Category: Residential Junk Removal

So you’ve decided to take the plunge and move in together – that’s a huge step! Whether you’re moving in with a partner, friend or family, combining households isn’t always the easiest task. This is particularly true if you’re taking this step later in life as opposed to your early 20s as each of you has collected quite a bit of furniture, heirlooms and, maybe most importantly, kitchen appliances. Both (or all) of you have to compromise and decide what stays and what goes. But what do you do with the “getting rid of” items? Consider a junk removal company to help you declutter your newly combined household so you can have a space that perfectly combines each of your styles and comfortability.

Deciding which items you keep or get rid of isn’t always easy, but figuring it out before the move can help save time, energy and frustration. With summer approaching and the weather turning nice, the peak of the moving season is quickly approaching in Lansing. 

Take an Inventory

Chances are, each of you owns the basics. In the kitchen, this may include coffee makers, toasters, microwaves, pots and pans, and cooking utensils. Unless that coffee pot has significant sentimental value, you probably won’t need two in the kitchen you now share. 

Taking an inventory, even if informal, allows you to see a list of duplicate items before you move into the new place. This isn’t applicable only for kitchen items – furniture takes up the most space in any living environment and too much makes for a confined, cluttered space. 

Decide Which of Each Item You’re Keeping

Deciding whose coffee maker or lounge chair stays may be one of the most difficult tasks of moving in together – aside of course from the physical moving! Although it’s not always possible to figure all these details out before the move, getting a headstart on this step will allow for a smoother moving process. 

Packing Up and Downsizing

While you’re packing for the move, keep the items you’ve decided to get rid of in their own area; a dedicated room or corner will allow you to keep these items separated. Once you have all items separated out, it’s time to decide what to do with them. 

Selling items in good condition is always an option, particularly for items such as nice furniture or kitchen appliances. Unfortunately, it can take time to find a buyer. Throwing away functional items and those with life left in them is wasteful. Consider calling us in to help you get rid of your items at one time.

Our team will remove the items and load them, allowing you to reserve your time and energy for more important things – like lovingly wrapping each of your knick-knacks and packing them carefully into moving boxes. We believe in donating and recycling as much of our pickups as possible, keeping items out of landfills, and ensuring they get used while they’re still functional, so while you’re getting ready to enjoy your new home, someone else is grateful for your trusty recliner or coffee pot! We proudly offer junk removal service in Lansing and the surrounding area.

Now that we’re through the holiday season, a lot of us are going through a mix of changes: the post-holiday blues combined with the refreshment of a new year. After the holidays, many of our social calendars clean up, leaving us with more time at home after our daily grind. The holiday season puts many people into a rush of excitement, social engagements, maybe a little anxiety and stress, and, of course, the gifts! Many people gift themselves large items for their home during the holidays, which leads to the issue of figuring out what to do with the old items. Such items include new furniture and new appliances.  Post-holiday cleanup is easy with Lansing Junk Removal.

What to do with the old items?

Gifting yourself and your family these large-ticket items feels wonderful and really helps turn your house into your dream home, but what do you do with the items you’re replacing? We have many options at our fingertips for getting rid of these items, including selling online, placing at the curb, donating – you name it! Selling often comes to mind first due to the cash aspect: you have an item in usable condition, someone needs that item, they trade you cold hard cash. It’s a win-win, but it’s not always instant and sometimes you have to store the items when you don’t really have the space. Placing at the curb is another option, but unfortunately this puts your usable items to waste.

Heavy trash pickup

Most cities and local governments impose certain rules for heavy trash pickup, sometimes called bulk. For example, the city of Lansing has specific rules for bulk trash. Bulk is defined as “Large items that are over 30 pounds and longer than four feet in length (ex. appliances and furniture).” The first item is $33 as of January 2020; each additional item costs $16.50 for pickup. In addition, you must schedule your bulk pickup with the city. You also have to follow certain rules for items, including removing doors from refrigerators and freezers. Getting the items out to the curb is another story – these heavy items are often awkward to move. You can also place items on the curb for people to pick up free, unfortunately, if you pay the city to remove the items, you’ll be out at least the $33 if someone snags the item before trash pickup.

