, shelves, the corners — without sorting. Hand and power tools, shop tools, hardware and the manuals are resale-worthy: text me the photos and I'll pick up that share free, by request (used tool pickup). Paint, chemicals and fuel go to the City's Household Hazardous Waste center at 2720 Girard Blvd NE, not the trash.
What do I do with a parent's belongings after they die?
Paperwork and small valuables first, then family picks, with no deadline. After that, sort by bucket: sell the few valuable pieces yourself, text me photos of the resale-worthy share (tools, electronics, collectibles, gear, vintage furniture) — I pick that up free, by request — let a charity such as Habitat ReStore pick up everyday furniture in good shape (charities issue tax receipts), and use the City's Large Item Pick-Up for bulky leftovers at the curb.
We are not ready yet. Is there a deadline?
None from me. Send photos whenever you are ready — a month from now, a season from now. When you do, I will tell you what I can take and give you a plan for the rest.
Can you take things directly from the house, or do we have to move them?
From the house is fine, by request — I have a dolly, straps, a trailer, and a forklift for suitable loads. For big pieces, tell me the stairs and access and I’ll say honestly whether it’s something I can move. Just clear a path and tell me what stays.
Do we need to empty the house before it’s sold?
Ask the agent. Some houses sell vacant and some are staged, and the purchase contract decides what conveys — appliances, the swamp cooler, a shed. In a probate, check with the personal representative or the estate attorney before anything goes. Then work backward from the listing date: selling the house has the stages.
What if we find something valuable?
Sell it yourself and keep the money. I will tell you honestly which items are worth that effort and where; I take the resale-worthy middle free.
What about Mom's wheelchair, walker or hospital bed?
If it came from hospice or is still rented, call the supplier on its sticker first and ask whether it’s the family’s now. Equipment the family owns can go to Adelante’s Back in Use program if it works, or to me for the parts if it doesn’t (free, by request) — who takes a power chair, hospital bed or lift chair.
Is a pickup tax-deductible for the estate?
No — Abq Reclaimed is a for-profit reuse business, not a 501(c)(3) charity. You receive a Reclaim Receipt (where the belongings went), not a tax receipt; a charity drop-off is the right path if a deduction matters.
Whenever you're ready. No rush on my end.
Send a couple photos and I will tell you honestly if it is a fit. Free pickup across Albuquerque, by approval.
Keep exploring
More I reclaim
Also: Vintage & industrial lighting · Vintage signs & neon · Sewing machines · Cameras & optics · Stereo & hi-fi · Ham radio & test gear · Bikes · Sporting goods · Instruments · Industrial equipment · Medical & mobility parts · Vintage & collectibles · Appliances · Copper & wire · Quality clothing & shoes · My want list
Clearing out? Pick your situation: Moving · Week-by-week moving plan · Senior downsizing · Clearing a parent's house · After a loss · Estate sale leftovers · Storage unit · Business closing · Military PCS
Estate cleanouts · Garage cleanouts · Moving or clearing a house? · Full what-I-take list · Where to donate anything in ABQ · Where to sell or donate in ABQ · Get-rid-of-used-stuff guide · Where to sell scrap metal