When used properly they have their advantages.Apparently, common practice is to seek the services of 'house clearance' facilities, who typically charge a couple of grand and get to keep whatever is removed.
My sister died in mid 2021 (her husband died in late 2020) and I was appointed sole executor of the estate. I also called in the valuer from a local auction house to assess any items of value left and made sure that her son-in-law, my son and I had what we wanted from the house. Any neighbours who had borrowed and hadn't returned items were told they could keep them. All clothing, shoes ,etc. were given to a local charity (who later let me know that they had profited by several hundred pounds from the onward sale of these through their shops). Other valuables were passed to the forementioned auction house and the ensuing income added to the estate.
I like to think that there was little of significant value left for the house clearance people I called in and, in any case, no-one in our family wanted any of it and the cost of £800 was worth it just to clear the place so that it could be sold.
Slightly different, I know, from cases of people moving to retirement homes.
GG