The 6 Most Common Mistakes When Doing a Home Cleanout and How to Avoid Them

Home cleanouts can usually be a stressful time for people. The need to clean out an entire home can usually be due to cleaning out an estate after a loved one has passed, downsizing due to a major life event, or the result of an eviction. Home cleanouts can be an enormous time investment and require a large amount of emotional bandwidth. Plus, what do you do with all of those items? Whatever the reason, the process can be overwhelming for whoever is affected. Nixxit’s team has been providing full home cleanout services and junk removal for over 10 years. With our experience, we know what it takes to get the job done. We also know what can hinder a home cleanout project’s success. Below is a list of 6 common mistakes that we see people make when cleaning out a home and ways you can avoid them.

What is a Home Clean Out?

First things first. What is a home cleanout? A home cleanout is the complete removal of all or most personal items from the property including furniture, kitchenware, food items, and more – including items inside closets, cabinets, and drawers. There are many reasons that someone may go through the process of an entire home cleanout including:

Moving or downsizing.
You are clearing out an estate.
You are a landlord clearing out items that your previous tenant left behind.

Home Cleanout Mistakes

Person stressed over cleaning out an estate.

Home cleanouts are no small feat and it can become easy to feel overwhelmed with the process. Nixxit’s helped hundreds of customers clean out entire estates and properties and have seen it all over the years. In order to ensure that your upcoming home cleanout goes smoothly, there are a few mistakes that you will want to avoid.

1. Waiting Too Long To Start

House cleanouts require alot of labor hours to plan and complete. The time frame to complete a home cleanout can also vary depending on the size and complexity of the property.

Whether you are selling your house or simply just downsizing, give yourself a realistic timeline. We recommend that you start pre-planning a month or two in advance. Make sure to include plenty of time for listing items for sale, donating, hiring outside vendors, like junk removal companies to assist you, and more.

Rushing through a house cleanout project can result in accidently missing sentimental items, glossing over secure documents, overlooking commonly neglected areas like attics and basements, and undervaluing high ticket items you could have sold.

2. DIY Vs Hiring a professional

Before starting any home cleanout, consider whether you want to tackle this task alone or hire a professional home cleanout service like Nixxit.

Home cleanouts can be labor-intensive and time-consuming, which oftentimes people don’t consider until they get mid way through the cleanout and realize that it’s more than they bargained for.

If not properly trained, moving around bulky items like heavy furniture and appliances can also place you at risk of injury.

Here are some instances where you should seek a professional’s help:

- Overall volume of items, especially bulky/heavy items (the larger the home, the greater then need for professional help)
- Out of state family, trustees or personal representatives
- You’re too busy
- Grief and anxiety

A good home cleanout service, like Nixxit, can help you eliminate unwanted items, donate salvageable clothing and furniture, and clear out years worth of clutter.

3. Throwing everything away

A home cleanout is a big task and it can be tempting to rush through it and throw everything away. We tend to see this a lot side by side with mistake #1 (not planning enough time). Don’t do this! There are many items that can be resold or donated!

You will also want to make sure you locate and secure any important documents and sentimental items.

There are situations where homes are unsafe to enter, such as hoarding, mold, structural damage to the home, etc. Again, in these situations it is equally (if not more) important to consult with a professional company before proceeding, as you may require specialized help.

4. Not budgeting costs accurately

If you are starting a home cleanout and you are planning to do it yourself, getting the job done won’t be “free” even if it may seem like it.

Don’t forget to calculate your expenses before getting started to see if you are really being cost and time effective with the home cleanout and junk removal. Pocket charges tend to pile up quickly.

Here are a few expenses to consider:

1. Additional manpower if needed
2. Dump or dumpster fees
3. Travel or fuel fees
4. Equipment rental fees such as trucks or vans
5. Job supplies such as bags, boxes, and cleaning supplies
6. Storage rental fees
7. Shipping/packing material fees if selling items
8. Time is money

Most professional home cleanout services like Nixxit have the staff, experience, tools, and equipment to get large home cleanouts done in a day or two depending on the complexity of the job.

