Estate Cleanout & Clearing in Chicago & Suburbs
We handle estate cleanouts with respect and care during difficult times. Working with families since 2023, over 1,000 jobs across Chicago and the suburbs.
Customer Reviews
Verified feedback from Google & Thumbtack customers across Chicago & suburbs.
Estate Clearing and Decluttering, at the Family’s Pace
Clearing out a parent's house is not a normal cleanout. There is no schedule, people change their minds mid-room, and something turns up in a drawer that stops the day. We work at whatever pace the family sets, across Chicago and the north and northwest suburbs — sorting, hauling, donating and recycling. Nothing leaves until you have looked at it. The price is set by how much fills the truck, we confirm it before we start, and it does not change once we are loading.
Some families need the whole house emptied for a sale. Others need an estate decluttered first: a few rooms thinned out before an estate sale, a parent moved to assisted living, or a basement cleared before the realtor’s photos. We do both, from condos in Evanston and Skokie to brick ranches in Park Ridge and split-levels in Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect.
Simple, Volume-Based Pricing
You only pay for the space your items take in the truck
What a cleanout actually costs
Every job is different and we will not pretend otherwise. A two-car garage might be one load or two — it depends entirely on how deep it is stacked. You pay for the space your things take in the truck, and we confirm the real number at your door before anyone picks anything up.
Rough reference points
Starting points, not quotes.
- One parking space packed floor to ceiling — about one full load
- Two-car garage, both spaces full — often two loads, sometimes a load and a quarter
- A basement — half a truck to two trucks, depending on the house
- A furnished house — one truck for beds and dressers, two if there is a lot of large furniture
- Four bedrooms, two baths and a basement, packed hard — around five loads
When we charge for crew, and when we do not
Most jobs are truck space only. If one of us can handle it, there is no labor charge at all — you are not paying for a crew you did not need.
Clearing a whole house is different. A job that would take one person three days takes a four-person crew a single day, so for those we bring extra hands and bill $35 per hour, per person on top of truck space. A four-person crew is $140 an hour. An entire four-bedroom house with a basement, packed hard and cleared in a day, works out to roughly 5 × $780 + 10 × $140 = $5,300.
We quote high and charge low
The estimate is deliberately generous, and then you are billed for what actually happened. Quoted five loads and it fits in four? You pay for four. Budgeted ten hours and the crew finishes in eight? You pay eight. If we have to come back for a second trip and it is only a small load, that trip is $150 — not another full load. You pay for the space you use, nothing else.
Never added to your bill
- Stairs, basements and second floors
- Heavy or awkward items
- Packing — we bring our own bags. If it is in a closet, we bag it and it goes.
Nothing appears on the final bill that was not in the quote. No upsells — we quote the job, not your wallet.
Estate Cleanout Cost by Home Size
What typical estates come to in truck loads, using the prices above. Your written quote replaces these once we see the house.
Condo or apartment
Often half a load to one full load
about $425–$780 in truck space
Furniture, kitchen, closets and a storage locker. Building rules (elevator booking, loading dock hours) set the schedule more than the volume does.
Furnished house, main rooms only
One load; two with a lot of large furniture
about $780–$1,560
Beds, dressers, living and dining room, kitchen contents. The family has already taken what they want.
House plus basement and garage
Often three to five loads
about $2,340–$3,900, plus crew time if we bring extra hands
The typical north-suburb ranch, bungalow or split-level with forty years of storage below and a full two-car garage.
Four bedrooms, basement, packed hard
Around five loads, cleared in one day
roughly $5,300 with a four-person crew
Five full loads at $780 plus ten hours of a four-person crew at $140 an hour. Starting points, not quotes: your house may land anywhere in between.
What moves the number: how full the basement and garage are, whether an estate sale has already happened, and how much the family keeps. Stairs, heavy furniture and bagging loose contents are never extra. For the full breakdown, read our estate cleanout cost guide.
What's Included in an Estate Cleanout
Complete estate cleanout with compassionate service
Our Approach to Estate Cleanouts
We understand this is a difficult time
1. Initial Consultation
We meet with family members or executors to understand the scope, timeline, and any special considerations. We can provide estimates from photos or schedule an on-site visit.
2. Careful Sorting
Our crew carefully identifies valuables, important documents, and keepsakes. We set aside questionable items for family review to ensure nothing important is discarded.
3. Donation & Disposal
Usable items go to donation when possible. We handle proper disposal of remaining items, including recycling when possible. We provide documentation for estate records.
4. Final Walk-Through
We leave the property broom-clean and ready for the next step - whether that's sale, rental, or family use. Final billing and documentation provided.
What We Set Aside for the Family
Every drawer, pocket and box gets a look before it goes in a bag
Before we start, tell us what the family is looking for: a ring, a title, a box of slides. Found items go into labeled boxes in one room, and we tell you what turned up. We don’t appraise or sell anything; if something looks valuable, we stop and ask. Just starting? Our step-by-step guide to cleaning out a parent’s house in Illinois covers what to find first.
For Out-of-State Executors and Families
If you live in another state, you can run the whole cleanout by phone and email. Here’s how an out-of-state estate cleanout works, step by step.
