To clean out a house before moving, rent a roll-off dumpster for the driveway and load what you are leaving behind as you pack. Your belongings split into two piles: what's coming with you, and what you no longer use.
A pre-move cleanout is a good time to clear the second pile, because you're already opening every closet and emptying every shelf. Family Trash offers local dumpster rentals across Charleston from James Island. With a dumpster in the driveway, you carry the move-out leftovers straight outside instead of stacking them at the curb between packing sessions.
Why use a dumpster for a pre-move cleanout?
During a move, your truck or car is busy taking boxes to the new place. A roll-off in the driveway means the old patio furniture and broken shelving go straight from the house into the dumpster. You walk out, load it, and go back to packing.
Booking the pickup date before closing also gives you a deadline, so the leftovers are gone before the movers arrive. You don't need to be home for delivery or pickup, which helps when you're going back and forth between two houses.
When should Tony drop the dumpster in a move?
Have it dropped before you start packing, so you never box up something you were going to throw out. Then work through the house in this order.
Start with the storage spaces: the attic, the garage, the shed and any closet you haven't opened in a while. Those spaces hold most of what you won't move, and clearing them first shows you how much room the dumpster has left. Move on to the bedrooms and the main closets as you pack them. Do the kitchen near the end, since you're still using it. Save the last day or two for a final sweep of every room.
Leave the driveway clear for the moving truck on moving day. If the dumpster and the truck both need the driveway, plan the dumpster pickup for the day before the movers come.
What size dumpster does a move need?
For a partial clear-out, such as a garage, a few closets or one or two rooms, the 13-yard dumpster fits it. It includes 1 ton and 5 days.
To empty a house before a move, even a small one, look at the 17-yard dumpster or the 22-yard, depending on the house. Tell us the house and what's going, and we'll point you to the right one. The 17 includes 1.5 tons and 5 days. For a house plus a full garage and yard cleanup, the 22-yard dumpster includes 2 tons and 7 days.
Our dumpster size guide compares the sizes if you'd like to see them side by side.
How do you estimate the move-out pile before you book?
Walk the house with a notepad a week or two before the move. Count the large furniture you're leaving: couches, mattresses, dressers, tables and desks. Then look at the garage, the attic and any outdoor storage.
A pickup bed holds about 2 to 3 cubic yards. By that rule, a 13-yard equals about 4 to 6 pickup loads of move-out leftovers, a 17 about 6 to 8, and a 22 about 7 to 11. If your count falls between two sizes, tell us the job and we'll tell you which fits.
How do you decide what to leave behind?
Measure the rooms at the new place before you sort the furniture. A couch that won't fit the new living room goes on the leave-behind list now. Pieces in good shape can go to a donation center, a buyer or a family member before the drop. Pieces with broken frames, torn upholstery or missing parts go in the dumpster.
Make the leave-behind calls one room at a time. A sorted room is ready to pack, and the leftovers from it go straight to the driveway.
How do you load a moving dumpster so more fits?
Take bed frames apart at the bolts and pull the legs off tables. Pull drawers out of dressers and load the frames and drawers separately. Stand mattresses on edge along a wall of the dumpster. Put flat, heavy pieces on the floor first, fill the corners with bags, and keep the pile level with the top edge.
Lift with your legs, and get a second person for couches and dressers. A hand truck makes the trip from the garage to the driveway faster for heavy pieces.
Can I use the curb instead?
For a few pieces, yes. The City of Charleston's trash and yard waste collection page says "Junk, furniture and other bulk items can be placed in their own pile at the curb on your collection day." That suits a couch or a chair. For a house of leftovers on a moving deadline, a dumpster lets you clear them on your own schedule.
How do you book around a closing date?
Tell us your closing date when you book, and set the pickup for a day or two before your last day in the house. A move-out rental runs 1 to 30 days, and longer if you call.
In a garage cleanout before a move, you may find old cleaners, pool chemicals and garden products. Tell us what's going in when you book, and Charleston County's household hazardous waste program is another option for specialty items.
Common questions about moving cleanouts
When in the move should the dumpster arrive?
Before you start packing. That way you don't box up and move things you were going to throw out.
What size fits a three-bedroom move-out?
For a partial clear-out of a three-bedroom house, such as closets, a garage and a few pieces of furniture, the 13. To empty the house, the 17 or the 22, depending on the house. Tell us the house and what's going.
Can I get rid of furniture the movers won't take?
Yes. Couches, mattresses, bed frames, dressers and pieces that won't fit the new place all go in. Break them down flat and you'll fit more.
What if my closing date changes?
Call or text the new date, and we'll move the pickup to match it.
Should the dumpster be gone before closing?
Plan it that way. Set the pickup for a day or two before your last day in the house.
Moving soon? Text or call (843) 800-0689, or book online.
Need a dumpster in Charleston? Call or text Tony at (843) 800-0689, or order online.
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