Updated August 14, 2023
Regardless of the size of your home or family, periodically sorting through your belongings and getting rid of unnecessary clutter is something that everyone should practice. In fact, clearing out unused clutter can alleviate feelings of anxiety and positively improve your mental and physical health.
Whether you're interested in clearing out a cluttered basement, garage, an entire home, or you have an old mattress, appliance, or other furniture that needs to go, junk removal services offer a convenient and affordable way to quickly get rid of items that no longer serve you.
We'll go over the most common types of household junk that consumers often need hauled away, average costs, best practices, and how to find the best junk removal service in your area to get it done.
Jump to:
- How the Junk Removal Process Works
- Common Types of Household Junk Removal & Average Costs
- How to Find the Best Junk Removal Service in Your Area
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How the Junk Removal Process Works
While there are many different types of junk removal services that range from single-item removals to whole home cleanouts, the process is generally the same regardless of the type of junk you're getting rid of.
You'll first want to research local junk removal services in your area and reach out to at least 2-3 providers for quotes so that you can not only compare cost, but the quality of customer service and the availability that suits your timeline and lifestyle.
Unless you only have a few boxes or pieces of furniture to get rid of, most companies will want to send someone to your home to assess the amount of junk you have to get rid of in order to provide you with the most accurate quote possible. Many times, if you agree to an on-site estimate, they will get to work on your removal project right away.
With that being said, you are never obligated to accept a quote and hire a company on the spot just because they're already on your property. It's common practice to get multiple quotes before hiring professional services, and reputable junk removal companies understand this and will never pressure you to hire them.
After comparing the different junk removal quotes you've received, you'll contact the company you choose and schedule a date and time for them to come and haul away your unwanted items. This typically involves a crew of 2 people (sometimes more for larger projects) who arrive and load your items into their hauling truck or trailer.
Depending on the type of junk you have to get rid of, where you live, the type of services you select, and who you hire, you can do some of the work yourself and make your junk removal services as quick as possible by piling up your unwanted items onto your porch or at the end of your driveway. This allows the junk removal company the quickest loading and can sometimes be cheaper than the alternative, which is having them come into your home to retrieve the items themselves. Both of these options are usually available and while piling up your items for contactless pickup doesn't always save you money, it's worth mentioning to explore all your options.
For cleanouts that involve the removal of many items, like garage cleanouts, hoarding cleanups, or debris removal, they'll even sweep away any leftover trash and debris once the area is cleared, leaving you with a completely clear and empty space.
Once your junk is loaded, you'll be provided with an invoice. Who you hire will determine your available payment options, but the most common ways to pay your invoice include on-the-spot payments, calling into an office and paying over the phone, or paying through an online portal.
Unless your load is full of recyclables or unsalvageable trash, the removal crew will usually haul your items to their location to sort through your junk and set aside items that can be donated or reused to eliminate their contributions to landfills. Junk removal companies are notorious for their ethical disposal practices and usually take extra steps to only haul items to the landfill when all other options aren't available.
Common Types of Household Junk Removal & Average Costs
Junk removal services are all inclusive and cover a very wide variety of different items.
The cost to remove various household items will vary based on many different factors, including how much space your items take up in the junk removal company's truck or trailer, disposal fees in your area, ease of access, where you're located, who you hire, and more.
With that being said, we'll go over the most commonly removed household items that junk removal services haul away and the average cost to do so:
- Furniture Removal
- Appliance Removal
- E-Waste Removal
- Exercise Equipment Removal
- Hot Tub Removal
- Swing Set/Trampoline Removal
- Garage Cleanout
- Basement/Attic Cleanout
- Whole Home/Estate/Eviction Cleanout
- Hoarding Cleanout
- Debris Removal
- General Trash/Cardboard Removal
- Yard Waste Removal
Furniture Removal
You can expect to pay $75 or more to get a piece of furniture hauled away by a junk removal company.
The minimum fee for most junk removal companies in the U.S. ranges from $75-$125.
For jobs bigger than 1-3 small pieces of furniture, the costs will go up incrementally.
The average cost for furniture removal by a junk removal company is $150-$500.
Keep reading: All You Need to Know About Furniture Removal Costs
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Appliance Removal
There are several different ways that you can get rid of appliances, but hiring junk removal company is arguably the fastest and easiest solution.
The cost of removing a single home appliance in the U.S. is around $100-$200 on average.
Removing additional appliances usually only adds around $40-$75 per item (give or take), so if you have the need, schedule multiple removals at once to make the best use of your time and money.
Get free appliance removal quotes in my area
E-Waste Removal
Most electronic waste (e-waste) is not allowed to go in your curbside trash collection or a dumpster. Instead, it should be properly recycled to avoid heavy metal contamination and other potential hazards.
