A house clean out is a full clear-out of a garage, a room or a whole home, with everything you don't keep sorted and hauled away. On our home page you can start an enquiry in a minute. This page covers what a cleanout involves, what changes the price, and how to prepare. We don't do the work ourselves. We'll pass your enquiry to a local business that quotes the job and does it. Most cleanout services price by how much space your stuff fills, so the more you sort ahead of time, the more efficient the visit and the lower the quote.
What does a house clean out involve?
A house clean out is sorting a space into keep, donate, recycle and dispose, then hauling out everything that isn't staying. Most jobs are a garage cleanout, a few rooms, or whole property cleanouts before a sale or move. The business sorts and loads. You decide what stays.
Typical steps:
- A walk-through, in person or by photos, so the business can size the load.
- A quote based on volume, access and the items involved.
- Loading, usually by a small crew, and hauling to a landfill, recycler or donation site.
- A final sweep so the space is empty and broom-clean, if you ask for it.
Heavy or awkward items such as a mattress, an appliance or a hot tub are often priced separately, so list them in your enquiry.
How much does a house clean out cost in Los Angeles?
Published guides put a professional garage cleanout at roughly $200 to $400 for a one-car garage, $350 to $700 for a two-car garage and $500 to $1,000 or more for a three-car garage. Whole-house jobs have no standard figure because volume varies so much. Treat these numbers as a guide. The local business quotes the real price.
What moves the price:
- Volume: how much space your items fill, usually measured in truck loads.
- Special items: appliances, paint, propane tanks, batteries and electronics can add surcharges.
- Access: stairs, long carries and tight parking take longer.
- Location: urban areas such as Los Angeles tend to run higher than rural ones.
- Disposal: dump and recycling fees are often built into the quote.
For the wider picture, see our junk removal pricing guide.
How long does it take to clean out a garage?
A professional crew typically takes one to four hours for most garages. A small one-car garage can clear in one to two hours, while a packed three-car garage can take a full day with two people. Your own prep decides most of the difference: items already sorted and stacked load far faster than a garage you have not touched.
If you are doing it yourself, plan a full weekend for a two-car garage and expect extra trips for hazardous items and bulky pieces. Shelving, workbenches and stored furniture take longer to move than boxes.
How do you clean out a garage full of stuff?
Clear the garage in passes: pull everything out into zones, sort it into keep, donate, sell, recycle and dispose, set hazardous items aside, then put back only what earns its space. Doing it in this order stops you re-sorting the same pile and shows you what a business actually needs to haul.
A simple order that works:
- Pick a dry day and clear a driveway or lawn area.
- Move everything out in groups: tools, sports gear, boxes, furniture.
- Sort each group. Be strict with duplicates and broken items.
- Bag up trash and set aside paint, solvents, pesticides, batteries and fuel.
- Book donation drop-offs or a local business for the bulky rest.
- Sweep, then return only what you kept, stored off the floor.
What is the 5-5-5 rule for cleaning?
There is no single official version. The most common one is five items to throw away, five to donate and five that belong somewhere else, in one small area. Others use five minutes on each of five zones. Either way, it breaks a big job into small rounds. Use it to get started, then switch to a full cleanout once the pile is too big.
For a garage, the item-count version works as a warm-up. If you finish a few rounds and the garage still looks full, that is usually the point to ask a local business for a quote.
What do you do with paint, chemicals and other hazardous items?
Do not put household hazardous waste in the trash or pour it down a drain. Los Angeles County runs free drop-offs for residents: permanent centers, including the City of LA S.A.F.E. centers, and one-day drive-through events. The limit is 15 gallons or 125 pounds per trip. Paint, solvents, pesticides, batteries, fluorescent lights and electronics are accepted.
According to the county, tires, trash, business waste and white goods such as refrigerators and stoves are not accepted at its events, and explosives, ammunition and radioactive materials are refused. The City of LA S.A.F.E. centers ask for a valid address at drop-off. Hours and sites change, so check the CleanLA collection centers page before you drive. If you are unsure whether something is hazardous, say so in your enquiry rather than guessing.
What should you know about estate cleanouts and hoarded homes?
Estate cleanouts usually follow a death or a move and involve sorting a lifetime of belongings, often with family deciding what to keep. Allow time for paperwork, valuables and sentimental items before anything is hauled. Heavily hoarded homes can carry health and safety risks, so see a professional when there are blocked exits, mold, pests, sharp or biological waste, or structural concerns.
When you enquire, tell us if the home is hoarded, vacant, or being cleared for a sale, and whether you need access on a set date. Estate cleanouts also tend to include donation and recycling, so ask the business what it can take to a donation site. We'll pass your details to a local business that can quote after seeing the space.
Questions people ask
What's included in a $99 junk removal service?
Usually a $99 price is a minimum fee or a small partial load, not a whole cleanout. It rarely covers heavy items, stairs, hazardous items or disposal surcharges. We can't confirm what any one offer includes. Ask the business for a written quote that states the load size, what is excluded and any extra fees.
How much to clear out a garage?
Published guides range from about $200 to $400 for a one-car garage up to $500 to $1,000 or more for a three-car garage. Volume, special items, access and disposal fees drive the range. These figures are a guide only, and the local business quotes the real price after hearing what is in your garage.
Can I take paint and chemicals from my garage to a county drop-off?
Yes, if you live in Los Angeles County. Residential drop-off at the county's hazardous waste centers and events is free, with a limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds per trip. Keep items in their original containers where you can. Check the CleanLA schedule for hours and locations before you go.
What should I tell a business about a hoarded or estate property?
Say how full the space is, whether there are blocked exits, mold, pests or sharp items, and whether you need access by a set date. Add photos if you can. This lets the business quote and plan properly. For serious health or safety concerns, see a professional first.
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