What a hoarding cleanout involves
Homes fill up for many reasons: years of keeping things just in case, a stretch of poor health, a loss in the family. By the time someone calls, there may be narrow paths between rooms, bags and boxes stacked high, and a basement or garage nobody can get into.
We handle the physical part. Dominic, the owner, works jobs himself alongside his crew. We clear the home one room at a time, do all the lifting and carrying from anywhere on the property, load the truck, haul everything away and sweep up at the end. Nothing needs to be bagged, sorted or brought to the curb first.
- Bags of trash, boxes and loose household items
- Clothing, bedding, papers, mail and magazines
- Furniture, beds and mattresses
- Refrigerators, freezers, washers and other appliances, plus TVs and electronics
- Whatever is filling the basement, attic, garage, shed or yard
Private and judgment-free
Nobody has to explain how the house got this way. We're there to clear it, not to comment on it, and we treat every home the same way: as someone's home, with someone's belongings in it.
If privacy matters to you, tell us when you book, whether that's where the truck parks or whether any photos are taken. It's the same respect customers notice on other jobs. After a basement job, Travis D. wrote that the crew was "…very respectful of both our home and our specific instructions."
Working with you and your family
Many hoarding cleanouts start with a call from a son, daughter or sibling. Some families want to be in the room for every decision. Others would rather mark what stays and let us work. Either way is fine.
Tell us who makes the calls on the day, and we'll check with that person whenever something isn't clear. If the person who lives in the home is with us, we work at a pace they can manage, one room or one area at a time. A counselor, caseworker or relative who is helping is welcome too.
When a loved one has passed away or moved into care, the job often becomes a whole-house cleanout. Our estate cleanout page covers executors, family who live out of state, and getting the house ready to sell.
Sorting what to keep, donate and toss
If you ask us to, we sort as we go into three piles: keep, donate and toss. Anything you're unsure about goes in the keep pile so you can decide later. Sorting takes longer than clearing a room straight out, so mention it when you ask for a price.
A little prep helps, and none of it involves heavy lifting:
- Mark or gather anything you already know is staying, or just tell us what it is.
- Tell us what to look out for, like important papers, photos, jewelry, cash or keys. In a crowded home, these can turn up anywhere.
Mold, waste and needles: when a specialist goes first
Some homes need specialist work before anyone starts clearing. Human or animal waste, needles and other sharps, blood, and mold are not things our crew cleans up. That work is for licensed specialists, such as biohazard cleanup and mold remediation companies. Once they've made the home safe, we come in and remove the junk and debris.
The same goes for repairs. Water damage, soft or damaged floors, and anything electrical, plumbing or structural need the right licensed trade. If you see signs of rodents, insects or bed bugs, mention them when you ask for a price.
Not sure what's under the clutter? Send photos and tell us what you've noticed. We'll tell you plainly whether we can start, or whether a specialist needs to go in first.
What we take, and what we can't
Everything in the home can go except hazardous waste: paint, chemicals, gasoline and gas cans, motor oil, propane tanks, asbestos and medical waste, including needles and medications. In a crowded home these are often buried, so a few may turn up along the way. We leave them out of the load, and our guide to what junk removal can't take lists where each one goes in your county.
How a hoarding cleanout works
Here's how it goes, from the first photos to the sweep-up.
- Get a price. Text photos of each room, plus the basement, attic, garage and the way out, to (855) 655-7552. Dominic often quotes from photos. If photos can't show it all, book a free in-person estimate. There's no obligation.
- Pick a day. Same-day and next-day openings are often available. For a full house, ask how long to plan for when you get your price.
- On the day, we text before we arrive, go over what's staying with you or whoever is making the calls, and start where you want us to start.
- We clear room by room, loading as we go, and sweep up as we finish. If you add items on the day, we'll tell you the new price before anything else goes on the truck.
Where everything goes, and what comes next
We sort every load. Furniture and household items in good shape are donated whenever possible. Metal goes to a scrap yard for recycling, refrigerators and freezers go to facilities that accept them, and TVs, electronics and tires go to licensed recyclers. The rest goes to a licensed disposal site in the county where the house is.
Once the rooms are clear, the house is ready for whatever comes next: cleaners, repairs, a family member moving back in, or a sale. If it needs a deep clean, schedule it for after we're done. Outside, an old shed or deck can come down as part of the same job.
We do hoarding cleanouts across Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Mercer and Middlesex counties, including Freehold, Toms River, Bordentown and Hamilton.
What affects the cost of a hoarding cleanout
Hoarding cleanouts are priced per job, not per truckload, because the amount is only part of the work. Four things set the price: what's going, how much there is, how hard it is to reach, and how much sorting you want. Narrow paths, stairs, basements and attics take more work than furniture by the front door. As Dominic puts it, half a truck carried down six flights of stairs costs more than a full truck already in the driveway. Your price covers all lifting, loading and carrying, hauling and disposal fees, donation and recycling drop-offs, and the sweep-up. The price we quote is the price you pay, with no hidden fees. If you add items on the day, we'll tell you the new price before anything else goes on the truck.
Every job is priced individually. The price we quote is the price you pay — no hidden fees. See how we price jobs.
