What Does a Garage Clean Out Cost?
Did you know you need to replace the paint protection film on your car every five to seven years? UV radiation will destroy your car’s paint without suitable protection. But your garage can help protect your paint job.
Other popular uses for garages are as home gyms and office space. But you can’t use your garage for anything functional if the area is a cluttered mess. For your junky, clustered area, a garage clean-out might be in order.
You may think garage cleaning isn’t that big a deal. However, you can accomplish plenty by organizing and removing much of what’s in this part of your home. Garage cleanouts help you reclaim the space that was occupied.
COMPARE QUOTESBelow is the ultimate garage cleaning guide. If you’re curious about removing your garage from clutter, read on for garage cleaning tips and costs.
What Is a Garage Clean Out?
At its core, a garage clean-out probably sounds like a bit of dusting and removing items you don’t want anymore. A garage clean out involves loading up, hauling away, disposing of, and recycling unwanted items.
It’s easy to accumulate junk, and getting rid of the objects can be challenging. Before you say, “It doesn’t matter if I keep my garage how it is,” keep reading; getting rid of your garage clutter matters.
Why Cleaning Your Garage Matters
One bit of garage cleaning advice is to clear your garage out often. Accumulating too many items over time may cause accidents like fires and (water or gas) leaks. You can also cause wall or floor damage.
Clutter is liable to attract bugs and rodents, which can eat away at the items or wiring inside the garage. Piling up too many objects may result in injury. They may fall if you have boxes and other items stacked on top.
Things on the floor become tripping hazards that can harm you and your family. Clutter also hinders organization efforts and may make it harder to find something you need.
A junky garage is terrible if you use the space for work. Clutter may result in stress and more effort than necessary, thanks to requiring more time to find misplaced objects. Clean garages also increase curb appeal.
Your home could look amazing, but the illusion is shattered as soon as you open the garage door. You may not think so, but garage cleaning is essential to keeping your home looking tidy from the outside.
A messy garage is the bane of some neighbors as well. Remember how we said cluttered garages might attract rodents and pests? Those pests can spread to your neighbors’ yards and homes.
It’s possible to find valuable things inside your junky garage. You may spot something you need inside your garage, preventing needing to re-buy the item.
Some things may have high resell value also. You could make money with a garage sale or post sellable objects online.
How Much Does a Garage Clean Out Cost?
The average garage cleaning cost is about $90 to $500. Remember that these prices are merely for putting a bunch of junk in a truck and hauling away. The truck full of garbage may usually cost $200 at most.
Garage cleaning isn’t necessarily difficult for professionals, so $200 is a fair price to expect for clearing away unwanted items. Most of the cost goes into labor.
You typically don’t have to worry about additional fees, either. Junk removal service costs are all-inclusive – provided you only get items like old furniture, clothes, and bins removed.
Hazardous waste removal, disposal of extremely heavy items, and disposal of more waste than originally stated could likely result in additional charges.
You should expect the extra fees because there is more (and potentially harmful) work than what’s reasonably expected. One of the best garage cleaning tips you can receive is to get your estimates in person.
It’s preferable for the junk removal company and the client if the removers come to look at the garage. Seeing what they’re working with allows the team to better understand what they’ll be doing.
Another excellent garage cleaning tip is to ask what they include in their price. Most services are all-inclusive (barring potentially hazardous surprises), but it’s always best to be sure.
COMPARE QUOTESWhat Influences Garage Cleaning Costs
Here’s some advice: don’t expect your garage cleaning cost to be the same as some guy’s in another city five miles away. Various factors determine what you’ll pay for removal.
Geographic Location and Accessibility
Weather isn’t too much of a factor when getting a garage clean out, but distance and accessibility are. The farther you live from the junk removal company, the more you can expect to pay for cleaning.
Think of it like paying for fuel expenses. Companies charge for travel time and the cost of gas for the trip. Difficulty hauling the trash off may also impact what you pay the removal company.
The more labor it takes to access the garage can result in higher costs for the customer. Let’s say the truck can’t get into your driveway and has to park across the street. The extra labor may result in additional fees.
Junk Volume
Some companies charge depending on how much space your junk takes up in their trucks. For example, you may find a company that charges $90 for 1/4 of the truck and $270 for 3/4 of the truck.
Trash Type
We said that hazardous and toxic materials would cost extra for removal. But you should expect that the junk removal team may refuse to handle the materials. It’s not uncommon for some places to refuse HAZMATs.
