Should I hire a junk removal company to clean out my garage?

Hire a junk removal company when the garage is full, the items are heavy, or you have no truck and no free weekend. Do it yourself when the load is small and your trash service's bulk pickup takes most of it. Either way, the hazardous leftovers (fuel, paint, pesticides, propane and batteries) usually go to your locality's household hazardous waste program, not in the truck. If you hire, choose a company that gives a written all-in price, tells you what it will not take, and can say where your load ends up.

When hiring makes sense

• The garage is packed. A full two-car garage is several truckloads of carrying. A crew of two or three does in a few hours what takes one person a weekend.
• There are heavy or awkward items. Old refrigerators and chest freezers, workbenches, tires, engines, safes and scrap metal are where people hurt their backs.
• You have no way to haul it. Without a truck or trailer, a dump run means renting one, and some loads take several trips.
• You are on a deadline. A house sale, a move or an estate cleanout usually justifies paying for speed.

When doing it yourself makes sense

• The load is small. A few pieces of furniture and some bagged trash rarely need a crew.
• Your trash service already covers it. Fairfax County residents whose trash the county collects get five free special pickups per fiscal year, up to 2 cubic yards each.^[2] Richmond collects bulk items every other week but excludes paint, gas tanks, propane tanks, lawn mowers, tires and auto parts.^[3] Other localities and private haulers set their own rules.
• You want to go through it slowly. If most of the work is deciding what to keep, sort first and hire only for the haul-away, or skip the crew altogether. See how to clean out a garage in one weekend.

For what each route costs, see how much a garage cleanout costs in Virginia.

What a good company does

A company worth hiring prices the job before it starts, from photos or a short visit, and puts it in writing. The quote names the minimum charge, the per-item fees and what happens if the load turns out bigger. It tells you up front what it will not take, which usually includes chemicals, fuel and propane. It can tell you which landfill, transfer station or recycler it uses, and whether it donates usable items. It shows up with enough people for the heavy pieces and leaves the floor swept.

Be wary of a price that is far below the others with no explanation, a demand for full payment before any work, or vagueness about where the load goes.

Permits and licences in Virginia

Local hauling permits. Some localities regulate who may collect refuse. Fairfax County's code requires refuse collectors serving county residents to hold a permit called a Certificate to Operate, and contracting with a company that does not have one is a violation of county code, subject to civil penalties.^[1] The county publishes a list of permitted companies, and says the list is not a recommendation.^[1] Elsewhere, ask your public works or solid waste office whether a permit applies.

When the job includes taking something down. Virginia's contractor law defines a contractor to include anyone who, for a fee, takes on the removal of a building or structure permanently annexed to real property,^[6] and the smallest licence class, Class C, covers single jobs over $1,000 but less than $30,000.^[6] If the cleanout includes tearing out a shed, a loft or built-in shelving, ask what licence the company holds for that part of the work.

Why it matters where your junk goes

Virginia makes it unlawful to dump trash on public property, including a public highway or right-of-way, or on private property without the owner's written consent,^[4] and a conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of $500 to $2,500.^[4] Virginia law also says it is the duty of all persons to dispose of their solid waste in a legal manner,^[5] and allows a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for improper disposal.^[5] In a civil case, when dumped waste is shown to have been in someone's possession before it was dumped, and no permission was given, the law presumes that person disposed of it improperly, though the presumption can be rebutted.^[5]

In practice that means hiring a company that uses a real disposal site, and keeping the written quote and receipt that show you paid someone to take the load. For a fuller checklist, see what to ask a junk removal company before booking.

If something goes wrong

Raise the problem with the company in writing first, with photos. If that does not settle it, the Office of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section takes complaints against businesses operating in Virginia, online or on a printed form.^[7]

Stop and call a pro if

• The garage holds items too heavy to move safely: a chest freezer, an engine, a safe, a piano or a full tool chest.
• You find unlabelled drums, leaking containers or chemicals you cannot identify. Call your locality's hazardous waste office before anyone moves them.
• There is a large rodent infestation, or droppings through stored boxes and insulation.
• The job means removing a structure: a shed, a loft, a wall-mounted workbench or built-in cabinets.

Getting quotes on Loclis

Browse more junk removal and moving answers, see garage cleanout services, or find junk removal and moving businesses around Blacksburg. When you are ready, describe the garage once on Loclis with photos, and businesses quote on the same load.