Looking to tackle a whole-room cleanup project? Need to get that attic or spare bedroom cleared out? Perhaps you’re done watching that bonus room accumulate stuff. Regardless, we have some ideas to help as you work to free up space in your home or business.
 
Below are some tips and a rough outline to assist in planning and tackling your project:
 
1.  Start with the end in mind. Ask yourself, what do you want to achieve during the course of this cleanup project? Are you looking to create space? To take back a room? To do something entirely new? These questions will help you identify and end state; the place you want to be when the project is over. Having this in mind will help you make important decisions, orient your work and effort, and can save you time.

2.  Make a plan. Once you know what you want to achieve, it is much easier to make a plan and determine how to get there. Simply ask yourself, what all needs to happen in order to achieve the end state you determined in step 1? Want to completely empty and clean a space? That means you need to empty it out and clean it. Want to make a space functional? How much junk does that mean you need to remove? These questions can inform planning. Most plans will consist of the following ideas or steps. Use them as you consider your plan:

What do you want to do with your space?
Are you trying to get rid of junk, or just reorganize, or both?
Where will the stuff you’re tossing go? Think rental dumpsters and junk removal here. Where will the stuff you’re reorganizing end up?
What tools are required for the job? Do you need cleaning supplies, shelving, organizational equipment, or furniture?
Will you need help with the project?
What surprise issues might you encounter?
How long will the project take, and will you have enough time?

3.  Get started. Once you have a plan, it’s time to get started. Gather the materials you need. Arrange for a rental dumpster or junk removal service, and jump in. Once you have a designated place to put your stuff, start going through it. Generally, for packed spaces, the best approach is to clear everything out, and go through it as you do. Sort into piles if possible. If you plan on keeping items, put them in another room or in a pile. If you plan on tossing an item, put that somewhere else, then carry it out to the dumpster or the junk pile. If you can’t make up your mind about an item, ask a few questions: how does this fit into the space I’m creating? Do I need to keep it? Have I used the item in a couple years? Can I part with it? Continue sorting and clearing the space. Once your space is empty, it’s time to configure it.

4.  Reconfigure your space. Once you’ve removed everything from your room, it’s time to reconfigure your space to make it what you want it to be. For most spaces, we suggest a thorough cleaning before adding stuff back in. After months or years of storage, floors can become dingy, carpets smelly, and rooms musty. Consider hiring a cleaning service for a deep clean, so you can continue to go through things. Or jump in with a mop and rags, and give the space a quick refresh. Once this is complete, it’s time to customize the space to make it what you want. If you’re building a storage room, add your shelves or furniture. If you need a functional or leisure space, add your décor and fixtures. If you are renovating, now is the time to get started. If you’re just reorganizing or arranging, get to it!

5.  Replace your stuff. Depending on your project aspirations, it might be time to put your stuff back into your space. Once your storage and organization solutions are all set, you can begin moving stuff back in. Place items on shelves or in boxes, and we recommend labeling everything if it’s not easily identified. This can aid in finding your stuff the next time you need it. Once everything is back in, and your workspace is clear, you’re almost done.
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6.  Toss the old stuff. Throughout the project, you’ve likely been amassing piles of stuff you plan to get rid of. This is a good thing. It helps make room for the new, reduce clutter, and simplify your life. Now its time to get rid of this stuff. You have three options: Junk removal services, a dumpster rental, or doing it yourself. If you only have one or two car loads of stuff, you can easily transport your things to a dump – or better yet salvage and donate what you can. Your other option is to arrange a dumpster rental, which you would have done before hand. This step would provide a great place to toss stuff throughout the duration of your project, and would save time. If you did rent a dumpster, call the company and tell them you’re complete, or wait for the scheduled pickup.
 
Once all of the above is complete, you’re done! Enjoy your space, and revel in your work and the beautiful simplicity of clean surroundings!
 
Got a big project? Give us a call to discuss roll off dumpster rental services. We can simplify your life and project, and can help deliver the type of space you’ll love. 

​You might be surprised to hear that, even as a dumpster rental company, we do everything in power to be environmentally friendly. We are committed to sustainability, and to observing and following laws and best practices aimed at protecting our environment. How do we do this?
 