HAZMAT is an abbreviation for harmful materials and includes toxic substances like chemicals, radiological, nuclear waste, or biological materials. Below is a list of hazardous materials typically found in garages:
- Aerosols
- Tires
- Varnishes and stains
- Paint (Many companies don’t consider dry paint dangerous)
- Fuel and oil
- Flammables and explosive items
- Construction debris
- Anything containing mold or asbestos
If you’re unsure what the garage clean-out company considers “hazardous,” ask about their policies regarding the matter. It’s best to know before they come to remove your junk and get stuck with a job they can’t complete.
Can You Perform a DIY Garage Clean Out?
Technically, you can do a garage cleaning on your own. We mentioned before that much of what you’re paying a professional junk cleaning team for is labor. But that doesn’t mean a DIY garage clean out is a good idea.
We call professionals such because their occupations are their professions – they’re trained with the skills to perform their jobs. Even lifting a heavy item the wrong way can cause back or knee problems.
A professional garage cleaning team may set you back some funds, but they’ll have the right tools and know how to get rid of your junk. It’s worth the money if you cannot safely clear your garage.
Like any DIY project, consider this; if you don’t have the skill, leave the work to someone that does. You and your garage may be safer in the hands of a skilled professional.
We want to mention that you can rent a dumpster if you’re worried about the cost. But, there’s still the issue of who’s putting everything in the dumpster. You can do the work yourself, but it may be a bigger job than you expected.
If your garage is full of safe, relatively easy-to-remove junk, then the dumpster may be a good choice for you.
Can I Save on a Garage Clean Out?
There are a few garage cleaning tips we can offer to help you save some money. The first thing you should do is get multiple quotes from various companies.
Not only will multiple quotes help you find the lowest price, but you’ll know if you’re paying market value. Market value (or open market valuation) is the price a service or item gets on the market.
Think of market value as the fairest price something is worth. You can expect your estimated garage cleaning cost to be about the same regardless of the company. It’s also helpful to sell or throw away smaller items.
You can reduce the clean-up crew’s work if you remove some things before they come to handle the bigger job. It’s also a good idea to clear a path in the garage for the workers.
Not only is making a secure walkway safe for everyone, but that’s less junk removal and disposal for the team. You can negotiate some of the removal fees by using the value of some items to offset the cost.
How to Find the Perfect Garage Cleaners
You know how much a garage clean-out costs now, if it’s possible to do it on your own, and how to save money by hiring a team. What you may be curious about is how to find the right people for the job.
1. Find an Insured Company
The best garage cleaning advice we can give you is to find a junk removal company with insurance. You can find the best cleaning team on Earth, but it’s still a bad idea to hire them if they’re uninsured.
Accidents and unforeseen circumstances happen. Insurance ensures you, your property, and the workers have protection in case something goes wrong.
2. Research the Company
Ideally, you can find someone that’s used the company you’re thinking of getting to clean your garage. If you can’t find a live source of information, search online.
Look on the company’s website for how long they’ve been in business and customer reviews. Good reviews and a long service term will give you an idea of how much integrity and professionalism the junk removal team has.
You should be wary of fake reviews that seemingly inflate their service record or are unjustifiably bad. Check here for a handy guide that helps pick out genuine reviews from false nonsense.
3. Find Out Company Availability
The worst thing that can happen is you find seemingly the perfect company, but they don’t have time to get to you. Spring and summer are considered the best times to do garage clean outs.
The warmer months are often booked solid through various days or weeks. Another good garage cleaning tip is planning; it helps prepare in advance.
4. Ask About Disposal Methods
One reason for getting a professional garage clean out is that these companies have better access to recycling centers and donation facilities. Someone doing a DIY cleaning may not have a way to reach these places.
Not only is it easier to get someone to do the disposal for you, but it’s more environmentally friendly. There’s no need to add more waste to the United State’s landfills if there are better disposal methods.
5. Provide a Specific Project Time Frame
It’s not uncommon for a junk removal service to send someone with a quote and to provide service immediately after the call. Sometimes, customers may not be available for such immediate assistance.
It’s good to provide your scheduling limitations and expectations while on the call. Sometimes, life requires rescheduling. The company will try to accommodate you as long as you concisely give a good time.
Want to Know Your Garage Cleaning Cost?
A garage clean out is generally no more than $200, although the most you may end up spending is $500. Garage cleaning primarily consists of removing junk from the area, but that doesn’t mean it’s not arduous.
Attempting to clear your cluttered garage on your own can be hazardous without the proper equipment or skill. Get a professional team if you don’t think you can handle the work.
If you want to clear out your garage or any other janitorial services, get a quote from Janitorial Service Bids today!
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My brother and I want to help our dad declutter his garage and basement for good, but we think we’ll need more help than we expected. That’s why we’re glad you talked about hiring an insured company to help us clean and declutter our dad’s garage next weekend. Thanks for the insight on finding a junk removal company with insurance to avoid accidents.