Estate cleanouts in King and Pierce counties
Clearing a family home takes longer than anyone expects. The hauling is the one part you can hand to someone else. Photograph each room, see a rough estimate for the whole house, and pick the day that fits the sale.
How it goes
- 01
Photograph each room from the doorway, then the garage, the basement and the inside of any shed. One wide shot per space, with the closet doors open.
- 02
See a rough estimate in seconds. A whole house usually reads as more than one trip, and the estimate says so. Pick the first day, or call and we plan the trips around the listing date.
- 03
Walk the crew through what stays. They load the rest room by room, and stop and ask about anything they are unsure of.
In a house one family has held for decades, the basement and the garage are usually most of the load.
Our truck holds 270 cubic feet, about 10 cubic yards, and a full basement can fill it on its own. So the estimate for a whole house usually reads as more than one trip.
It says so before you book, the crew confirms trip by trip on site, and if a load comes in smaller than the photos suggested, you pay less.
What we take (and don’t)
We take
- Furniture from every room, upstairs and in the basement included
- Mattresses and box springs, listed by the piece in the estimate
- Fridges and freezers, hauled intact so the station can recover the refrigerant
- Washers, dryers, ranges and water heaters, once they are disconnected
- Boxes of papers, books, clothing and linens
- Kitchenware, small appliances and pantry leftovers
- Garage, shed and basement contents
- Yard tools, planters and patio furniture
- Rugs, curtains, blinds and anything already taken down
We don’t
- Anything the family has flagged to keep. Put it in one room, or tape a note to it.
- Prescription medication. Kiosks at pharmacies and sheriff's offices around Pierce County take it at no charge; medtakebackwashington.org lists them.
- Needles and sharps. Pierce County transfer stations take them from a resident at no charge in a rigid, closed container.
- Firearms and ammunition
- Oil-based paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals and fuel. The household hazardous waste drop-off at Hidden Valley takes these from a resident and refuses anything a business brings in, so they go with you, not with us.
- If the crew finds needles or anything that looks like a biohazard, they stop, set it aside and tell you where it can go. Hazardous waste we refer out; it never goes in the truck.
- More than five tires on one job. Those fall under state waste tire rules, so we quote them by hand.
- Cars, boats and trailers
Unsure about something? Put it in a photo and we will say whether we take it.
Junk removal is the last step, not the first. Take what the family wants, sell or give away what has value, then photograph what is left. Furniture still in good shape goes to a donation drop-off when a charity will take it.
NW Furniture Bank in Tacoma takes clean sofas, dressers and dining sets and turns away anything torn, stained or smelling of pets, so much of what remains after a family has been through a house goes to the transfer station. We do not quote a diversion figure, because it depends on the house.
Common questions
Can you work around the things the family wants to keep?
Yes. Put them in one room, or tape a note to each piece, and point them out to the crew at the door. Nothing marked gets touched, and the crew does not open drawers or boxes you have set aside.
What if there are photographs or papers mixed in with everything else?
Go through the desks, the drawers and the boxes before we come if you can, because once a box of loose paper is in the truck it is gone. Tell the crew at the door what to watch for, point out the rooms to leave until last, and anything they are unsure of waits until they can ask you.
Do you buy anything or give credit for valuables?
No. We haul. Sell or give away what has value first, then photograph what is left. Furniture in good shape that is still there goes to a donation drop-off when a charity will take it.
How many trips does a whole house take?
It depends on the house. The truck holds 270 cubic feet, and a full basement or a packed garage can fill it alone. The estimate from your photos says whether it is one trip or several, and the crew confirms trip by trip. If it comes in smaller than the photos suggested, you pay less.
I live out of the area. Can you do this without me there?
Yes. Ask about a lockbox code or a key arrangement when you book, and leave a number the crew can reach you on. Anything they are unsure about waits until they can ask you. Send photos of the rooms as they are now, and ask the agent or a neighbor to open the garage and the shed for a shot, because those are the spaces a photo from the driveway cannot see.
What about the old paint and chemicals in the garage?
Latex paint goes with us: dried-out cans at a set charge per can, paint still liquid at a set charge per gallon, each named on your estimate. Oil-based paint, stain and the other chemicals stay behind: a PaintCare drop-off site takes oil-based paint and stain free in the original labeled can, and the household hazardous waste drop-off at the Hidden Valley transfer station on Meridian in Puyallup takes the rest from a Pierce County resident and refuses anything from a business, which is what we are.
Estate cleanouts across Pierce and King County
Serving King and Pierce counties, seven days a week. Pick yours for the local details.
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