For one, we follow all applicable laws governing trash and junk. As you could imagine, each city and state have a number of laws governing what we can put in landfills, and how it is done to create minimal negative impact on the environment. While some companies may cut corners here, we don’t. We stay up to date, and ensure we follow all guidelines and best practices.
 
From a practical standpoint, this may mean updating our list of Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) we can’t allow in the dumpsters. Or it may mean completing special paperwork for certain items. Regardless, we do the hard work and ensure the dumpster rental process is simple and hassle-free. This allows you to focus on your project, while feeling good about your impact on the environment.
 
Whenever possible, we also take steps to reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle. In some cases, we’ll work to recycle recyclable materials (especially metals) versus throwing them in a landfill. We’ve also been able to salvage bulk cardboard and some scrap wood for reuse, which ultimately allows us to dump less in the trash. We also aim to recycle rubber (tires) whenever we can, versus throwing it away. While these steps are small ones, they keep us on the right track and allow us to do our part.
 

​A Dumpster to the Rescue
 
The following is a case study featuring a client of ours, Julie. Julie gave us permission to share her story, as it highlights the utility and value of renting a roll off dumpster.
 
Like many, Julie had never considered renting a dumpster. She’d used a junk removal company once, but never really generated that much refuse, and could always make the sporadic trip or two to the dump herself.
 
Then, the “incident” occurred. Julie’s child was upstairs, and Julie was downstairs. The day was unfolding like any other Saturday, until Julie heard dripping water. A lot of it. She walked into the adjacent room towards the sound, to find water pouring from her light fixtures above down through the ceiling. It took Julie a minute to figure out what was happening – but a quick trip upstairs quickly put things into perspective. A large utility sink in the upstairs laundry room was overflowing, spewing gallons and gallons of water onto the ground. The water made its way down through the ceiling, and had already started to collect in her basement, two floors below.
 
Turns out Julie’s kid had placed something clothing in the sink, and it had blocked the drain. And because the sink wasn’t equipped with a secondary drain, the water had nowhere to go but up and out. And it did. Lots of it!
 
After quickly turning the water off, Julie threw down whatever towels she could get her hands on, then raced to get more. She grabbed anything she could – blankets, old ratty dog towels, even leftover furniture pads from her move; anything to absorb water. Anything to try and protect her hardwood floors. She managed to soak up a fair amount of water, but had created a mess in the process.
 
Upon surveying the damage in the basement, she realized that water had poured into a few storage boxes, and had likely ruined their contents. Mainly holiday decorations and a box of old files and papers she told us. Julie spent the rest of the weekend pulling drenched material from the basement and second floor – below where the leak had occurred. It was snowing, so she couldn’t get a water damage remediation company to come out. Instead, she set up a dehumidifier, and every fan she could get her hands on. As the house dried out, she worked to determine what to do with mountains of wet, heavy, absorbent material. She opted to toss the majority of the material, versus trying to dry it out in the middle of winter.
 
Cleanup efforts had produced too much water-logged material to place in her small residential trash cans, and she wasn’t about to load hundreds of pounds of wet, dirty blankets into the car. She considered junk removal, but the two or three calls she made yielded either no answers, or long wait times given the weather. Then, Julie found us! We were able to arrange a dumpster rental for her (for the next day) which made all the difference. Our team brought our smallest size unit to Julie’s house, left it in her driveway, and simplified the whole process. It was a quick walk from the house to the dumpster, where Julie threw all of her towels, blankets, ruined boxes, and other junk. She told us the dumpster dramatically simplified cleanup, and that she walked through her house for an impromptu winter cleaning – throwing away other junk, cardboard, old clothes, and other junk she’d procrastinated on going through. She even walked through her hard and collected rotting wood from her garden, and a handful of broken buckets and tools. She managed to fill the dumpster all the way, and our team came back to transport it to the dump a few days later.
 
Julie was grateful to have found us, and we were grateful for the opportunity to help her with a dumpster rental. Renting a dumpster turned out to be the exact solution she needed, and she was incredibly grateful for our help. She told us she’d consider a dumpster again, given the ease and convenience of the whole experience.
 
So, next time you find yourself confronted by an emergency cleanup task like Julie’s – or you have a big project to tackle at home – consider renting a dumpster. It could be exactly what you need, and could be the easiest part of your project!  

