Over 90% Think "I Must Do It Someday": Survey Reveals One in Two Struggle with "Not Knowing What to Throw Away" When Clearing Parental Homes
A survey by APPRECIATE PLUS and Michi Co., Ltd. reveals that over 90% of people feel the need to clear their parental homes, but face major hurdles such as deciding what to discard and dealing with parental opposition.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 02:42 (16h 10m after Collected)
APPRECIATE PLUS Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Arakawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Daiji Yaguchi), in collaboration with Michi Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Director and CEO: Ayasumi Shimokata), conducted an awareness survey on "clearing out parental homes."
In Japan, where the declining birthrate and aging population are advancing, "clearing out parental homes" has become an unavoidable issue for many families. The backgrounds are diverse, ranging from belongings that elderly parents can no longer manage alone to early organization in anticipation of inheritance and vacant house problems.
In reality, however, various hurdles cause people to postpone the clearing process, such as "not knowing where to start," "difficulty finding the right timing to discuss with parents," and "concerns about cost." This survey investigated the awareness, hurdles, and demand for external services regarding the clearing of parental homes in detail, targeting 300 people nationwide.
Over 90% think "I must do it someday" -- The background is the decline of parents and preparation for estate liquidation
When asked, "Have you ever thought about clearing out your parents' home?", "I think it will be necessary eventually" was the most common response at 53.0%. Combined with "I am thinking about/working on it right now" (21.0%) and "I have already done it" (21.3%), it became clear that 95.3% of people are conscious of clearing their parents' home in some form. Only 4.7% said they had "never thought about it."
Furthermore, regarding the reasons why they feel clearing is necessary, "it's difficult for parents to clean due to physical decline" (136 responses) and "want to reduce my own burden (future estate liquidation, etc.)" (135 responses) tied for the top spot. These were followed by "things are piling up and movement flow seems bad" (108 responses) and "possibility of inheritance, sale, or moving out" (87 responses). Preparation for future risks such as "worried about cognitive decline" (44 responses) and "possibility of it becoming a vacant house" (67 responses) also ranked high.
In addition, free-text responses showed forward-looking motives such as "because ideally we should demolish it if it becomes a vacant house," "because I want to do it while I can still move," and "I thought it would be necessary in the future."
"Decision to discard" and "parents' opposition" are the two major barriers -- 60% say sentimental items are prone to conflict
When asked about the hurdles (issues) in proceeding with the clearing, "difficulty deciding what to throw away (memories/value)" topped the list with 175 responses. This was followed by "parents don't want to throw things away / oppose it" (120 responses) and "it seems it will cause trouble if I throw things away without permission" (119 responses), showing that judging the value of items and friction with parents are major barriers. Hurdles related to cost and time are also prominent.
When asked to "choose only the single biggest hurdle" from those, "difficulty deciding what to throw away" topped the list at 23.3%, followed by "parents don't want to throw things away / oppose it" at 22.0%. The top two items alone accounted for 45.3% of the total. Additionally, free-text responses included voices saying, "memories are hard to throw away" and "the timing of motivation is different between parents and myself."
Starting small with the "closet" first -- 80% choose a phased approach, 60% take the role "themselves"
Regarding "where to start clearing," the "closet/storage room" was the most common at 35.3%. This was followed by the "living room" (15.3%) and "shed/warehouse" (14.0%), showing that storage spaces that are usually out of sight are chosen as the first places to tackle. "Don't know" accounted for only 7.3%, suggesting that many people have some idea of where to begin.
Regarding the actual way to proceed with clearing, an overwhelming majority of 81.7% chose "proceeding little by little over several sessions." This vastly outweighed "finishing it all at once" (10.3%), highlighting a realistic attitude that assumes a long-term battle.
Furthermore, regarding who will carry out the clearing, "myself" accounted for the majority at 59.7%, followed by "parents (themselves)" (18.3%) and "siblings" (17.3%). Relying on contractors remained at only 1.3%, indicating that the tendency to try to complete it within the family remains strong.
60% are anxious about the "difficulty of sorting" and "endless volume" -- Over 30% are concerned about cost prospects
When asked what they feel anxious about regarding clearing their parents' home, "sorting (keep/throw/sell) is difficult" topped the list with 181 responses, followed by "there is so much volume I feel it will never end" (156 responses), showing that the burden of the physical work process itself is prominent. "Don't know how much it will cost" (111 responses), "transportation and removal are difficult" (98 responses), and "conflict with parents / relationship deterioration" (92 responses) also exceeded 30%, showing how human relations and physical work combine to heighten anxiety.
