@Dave J.

I wouldn't be so quick to call BS here.

I've helped out with my great grandparents, my grandmother, my step-father in law's mom, and my own father. In my great grandparent's house and also at my grandmother's house there was old mail and newspapers shoved practically everywhere. Their houses looked like they belonged to hoarders. I was able to talk them into letting me clean up once a season. This was usually a week long undertaking. I had to get behind & underneath everything to get at stacks of belongings. I went through their cupboards to remove outdated food.

I wasn't trying to snoop. I just wanted to help out. And yes, I found things that were personal, but I just placed them back after dusting the bookcase they were sitting on.

When my dad went blind in the year before he died I ended up having to go digging in the garage to find a hammer or something. My dad's garage had cupboards, drawers, lockers & tool chests everywhere. The guy had nearly every tool known to man. Looking for that tool uncovered every flavor of porn stashed in just about every corner I looked. The garage was filled. I wasn't trying to snoop. God knows I don't want to know what my dad was into, but there it was. Didn't say anything about it and just tossed it out when my mom wasn't looking after he died.

I know my mom has some things of her own that I'm probably going to have to throw out when she dies before her sisters or somebody starts packing things up for charity.

I'm sure everybody has *something* embarrassing stashed away. Under the couch is probably not the best place for it though.