Quote from photos or a free on-site look
A neighbor or your realtor sends photos, or we let ourselves in with the lockbox for a free estimate. You get a written quote before anything is scheduled.
Lockbox entry
Give us the code and the access window. Nobody needs to fly in to open the door.
Found items handled your way
Papers, photos and valuables are boxed and labeled. We photograph what we find and follow your instructions on where it goes, for example to your realtor or attorney.
Before-and-after photos, then remote payment
You see every room before and after, and you pay remotely once you have seen the finished house.
Working With Your Realtor, Attorney and Estate-Sale Company
The order that saves the most time and money when a house is headed for sale
1. Family takes what they want
Keepsakes, furniture someone will use, paperwork the attorney needs. Tag it or move it to one room.
2. Estate sale, if there is one
An estate-sale company sells what has value. We come after the sale for everything left, which is usually most of the volume.
3. Cleanout
We clear the house, basement, garage and attic and sweep it broom-clean. This is where most of the truck space goes.
4. Cleaning before listing
We also do house cleaning, so the deep clean can be booked with the same company once the rooms are empty.
Realtors and attorneys can call us directly to set the date and access; we send the quote and photos to whoever the family names. When the rooms are empty, our house cleaning crew can take the house from broom-clean to ready for showings.
Basements, Garages, Attics and Sheds
In most estates the rooms upstairs are the easy part. The volume is below and behind the house: a basement with decades of storage, a detached garage full of tools and paint cans, an attic reached through a pull-down ladder, a shed nobody has opened in years. We carry everything out ourselves, from any floor, with no fee for stairs.
If only part of the property needs clearing, see our basement and house cleanouts and garage cleanouts. For a single piece, like a sofa or a fridge left behind after the sale, there is furniture removal. Everything we do is on the junk removal page.
Estate Cleanouts Near You
The north and northwest suburbs where we clear estates most often
Chicago and farther suburbs too, including Lake, McHenry, DuPage and Kane counties.
View All Service Areas →We provide estate cleanout and hauling services only—no appraisals, legal advice, hazardous waste handling, or services requiring licensed contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an estate cleanout cost in Chicago?
Estate cleanouts in Chicago and the suburbs are priced by the truck space the contents take: a quarter load is from $275, a half from $425, three-quarters from $575 and a full load from $780. A furnished house is often one to two loads; a house with a full basement and garage is often three to five. Whole houses that need a bigger crew to finish in a day add $35 per hour per person. We give a free estimate from photos or on site, and the final price is always approved by you before any work begins.
Do you clear out a house before it goes on the market?
Yes — clearing an inherited or probate home so it can be sold is one of the most common estate cleanouts we do across Chicago and the suburbs. We work with families, executors, and realtors to empty the property completely, remove all unwanted furniture, appliances, and belongings, and leave it broom-clean and ready to list, show, or sell. We can schedule around your closing or listing date.
How long does an estate cleanout take?
Most estate cleanouts take 1-3 days. We understand this is a difficult time and work efficiently while being respectful. We can adjust our timeline to accommodate family schedules.
Do you help identify valuable or important items?
Yes, we carefully set aside anything that appears valuable, personal, or important—such as jewelry, documents, photos, antiques, or collections—and bring it to your attention before removal. We do not provide appraisals, valuations, or pricing of items. Final decisions on all belongings remain with the family or estate representative.
Can you donate items to charity?
Yes, when items are in usable condition. Furniture, clothing and household goods that someone can use go to donation when possible, metal goes to scrap recycling, and the rest is disposed of properly. If the family wants a specific charity to get something, tell us and we will set it aside.
Do you work with estate attorneys and executors?
Yes, we regularly work with executors, estate attorneys, and family representatives. We can handle billing, provide documentation, and coordinate timing around estate proceedings.
Can you start before probate is finished?
We work on the instructions of whoever has authority over the property, usually the executor or administrator. Whether the house can be cleared before probate closes is a legal question for your estate attorney, not for us. Once they say it is fine, we can schedule right away.
Do family members need to be there?
No. We regularly work for family members who live out of state. We can enter with a lockbox code, set aside documents and keepsakes, send before-and-after photos, and take payment remotely. If family wants to be there for the first hour to walk the house with us, that helps too.
Can you handle a hoarded or very full house?
Yes. We go room by room, keep sorting for papers and valuables as we go, and do not comment on the state of the house. Very full homes are priced the same way, by truck space, with extra crew time only if you want it finished faster. We do not handle biohazard cleanup; if that is needed we will tell you before we start.
Can you clear a condo with building rules?
Yes. Tell us the building’s move rules: elevator reservation, loading dock hours, certificate of insurance. We schedule inside that window and protect the elevator and hallways while we carry things out.
What if there are hazardous materials or medications?
We cannot remove or dispose of hazardous materials, medical waste, or prescription medications. We point them out as we work and set them aside in one place for the family, so nothing gets mixed into the load. For old prescriptions, ask your pharmacy about drug take-back. Our service is limited to standard household junk removal and hauling.
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