Plan a Garage, Basement or Attic Cleanout Weekend With a Roll Off Dumpster

Most garages, basements and attics do not get cleaned out because the job looks endless. You open the door, see forty years of boxes, and close it again. The trick is to take away the biggest obstacle first: where everything goes. A roll off dumpster sitting in your driveway answers that question before you pick up the first box. The work becomes simple. Carry it out, throw it in, repeat until the floor shows. Here is how to plan the weekend so it actually finishes.

Pick the weekend and the spot first

Choose a weekend with two open days and decent weather, and give yourself help for at least part of it. A friend with a strong back and a second pair of hands for the heavy pieces cuts the work in half. Then think about where the dumpster will sit. It needs a flat, firm surface with room to get in and room above it. Look at overhead wires and tree branches, and think about how the truck will reach the spot. If your driveway is soft, narrow or sloped, say so when you call. Wipe Out Clutter delivers a sturdy roll off dumpster to your property and hauls it away when you are done, and you can see how that works on the Roll Off Dumpster Rentals page.

Do the sorting before the dumpster arrives

If you can, do a first pass the weekend before. Walk through with three boxes or taped-off sections of floor and label them keep, donate and toss. The point is not to deal with every item. It is to decide quickly, because the longer you hold something in your hand, the harder the decision gets. Anything you cannot decide on in about ten seconds goes into a maybe box that you will look at once, at the end, and then either keep or toss.

• Keep: things you use or truly love, plus important papers and family photos
• Donate: working household items, tools and clothes in decent shape that someone else can use
• Toss: broken things, old paint cans you will never use, rotted boxes, carpet scraps and anything that has been waiting for 'someday' since the last move

Ask about anything unusual such as paint, chemicals, tires, batteries or propane tanks when you book, so you are not surprised on delivery day.

Load the heavy and bulky items first

When the dumpster arrives, start with the biggest things. Old furniture, workbenches, broken shelving and rolled carpet go in first, along the walls of the container, so the floor of the dumpster is used well. Small items and loose trash can fill in the gaps later. Loading this way means you do not waste half your space on boxes and then discover a sofa that will not fit. It is the same logic as packing a car for a trip.

Keep the pile level rather than mounding it in the middle. Stack flat things flat, break down cardboard and cabinets when you can, and save bags for the end. Wear gloves and sturdy shoes, because attic insulation, rusty nails and splintered boards are all common in this kind of job.

Work in zones, not in circles

The biggest mistake in a cleanout weekend is moving things from one pile to another. Pick one corner or one wall, finish it completely, and move to the next. Keep a clear path from the work area to the dumpster so you are never walking around a pile. For a basement, work from the stairs outward. For an attic, bring everything down to a staging area first so you are not carrying while you are still sorting. For a garage, pull the large items out to the driveway so you can see the floor, then bring back only what you decided to keep.

Finish with a sweep and a last walk

When the dumpster is full or the space is empty, sweep the floor and walk the area one last time. Check shelves, corners and the spaces behind the furnace or the water heater where small things hide. Move the keepers back in an order that makes sense, with the things you use most nearest to the door. A clean space is easier to keep that way.

When a dumpster is not the right tool

A roll off is ideal when you have a lot to move and want to work at your own pace. If the job is smaller, or the items are too heavy to carry out yourself, or you simply do not want to spend the weekend on it, Wipe Out Clutter will do the cleanout for you through junk removal. Some jobs even combine both. We serve Coldwater, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Jackson and Three Rivers, with the phone line open from 7:00AM to 8:00PM every day. Call 517-462-2407 for a free estimate and we will help you figure out which approach fits the space.