Your home · 10 guides
Junk Removal: problems and fixes, explained by Andrew
Andrew Siegel is the only junk removal member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- What junk removal costs in Dallas, and what actually moves the price Junk removal is priced by how much of the truck your things fill, not by the hour. Here is what pushes the number up, what brings it down, and how to read an estimate. The short answer: you pay for truck spaceHow a truckload is measuredFive things that push the number upWhat brings the price down
- The lease is ending and the old desks are staying behind: how to clear an office The new space is ready, the old one has to be empty by the walk-through, and nobody wants the cubicles. Here is the order that gets an office cleared on time, with as little as possible going to the landfill. The plan in a nutshellThree different crews for three different jobsWorking backward from the walk-through dateBuilding your inventory: move, sell, donate, go
- Haul it yourself or hire a crew? When a DIY cleanout works and when it backfires A lot of junk can leave your house without hiring anyone. Here is what the city will take at the curb, what it will not, where the leftovers go, and the point where a crew earns its fee. Yes, often, with a few hard limitsWhat the city's monthly bulk pickup acceptsWhat the curb will not take, and where it goes insteadThe appliance and electronics details people miss
- Dumpster in the driveway or a crew that loads it: which fits your cleanout A dumpster suits a long project you load yourself. A crew suits a pile that already exists and needs to be gone today. Here is how to tell which one your job is. The one-sentence ruleSide by side: how the two actually differWhen a dumpster really is the better callWhen a crew comes out ahead
- Does junk removal really donate your things? Myths about where it all ends up Some haulers sort every load. Some dump it all. And even the good ones cannot donate everything. Here are the common myths about where your things go, and what is actually true. The honest answerMyth: every junk company just dumps everythingMyth: if it is usable, it will definitely be donatedMyth: the donation receipt means you can deduct what you paid
- Clutter or something more: signs a home needs a hoarding cleanout, and how to begin Messy is not the same as unsafe. Here is how to tell when clutter has crossed into hoarding, who should be involved, and how a cleanout can happen without breaking trust. Where messy ends and hoarding beginsWhat the American Psychiatric Association says hoarding isSigns I look for when I walk into a homeWhy a surprise cleanout usually backfires
- Clearing a parent's house: what an estate cleanout involves, from walk-through to empty Clearing a parent's home is part logistics and part grief. Here is the order that works, what the family should do before the crew arrives, and what happens on cleanout day. How an estate cleanout works, brieflyBefore anything leaves the houseThe family's work: keep, distribute, sell, donateWhat happens on cleanout day
- Before you hire a junk hauler: the questions that separate good crews from risky ones Most junk haulers look the same online. A handful of direct questions about price, insurance, crews and where your things end up will tell you which ones to trust. What to ask first, in one paragraphHow will you price this, and will it be in writing?Who exactly is coming to my house?Where will my things end up?
- After a North Texas storm: clearing debris and ruined furniture without losing your claim The urge after a storm is to clear everything fast. Here is the order that protects your insurance claim, what the city will pick up, and what needs a crew or a restoration company. Document first, haul secondWhat the insurance side asks of youSorting storm debris into the right pilesWhat the city will and will not collect
- Still paying for a storage unit you never visit: how to finally clear it out The rent goes out every month and the door stays shut. Here is a plan for emptying a unit in one or two visits, keeping what matters and getting the rest donated instead of dumped. The monthly charge you stopped noticingWhy the unit never gets emptiedA sorting method you can finish in one afternoonWhen doing it yourself makes sense, and when it does not