This can help streamline your project and help get your home on the market faster. Hiring help can oftentimes end up saving you or even making you money!

5. Putting everything in storage

It can be tempting to just throw everything in storage when rushing to clean out a house and get it sold. Unfortunately, putting your items in storage quickly leads to an out of sight out of mind mentality, not to mention a hefty monthly bill.

If you are planning on selling items or donating items, having items in storage will make it difficult to do so.

By planning ahead, you can avoid this unnecessary step.

6. Hiring the cheapest company

Not all professional home cleanout companies are the same. Hiring a company that is cheap, doesn’t carry the proper insurance, or have the right tools or equipment, can lead to a chaotic home cleanout project.

Always check with a company to know exactly what you are getting for your money. We also recommend meeting with their team to see if they are a good fit and reading their online reviews. Here are 9 questions you should ask when screening professional junk removal companies to assist you with your home cleanout project.

Home Cleanout Services

Hiring a professional home cleanout service in the Bay Area will save a whole lot of time and money. There are a number of Bay Area home cleanout services that will clean out the entire home, apartment, or property or even just help remove one off items like unwanted furniture and mattresses. You won’t even have to lift a finger. Here’s how home cleanout services work with Nixxit.

Planning – If our 10+ years of industry experience has taught us anything, it’s that every house cleanout is different, which is why we take into account your specific needs. We can work closely with the homeowner, Realtor, or Executor of the Estate to coordinate all the home cleanout details. When you reach out to us, we’ll schedule a time to come see the property. This helps us to accurately estimate time, labor, and pricing.
Removal – Once the estimate has been approved, we will schedule a time to begin the home cleanout. Our staff will take care of all the work including gathering, sorting, bagging, and loading all junk and debris that needs to go.
Cleanup – The job isn’t done until we’ve done a final walkthrough, confirmed that we got it all, and swept up any loose debris.

How Much Do Home Cleanout Services Cost?

If you are considering hiring outside help for your home cleanout project, you may be wondering what the cost might be. The cost for professional home cleanout services will depend on the size of the property, the amount of items that need to be removed, and the type of materials the company will have to remove. Expect to pay more for hazardous waste, including mold, fungi, feces, drug homes, and rotten food. Prices of house cleanouts can range depending on the severity of the property and what is required. Because of this, it’s hard to put a ballpark figure on the cost of an entire home cleanout in the Bay Area. Pricing for home cleanouts typically include the loading, hauling, disposal, or recycling fees. Most companies charge by the volume that you fill up in the truck. To get an estimate on your cleanout, contact a Bay Area professional house cleanout specialist, like Nixxit to do an on-site estimate. Most reputable companies will offer free estimates so they can properly assess the scope of work.

Nixxit Junk Removal: Professional Home Cleanout Services in the Bay Area, CA

Nixxit providing home cleanout and estate clearing services

If you are looking for help with your Bay Area home cleanout, Nixxit can help! Our home cleanout services are affordable and easy. You won’t need to do anything. Nixxit’s team of home cleanout professionals will provide all the heavy lifting, haul away and responsible disposal of your old storage items. Nixxit has cleared out hundreds of homes across the Bay Area. We can remove everything from old furniture, appliances, electronics, and pretty much anything that you can think of.

Get Started On Your Home Cleanout Today!

To get started on your Bay Area home cleanout, call (925) 281-0638. Our friendly home cleanout junk removal professionals will work with you to assess the scope of your project, get you on the schedule, and provide you with an on-site no-obligation estimate. Whenever possible, items are disposed of in an eco-friendly way, either through recycling, rehoming, or donating. Make the environmentally conscious choice when it comes to cleaning out your home. Get started. Call (925) 281-0638 today for reliable house cleanout service near you.