​Dumpster Rentals Prior to your Move
 
Are you moving soon? Working on purging your belongings before loading up a semi-truck and relocating? The average American moves about seven times in their lifetime – so moving and relocating is likely something we’ll all have to deal with in the future. It’s also not an activity we do enough to necessarily be “good” at – or at least accustomed to.
 
While we could talk for hours about moving tips, we have one really simple one for you – and it has to do with dumpsters! 
 
If you’re planning a move, you’ve probably figured out by now that moving is expensive! There are also dozens of costs associated with getting out of a home, packing your things up, and moving somewhere. One of the greatest costs is the moving truck or company you’ll work with. As fuel and labor costs rise, the price of moving will only get more expensive. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take that can cut costs. The biggest one is this:
 
Move less stuff.
 
In addition to moving about seven times, the average American also owns a bunch of stuff. Bikes, keepsakes, a kayak, two computers, tons of clothes, the list goes on. Many of us also hang onto a lot of stuff, which is great…Until we’re paying for every square foot in a giant moving truck.
 
Many people make the mistake of forgetting to (or skipping) the process of purging prior to a move. As the author of this article, I can attest to having missed this step prior to my cross-country move – primarily because I didn’t have time. But I paid for it. I transported tons of unnecessary stuff (including a broken bumper to a vehicle I no longer owned) because it was sitting in the storage unit, and I told my movers to load everything. This would have been an ideal time to comb through my stuff, eliminate what I didn’t need (or what could be easily replaced) and cut down on moving costs. If I were doing it all over again, I would do the following:
 
As I neared the date to start packing things up, I would spend time in each room of my house. I would go through all of my stuff, and make some hard decisions about what I wanted to keep, and about what I no longer needed. I would start making piles of junk to either toss or donate. I would get rid of any clothing I didn’t love – to cut down on bulk. I’d get rid of tools, buckets, broken stuff, projects I knew I wasn’t going to finish, and as much other stuff as possible.
 
Then, I would rent a dumpster. I’d throw everything in it. I’d go back through my house and do it all again. Then, as I was packing the moving truck, or helping the movers, I would keep throwing stuff out. I would toss as much stuff as possible to keep it out of the truck – because once again, we’re paying for space in most cases. There’s also another practical consideration to all of this…less stuff means less stuff to unload and put away in a new home.
 
I would commit to filling my rental dumpster with as much stuff as possible – knowing that each discarded thing would save me money, and time. This is an incredibly easy step that we just don’t take, but really should.
 
Rental dumpsters are perfect for this task, because you can leave them in your driveway or on the street, and fill them up as you go. Break a chair or something in the process of moving? Chuck it. Discover a box of old papers that you don’t need? Don’t move it. Toss it. The list goes on and on.
 
A rental dumpster provides flexibility, tons of space, and can ease daunting tasks like this. Additionally, it will save you money – because you won’t be paying to move a bunch of extra stuff.
 
Planning a move and need a dumpster? Give us a call and let’s set something up today!

​Dumpster Rental for Beginners
 
Rental Dumpsters are available in a variety of sizes and forms, ranging from 2 cubic yard tiny dumpsters to 30 cubic yard rubbish roll on-roll off dumpsters appropriate for retail establishments. Generally, we have about 3 sizes available – see our services page for more details.
 
15-20 yards is a standard builders' dumpster seen on building sites and on the backs of trucks. This container can carry up to 10 tons of debris. If you've ever had a basic job like a blocked off chimney opened up again, you know how much rubble even the simplest of building operations produces.
 
This dumpster is often delivered from the back of a small truck using a pair of arms to hoist the dumpster off and onto the truck. Alternatively, some trucks come equipped with a hydraulic arm, that rolls the dumpsters on and off – hence the term roll-off.
 
If you can't fit the dumpster on your driveway or in your front yard, you'll need to park it on the street, which  may require a permit from the city. As us when you talk with our team.
 
Once you’ve selected the dumpster you need, we’ll bring it at the designated time/place and then it’s up to you to fill it up!
 
When it’s full and you’re done, we’ll take the dumpster away and that’s it. Simple, affordable. Finished.