Guide · Planning
How cleanup estimates are worked out
We don’t publish a price list, because two homes the same size can be very different projects. Here’s what drives the cost, what a good estimate should include, and how to keep a project within reach.
On this page
What affects the estimate
- Size and number of spaces
- How many rooms, closets, garages, sheds, or storage units are part of the project.
- Volume and type of materials
- How much there is, and what it is. Paper is light but slow to sort; furniture is quick to sort but heavy to move.
- Sorting requirements
- Sorting item by item with you takes longer than clearing categories you’ve agreed in advance. Searching for specific documents or valuables adds time too.
- Access and parking
- Stairs, elevators, narrow hallways, long carries to the truck, and where a dumpster or trailer can go.
- Labor and protective equipment
- Team size and days on site, and the protection the conditions call for.
- Hazardous or regulated materials
- Sharps, medications, chemicals, mold, or waste that has to be handled and disposed of separately.
- Disposal costs
- Landfill and transfer-station fees, dumpster rental, and any permits.
- Donation and recycling
- Sorting for donation and recycling, and the trips to get things there.
- Time sensitivity
- A hard deadline can mean a larger team or longer days.
- Special handling
- Heavy or fragile items, heirlooms, packing items for family, or working around someone’s health needs.
Why we don’t quote over the phone
A phone call tells us a lot, but not what’s behind closed doors, how heavy the contents are, or how long it’ll take to get things from the back bedroom to the truck. A guess over the phone tends to be wrong in one direction or the other, and either way it isn’t fair to you.
A walkthrough, in person or by video, lets us give you a written number that we can stand behind.
What a written estimate should include
Whoever you hire, look for these.
The work, area by area, in priority order
What is not included
Expected days on site and team size
How disposal is handled, and whether dumpster or disposal fees are included
How donations and recycling are handled
The level of cleaning after clearing
Payment terms
What could change the price, and how you’ll be told before it does
What can change the price once work starts
Most estimates hold. When they don’t, it’s usually because of something nobody could see at the walkthrough: water damage under a pile, a room that was locked, far more volume behind a closed door, or a pest problem that needs treatment first. Adding rooms or tasks changes the price too.
Our rule is simple: you hear about a change, and why, before it’s billed. If you’d rather not go ahead with the extra work, that’s your decision.
Ways to keep a project within reach
Step 1: Start with safety
Exits, sanitation, fire risks, and a working kitchen and bathroom. It’s often a fraction of a full project, and it’s the part that matters most.Step 2: Work in stages
Spread the work out over weeks or months, and pay as you go.Step 3: Agree on categories in advance
Deciding that whole categories can go, such as expired food, empty packaging, or old magazines, speeds up sorting a lot.Step 4: Ask what’s driving the cost
Sometimes one factor, such as disposal fees or access, accounts for much of the price, and there’s another way to handle it.
Before you ask for a number
- GuideQuestions to ask before hiring a cleanup companyTwelve questions, what good answers sound like, and the red flags to watch for.
- GuideHow to prepare for your first consultationWhat you’ll be asked, a printable checklist, and why you shouldn’t clean first.
- GuideDecluttering, deep cleaning, cleanout, or biohazard cleanup?What each kind of help actually involves, and which one fits your situation.
Confidential · Free · No obligation
Ready for a real number?
An estimate starts with a walkthrough. Bring your questions and a list of anything you’re hoping to find. Afterward you decide whether anything happens at all.
- 1A real person calls you backWe listen first. Share only what you’re comfortable sharing.
- 2A private walkthrough, if you want oneWe look at the home with you and ask what matters to keep.
- 3A written plan and estimateNothing starts, and nothing leaves, without your yes.
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