The No.1 Problem in Memento Sorting is 'Too Many Items'. Demand for Bulk Appraisal and Purchasing Services for Antiques and Art Reaches Approximately 72%
A survey by NEXER and Eijyudou reveals that the biggest hurdle in sorting mementos is dealing with the overwhelming volume of items. There's a strong need for professional appraisal of antiques and art.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 14, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 18:48 (128h 16m after Collected)
## What is the most difficult thing about sorting mementos or cleaning up your parents' home?
After parents or family members pass away, sorting mementos is unavoidable. Many people face greater difficulties than expected, being overwhelmed by the amount of things or unable to decide what to keep and what to throw away.
Especially when items that look like antiques or art are found among the mementos, many may worry about how to handle them.
Therefore, in collaboration with the antique purchasing specialty store 'Eijyudou', we conducted a survey on 'memento sorting and cleaning up parents' homes' targeting 136 men and women nationwide who answered 'I have experience in sorting mementos' in a preliminary survey.
※ When quoting the contents of this press release, please take the following actions.
- State that the source is 'Survey by NEXER Inc. and Eijyudou'
- Place a link to Eijyudou (https://www.eijyudou.com/)
'Questionnaire on Memento Sorting and Cleaning Up Parents' Homes' Survey Overview
Survey method: Internet questionnaire
Survey period: March 27 - March 31, 2026
Survey targets: Men and women nationwide who answered 'I have experience in sorting mementos' in a preliminary survey
Valid responses: 136 samples
Questions asked:
Question 1: What was the most difficult thing about sorting mementos/cleaning up your parents' home?
Question 2: Please tell us the reason.
Question 3: If there were 'things that might be antiques or art' among the mementos or old things in the parents' home, how would you handle them?
Question 4: Please tell us the reason.
Question 5: If there was a 'bulk appraisal and purchasing service' by antique/art specialists for memento sorting, would you want to use it?
Question 6: Please tell us the reason.
※ Because figures are generally rounded to one decimal place, the total may not equal 100%.
## 43.4% Answered 'Too Many Items'
First, we asked what was the most difficult thing about sorting mementos/cleaning up parents' homes.
The most common answer was 'too many items' at 43.4%.
This was followed by 'could not judge if it was okay to throw away' at 33.8% and 'it costs money' at 6.6%.
The top two answers account for about 77% of the total, indicating that 'large volume of items' and 'difficulty in disposal judgment' are the two major challenges in sorting mementos.
We asked for the reasons behind each answer, and here are some of them.
Those who answered 'Too many items'
- There were so many things, such as mementos from when we were young, so it was difficult. (30s, Female)
- The amount of things the deceased had accumulated was so large that it took a lot of time just to sort and dispose of them. (40s, Female)
- Because they passed away suddenly without warning, there was no time for me to sort things out, and various things were left as they were. (50s, Female)
Those who answered 'Could not judge if it was okay to throw away'
- Because I didn't know what was important. (30s, Male)
- There were many things like documents that were probably unnecessary, but I felt I should keep them just in case. (50s, Male)
- My father has many siblings, so it took time to decide what to keep as mementos and what to throw away when sorting. (50s, Male)
Those who answered 'It costs money'
- I was astonished at how much money it costs to remove furniture and appliances. (30s, Female)
- Because it actually becomes much more expensive than the information on the flyers. (50s, Male)
- I thought 300,000 yen was too expensive for an amount that wasn't that big. (70s, Female)
Under 'too many items', struggles to face a massive amount of mementos unprepared due to a sudden parting stand out. Under 'could not judge if it was okay to throw away', voices highlighted the difficulty of determining what is important and the time taken coordinating among relatives regarding mementos.
Regarding costs, the opinion of being surprised by higher-than-expected expenses was common, suggesting that memento sorting is a task burdened with the triple hardships of volume, judgment, and cost.
## 26.5% Answered 'Bring to a Recycle Shop'
Next, we asked how they would handle 'things that might be antiques or art' if found among mementos or old things in the parents' home.
After parents or family members pass away, sorting mementos is unavoidable. Many people face greater difficulties than expected, being overwhelmed by the amount of things or unable to decide what to keep and what to throw away.
Especially when items that look like antiques or art are found among the mementos, many may worry about how to handle them.
Therefore, in collaboration with the antique purchasing specialty store 'Eijyudou', we conducted a survey on 'memento sorting and cleaning up parents' homes' targeting 136 men and women nationwide who answered 'I have experience in sorting mementos' in a preliminary survey.
※ When quoting the contents of this press release, please take the following actions.
- State that the source is 'Survey by NEXER Inc. and Eijyudou'
- Place a link to Eijyudou (https://www.eijyudou.com/)
'Questionnaire on Memento Sorting and Cleaning Up Parents' Homes' Survey Overview
Survey method: Internet questionnaire
Survey period: March 27 - March 31, 2026
Survey targets: Men and women nationwide who answered 'I have experience in sorting mementos' in a preliminary survey
Valid responses: 136 samples
Questions asked:
Question 1: What was the most difficult thing about sorting mementos/cleaning up your parents' home?
Question 2: Please tell us the reason.
Question 3: If there were 'things that might be antiques or art' among the mementos or old things in the parents' home, how would you handle them?
Question 4: Please tell us the reason.
Question 5: If there was a 'bulk appraisal and purchasing service' by antique/art specialists for memento sorting, would you want to use it?
Question 6: Please tell us the reason.
※ Because figures are generally rounded to one decimal place, the total may not equal 100%.
## 43.4% Answered 'Too Many Items'
First, we asked what was the most difficult thing about sorting mementos/cleaning up parents' homes.
The most common answer was 'too many items' at 43.4%.
This was followed by 'could not judge if it was okay to throw away' at 33.8% and 'it costs money' at 6.6%.
The top two answers account for about 77% of the total, indicating that 'large volume of items' and 'difficulty in disposal judgment' are the two major challenges in sorting mementos.
We asked for the reasons behind each answer, and here are some of them.
Those who answered 'Too many items'
- There were so many things, such as mementos from when we were young, so it was difficult. (30s, Female)
- The amount of things the deceased had accumulated was so large that it took a lot of time just to sort and dispose of them. (40s, Female)
- Because they passed away suddenly without warning, there was no time for me to sort things out, and various things were left as they were. (50s, Female)
Those who answered 'Could not judge if it was okay to throw away'
- Because I didn't know what was important. (30s, Male)
- There were many things like documents that were probably unnecessary, but I felt I should keep them just in case. (50s, Male)
- My father has many siblings, so it took time to decide what to keep as mementos and what to throw away when sorting. (50s, Male)
Those who answered 'It costs money'
- I was astonished at how much money it costs to remove furniture and appliances. (30s, Female)
- Because it actually becomes much more expensive than the information on the flyers. (50s, Male)
- I thought 300,000 yen was too expensive for an amount that wasn't that big. (70s, Female)
Under 'too many items', struggles to face a massive amount of mementos unprepared due to a sudden parting stand out. Under 'could not judge if it was okay to throw away', voices highlighted the difficulty of determining what is important and the time taken coordinating among relatives regarding mementos.
Regarding costs, the opinion of being surprised by higher-than-expected expenses was common, suggesting that memento sorting is a task burdened with the triple hardships of volume, judgment, and cost.
## 26.5% Answered 'Bring to a Recycle Shop'
Next, we asked how they would handle 'things that might be antiques or art' if found among mementos or old things in the parents' home.