Another option

Lansing Junk Removal offers another option: let us come haul away the items you replaced. Our trained team can safely remove the items from your home – you don’t have to lift a finger for this one! We also take care to make sure we donate every item we can, keeping your old working refrigerator out of the dump and placing it where it can provide service to someone else. What we can’t donate, we recycle – we try to keep as much out of the landfill as possible.

Call today for your free quote on your post-holiday cleanup!

Having a garage is an added bonus for many of us in the Lansing area. Have you thought how a garage cleanout could help you this winter?   Cold winters, wet springs, dry summers, and wet falls. The weather changes almost constantly and it’s not uncommon for us to experience the weather of three seasons in one week (let’s face it – sometimes in one day!). Keeping the car in the garage gives us a little peace of mind – no scraping ice off the windshield, no leaves stuck in the wipers and protection from the damage winds and storms may cause.

The Garage

Unfortunately, however, our garages often become a catch-all space for everything – storage boxes, old appliances, countertops you removed from the kitchen when you remodeled, a pile of toys and sporting goods for the kids, and everything else! Before you call us for junk removal or old appliance removal, check out some tips for organizing your space, and deciding what stays and what goes.

Everything in Its Place

Wire shelving and plastic totes remain king when looking for storage and organization tips for the garage. Used in conjunction, these two common products turn a frustrating situation into organizational bliss. Start with labeling the totes – a large permanent marker is great for this project or you can dress it up by using stencils. If you’d rather not mark on your totes, label their places on the shelves. Putting the totes on shelves creates an easier method of accessing individual totes (without shelves, the totes often stack on top of each other, making it difficult for you to retrieve the goods from the bottom of the stack). If you’re a little handier, building tracks on the ceiling to hang totes from frees up additional floor space!

If you have old cabinets you’d rather not get rid of just yet, consider using them in the garage rather than just storing them! Even an old medicine cabinet proves useful for storing garage items such as car products or cleaning products. Base cabinets and old countertops make for a functional garage workspace along the wall.  Makes a garage cleanout easier.

Pile It Up

Once you’ve completed some basic organization projects, decide what stays and what goes by organizing your items in different areas. Non-working fridge taking up valuable space? Move it to one side and start putting your “junk” beside it. Not sure about the rest of the cabinets or that old chair? Keep them separated until you’re sure. For your “keep” items, put away what you can in dedicated areas, then make another pile for the rest.

Once you’ve decided what stays and what goes (even if you have a few “maybe” items), give us a call! Our trained staff will come out and remove what goes – including the old fridge! Once you’ve deleted the junk, you’ll have more room to organize the items that stayed, and more room to park your car right before winter sneaks into the Lansing area.

As soon as October hits, we start seeing and hearing more advertisements for furniture, flooring, and electronics retailers and wholesalers. Why? The answer isn’t too surprising: more people want to give their living space a facelift — sometimes a complete redo — in anticipation
of having more guests over or simply giving themselves a gift.  Getting ready for the holidays may inspire a facelift for your home.

New Space

When you put time and effort into designing an incredible new entertaining or living space, it’s nice to have the validation that comes along with seeing friends and family enjoy your home during a time of the year when togetherness is celebrated.

Is your dining table even large enough for the holiday party you have already planned? Will your 15-year-old oven handle the pies you added to your menu? Does that wine stain from last year’s party stick out like a sore thumb? Chances are, there’s something we’ve all thought about
changing in our homes and many people choose this time of year to make that change.

Plan Now

Starting the planning in October or early November allows you some leeway in time before the parties start happening. It gives you the time to make last-minute changes or to ensure the delivery and installation completes on time. Many companies also offer incentives and special sales this time of year — bonus if you have a big change in mind, whether you’re planning events at your home or you’ve just really wanted to change your furniture out!

Like clothing and vehicles, a new trend always pops up with the various aspects of decorating a home. This includes your living room suite, bathroom fixtures, flooring, even appliances or accessories! Whether you’re trying to “keep up with the Joneses” or you make the decision
you’re simply ready for something new, you have to figure out what to do with the old – that’s where we come in! You need a junk removal company to help relieve you of your older items.

We Can Help

Our highly trained staff will come in and remove during your “out with the old, in with the new!” phase, allowing you to create your dream entertaining space in time for all the parties and intimate get-togethers you have up your sleeve. We help make getting ready for the holidays easier.  You don’t have anything to feel guilty about, either, as we’re dedicated to keeping as much out of the landfill as possible; we donate or recycle everything we’re able to!