How to Clear a Garage in a Day in Pasadena

The night before: book the pickup

The trick to a one-day garage is having the truck coming. If you sort first and book later, the pile sits in the driveway for a week.

Take a few photos of the garage from the door and from the back corner. Text them and your city to (562) 219-9266. We text back an estimate and a time.

Same-day or next-day pickup depends on availability. If you want the haul-out in the afternoon of your sorting day, book it a day or two ahead, or text early that morning.

Also line up anything that needs prep. Fridges, freezers and washers need to be unplugged and disconnected from water and gas before the crew arrives.

Morning: three piles, no maybes

Open the door, pull your car out of the driveway, and make three zones. Work fast. If you haven't used it in a year and nobody's asking for it, it goes.

Start at the door and work toward the back wall. Open every box, even the ones you think you know. Garages hide papers, photos and tools people forgot they had. Give yourself a time limit, like the whole morning, and stick to it.

If you're stuck on something, put it in the go pile. If you change your mind, you can pull it out before the crew starts. Don't let one box stop the whole day.

• Keep: goes back in the garage or the house
• Go: stays where it is for the crew
• Set aside: hazardous items we don't take

What to keep handy while you sort

A few simple things make the morning go faster.

• Gloves and a dust mask
• Trash bags for loose small stuff
• A marker and tape to label keep boxes
• A box for papers, photos and keepsakes you find
• A cleared spot in the driveway or house for the keep pile
• Water, and a set time to stop

Don't haul the junk out yourself

You don't need to move the go pile to the curb or the driveway. The crew carries it out from wherever it sits. Leave it in the garage and spend your energy on the keep pile.

Just keep a path clear to the door so the crew can get in and out.

That includes the heavy stuff. Old fridges, workbenches, treadmills and shelving are exactly what the crew is there for. Don't hurt your back trying to stage them.

Set aside what we can't take

Garages are where paint cans and chemicals end up. We don't handle hazardous waste: paint, chemicals, solvents, asbestos, medical waste or propane tanks.

Move those to one shelf or corner, out of the go pile. Then check your city or county household hazardous waste program. In LA County, Public Works runs a free Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Collection Program.

Look in the usual spots: the shelf above the washer, under the workbench, behind the water heater and in the back corner. Half-empty paint cans, pool chemicals, old fuel and propane tanks tend to collect there over the years.

What we haul from garages

Pretty much everything else. If it's in there and you don't want it, it can go on the truck.

Sometimes the garage is just the start. If there's a side yard full of branches, an old shed out back or a room you've been meaning to clear, add it to the same photos and the same visit.

We do yard waste, shed removal and house cleanouts too. Pricing it all at once is easier than calling back next month. Your quote covers what's in your photos.

• Boxes and storage bins
• Old furniture and mattresses
• Fridges, freezers and washers, unplugged and disconnected
• Exercise equipment
• Tools, shelving and workbenches
• Bikes and sports gear
• Drywall and leftover remodel material

Afternoon: the haul-out

When the crew arrives, walk them through the keep pile once so nothing goes by mistake. Then step back.

It depends on how full the garage is. Reviewers mention one-car garages cleared in 15 to 30 minutes; bigger jobs take longer. When it makes sense, the crew breaks bulky items down so they take less room in the truck, so you pay for less space. We leave the floor clean.

If you have a detached garage off an alley, like many older Pasadena homes, tell us whether the truck should come in from the alley or the street. It can save a long carry.

Evening: put back only what you kept

With the floor clear, put the keep pile back with a plan: shelves on the walls, bins labeled, and the middle open for the car.

If you found more junk while sorting, that's normal. Your quote covers what's in your photos; if more items are added, the price is adjusted for them. Just point them out to the crew.

Sweep, then put the heavy things against the walls first and the small things up high. If the car fits tonight, you did it.

Then keep it that way. When something breaks or stops getting used, get it out before it becomes next year's pile. One item at a time is a lot easier than a whole garage.

What a garage cleanout costs

Pricing starts at $250. The price depends on truck space, the type of material, its weight, how easy it is to reach, and the labor involved. We never guarantee a final total over the phone. Your first pickup gets $50 off.

A garage with a few boxes and a broken treadmill costs less than one packed to the rafters. Send photos from the door and the back wall, and we'll text back an estimate. We take cash, check, credit/debit, Zelle, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal and Cash App.

Sources

1. Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Collection Program, LA County Public Works

Rules change. Check the city or county page before you rely on a limit, fee or date.