In free-text responses, many expressed vague anxieties about not having a clear outlook on the work, such as "sorting is difficult," "I don't know how far I should go," and "I don't know how long it will take."
Also, actually "themes that easily cause trouble in clearing parental homes
In Japan, where the declining birthrate and aging population are advancing, "clearing out parental homes" has become an unavoidable issue for many families. The backgrounds are diverse, ranging from belongings that elderly parents can no longer manage alone to early organization in anticipation of inheritance and vacant house problems.
In reality, however, various hurdles cause people to postpone the clearing process, such as "not knowing where to start," "difficulty finding the right timing to discuss with parents," and "concerns about cost." This survey investigated the awareness, hurdles, and demand for external services regarding the clearing of parental homes in detail, targeting 300 people nationwide.
Over 90% think "I must do it someday" -- The background is the decline of parents and preparation for estate liquidation
When asked, "Have you ever thought about clearing out your parents' home?", "I think it will be necessary eventually" was the most common response at 53.0%. Combined with "I am thinking about/working on it right now" (21.0%) and "I have already done it" (21.3%), it became clear that 95.3% of people are conscious of clearing their parents' home in some form. Only 4.7% said they had "never thought about it."
Furthermore, regarding the reasons why they feel clearing is necessary, "it's difficult for parents to clean due to physical decline" (136 responses) and "want to reduce my own burden (future estate liquidation, etc.)" (135 responses) tied for the top spot. These were followed by "things are piling up and movement flow seems bad" (108 responses) and "possibility of inheritance, sale, or moving out" (87 responses). Preparation for future risks such as "worried about cognitive decline" (44 responses) and "possibility of it becoming a vacant house" (67 responses) also ranked high.
In addition, free-text responses showed forward-looking motives such as "because ideally we should demolish it if it becomes a vacant house," "because I want to do it while I can still move," and "I thought it would be necessary in the future."
"Decision to discard" and "parents' opposition" are the two major barriers -- 60% say sentimental items are prone to conflict
When asked about the hurdles (issues) in proceeding with the clearing, "difficulty deciding what to throw away (memories/value)" topped the list with 175 responses. This was followed by "parents don't want to throw things away / oppose it" (120 responses) and "it seems it will cause trouble if I throw things away without permission" (119 responses), showing that judging the value of items and friction with parents are major barriers. Hurdles related to cost and time are also prominent.
When asked to "choose only the single biggest hurdle" from those, "difficulty deciding what to throw away" topped the list at 23.3%, followed by "parents don't want to throw things away / oppose it" at 22.0%. The top two items alone accounted for 45.3% of the total. Additionally, free-text responses included voices saying, "memories are hard to throw away" and "the timing of motivation is different between parents and myself."
Starting small with the "closet" first -- 80% choose a phased approach, 60% take the role "themselves"
Regarding "where to start clearing," the "closet/storage room" was the most common at 35.3%. This was followed by the "living room" (15.3%) and "shed/warehouse" (14.0%), showing that storage spaces that are usually out of sight are chosen as the first places to tackle. "Don't know" accounted for only 7.3%, suggesting that many people have some idea of where to begin.
Regarding the actual way to proceed with clearing, an overwhelming majority of 81.7% chose "proceeding little by little over several sessions." This vastly outweighed "finishing it all at once" (10.3%), highlighting a realistic attitude that assumes a long-term battle.
Furthermore, regarding who will carry out the clearing, "myself" accounted for the majority at 59.7%, followed by "parents (themselves)" (18.3%) and "siblings" (17.3%). Relying on contractors remained at only 1.3%, indicating that the tendency to try to complete it within the family remains strong.
60% are anxious about the "difficulty of sorting" and "endless volume" -- Over 30% are concerned about cost prospects
When asked what they feel anxious about regarding clearing their parents' home, "sorting (keep/throw/sell) is difficult" topped the list with 181 responses, followed by "there is so much volume I feel it will never end" (156 responses), showing that the burden of the physical work process itself is prominent. "Don't know how much it will cost" (111 responses), "transportation and removal are difficult" (98 responses), and "conflict with parents / relationship deterioration" (92 responses) also exceeded 30%, showing how human relations and physical work combine to heighten anxiety.
In free-text responses, many expressed vague anxieties about not having a clear outlook on the work, such as "sorting is difficult," "I don't know how far I should go," and "I don't know how long it will take."
Also, actually "themes that easily cause trouble in clearing parental homes