In fact, an increasing number of states have banned the disposal of e-waste in landfill or waste-to-energy facilities.
E-waste includes old computers, gaming systems, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereo systems, etc.
The cost to have a junk removal company haul away and properly dispose of your e-waste will vary based on the amount you have to get rid of. Minimum charges for junk removal services usually start at $75 are reserved for small pick-ups, but a whole office cleanout worth of old electronics can run upwards of $500 or more.
Continue reading: How to Streamline Your Office Cleanout
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Exercise Equipment Removal
For electronic exercise equipment, like treadmills or exercise bikes, local e-waste recyclers will like.y accept these items for the most environmentally responsible disposal.
Predominately metal items, like bench presses or free weights, or usually accepted by scrap metal recyclers.
The following chart depicts national average costs for the removal and disposal of popular types of workout equipment.
Average Cost of Exercise Equipment Removal
| Types of Exercise Equipment | Average Cost for Removal |
| Treadmill | $150-$250 |
| StairMaster | $150-$250 |
| Exercise Bike | $100-$200 |
| Row Machine | $100-$250 |
| Bench Press | $75-$150 |
| Free Weights | $75-$250 |
*These figures are based on U.S. averages and could be more or less in your area.
Learn more: How to Get Rid of Exercise Equipment
Hot Tub Removal
The fastest and easiest way to have an old hot tub removed from your property is to hire a junk removal company to do it for you.
Junk removal companies are known for their speed and efficiency and are trained to perform the most thorough job in the shortest amount of time, all while being respectful of you, your property, and your neighbors.
Most junk removal companies will be experienced in this specific type of removal and will know how to delicately take a hot tub apart so that certain parts can be recycled or donated to avoid sending them to a landfill.
The average cost to hire a junk removal company to take apart and haul away a hot tub is $300-$600 on average, but can cost more or less based on where you live and who you hire.
Read on: How Much Does It Cost to Remove a Hot Tub?
Swing Set/Trampoline Removal
Removing old play sets from your backyard can not only increase your property value and curb appeal, but it can also eliminate safety risks.
You have the option to either take apart your swing set or trampoline yourself and then have a junk removal company haul away the pieces, or you can have them do everything from start to finish.
Having a junk removal company take apart your swing set will cost more than just having them haul away the pieces, but it can save you hours, if not days, of a tedious and painstaking project.
The average cost to have junk removal company take apart and haul away an old trampoline ranges from $150-$300 on average.
Swing sets are typically larger, heavier, and more difficult to take apart, and tend to cost between $300-$600 on average.
Keep reading:
- How Much Does It Cost to Remove an Old Trampoline?
- How Much Does It Cost to Remove an Old Swing Set?
- How to Get Rid of an Old Swing Set, Trampoline, and More
Garage Cleanout
If speed is of the utmost importance to you, hiring junk removal pros to clean out your garage is the best choice.
The cost for junk removal services vary based on a wide range of different factors, like the amount of space your junk takes up in their truck or trailer, the type of waste you have to get rid of, ease of access (like the presence of stairs), cost of disposal in your area, where you're located, who you hire, and more.
There are also different types of junk removal services that will factor into the cost of your garage cleanout project based on how involved the work is.
Full service garage cleanout involves the unknown removal crew coming to your garage and cleaning out the entirety of it as is. There is zero organization, cleaning, or other labor required by you beforehand and they take care of everything from start to finish. These types of services tend to run between $400-$800.
Less involved junk removal services are perfect if you are trying to save some money and have the time, strength, and help to do some of the organizing and cleaning before they come to haul away the items you set aside. You can pile up your unwanted garage items at the end of your driveway for the fastest, most convenient pick-up. These services cost $300-$600 for an average DIY junk removal cleanout, but will depend heavily on what you have to get rid of, how much you have to get rid of, where you're located, and who you hire.
Learn more: Garage Cleanout Costs and How to Save Money
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Basement/Attic Cleanout
Cleaning out a basement or attic can offer additional challenges compared to garage cleanouts due to accessibility.
Having to walk up and down stairs, as well as sometimes having limited space and lighting to operate it, can increase the time needed to complete a full basement or attic cleanout.
Because of this, in circumstances where the type and amount of junk is comparable, it will likely cost more to have a basement or attic professionally cleaned out than it would to have a garage cleaned out.
For a medium-sized basement or attic cleanout, you can expect to pay between $300-$1,000, but the many different variables of your particular project may make the cost more or less.
Read more:
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Basement Cleanouts
- How to Declutter an Attic Efficiently and Safely
- How Much It Costs to Clean Out Your Garage, Basement, Attic, or Entire Home
Get free basement cleanout quotes near you
Whole Home/Estate/Eviction Cleanout
Whole home cleanouts are most common in circumstances where the homeowner has passed, been evicted, or their home has been foreclosed on. Regardless of the reason why an entire home would need to be cleaned out, the work involved and costs associated are the same.
The average cost of whole home/estate/eviction cleanout services typically falls between $500-$2,000 for average size projects.
The price your particular project will cost will depend on many different factors, like where you're located, the accessibility of your items, amount of items and how much space it takes up in their hauling truck or trailer, who you hire, and more.
Continue reading:
- How to Get the Best Price for an Estate Cleanout
- Why You Should Hire Junk Removal for Evictions
- Complete Home Cleanout Checklist
Find estate cleanout services in your area
Hoarding Cleanout
Hoarding cleanup services provide a safe solution for reclaiming a living space that has been overtaken by unmanageable clutter and potentially dangerous obstacles.
Because the condition of hoarder homes vary significantly from one situation to the next, so does the cost for hoarding cleanup services.
On average, hoarding cleanups cost around $1,000-$2,000 per day, with most jobs taking between 1-7 days to complete.
The exact price you will pay for your hoarding cleanup will depend on a number of factors, like the length of the project, the type and amount of junk, presence of safety hazards, your location, who you hire, and more.
Read on: How to Find the Right Hoarding Cleaning Service
Get free hoarding cleanup quotes from local services
Construction/Demolition Debris Removal
Part of tackling any construction or demolition project is figuring out the best way to dispose of all the resulting debris.
Even for small projects, you cannot simply dump the debris into your weekly trash bin.
C&D debris should be properly recycled or reused whenever possible, and junk removal companies know exactly where to haul all different types of debris in your area for the most efficient and environmentally responsible debris disposal.
A rough estimate of how much you can expect to pay for a residential construction debris cleanups is $350 for small jobs, and $1,000+ for large projects.
The complexity of the job can also affect junk removal costs, like difficulty accessing the debris, hazardous material being present (like asbestos or lead), and other factors. But for the most part, junk removal companies will determine the cost of C&D debris removal based on the volume of debris being hauled away.
Keep reading: Get the Best Price for Renovation Debris Removal
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General Trash/Cardboard Removal
If you've completed a large cleanup project yourself that has resulted in too many trash bags for your weekly trash service to accommodate, contacting a junk removal company to come and haul them away is a great option.
How much you'll be charged will depending on how many bags of garbage you have, how much space it takes up in their hauling vehicle, the cost of disposal in your area, who you hire, and more.
Another common household trash people often need to get rid of is large amount of cardboard. People can end up with large amounts of cardboard boxes from moving, placing a high volume of Amazon orders, or ordering large appliances/furniture that arrive in oversized boxes of cardboard.
A few bags of household trash or cardboard boxes will typically cost the junk removal company's minimum service fee, which is around $75 on average, but can be upwards of $300+ depending on the volume of your trash/cardboard.
Learn more:
- How to Get Rid of Large Amounts of Trash at Once
- Cardboard Recycling 101: What Homeowners and Business Owners Should Know
Get free cardboard recycling quotes in your area
Yard Waste Removal
When it comes to yard waste, there are different options available to help make the best use of your time and money.
When you only have a couple bags worth of yard waste, your regular waste management company will have specific days, weight limits, and bags required that will allow you to set them at your curb for trash pickup. It's when you have a large amount of yard waste to get rid of that other options, like junk removal or dumpster rental, need to be explored.
The price that a junk removal company will charge to haul away your yard waste will depend primarily on how much yard waste you have to get rid of, how much space your yard waste takes up in their truck or trailer, the type/weight of your yard waste, where you're located, and who you hire.
With that being said, the average cost for a small pile of yard waste ranges from $100-$200, but can cost as much as $600-$1,000 for a full truckload's worth of yard waste.
Read more:
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How to Find the Best Junk Removal Service in Your Area
Hometown helps consumers eliminate the need to spend hours online looking for reputable junk removal and dumpster rental companies that service their area.
By simply entering your zip code and answering a few short questions about your junk removal needs, you'll been shown locally-owned and operated junk removal companies near you. You can learn more about each company, read reviews from verified real customers, and request free junk removal quotes - all in one convenient place!
The information you provide is never sold and all estimates are always free.
If you find that a junk removal project is out of your budget, renting a dumpster and handling the grunt work yourself is a great alternative to junk removal services.
You can get free dumpster rental quotes from local services on Hometown in the same way that you can request junk removal quotes.
Getting multiple quotes from each service type is the best way to ensure that you not only get the best price, but the best customer service and the availability your project requires.
Get free junk removal and hauling quotes in your area
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