Garage Cleanout & Junk Removal in the Chicago Suburbs
From floor to ceiling, we clear it all. Text a photo for a written quote, or we'll quote on-site.
Simple, Volume-Based Pricing
You only pay for the space your items take in the truck
Garage Cleanout Cost by Garage Size
What garages usually come to in truck space. A garage is volume only: no labor charge, no fee for heavy tools.
A corner or a few big items
An old fridge, a broken mower and a stack of boxes. Under a quarter load: $150, or $275 if it reaches a quarter of the truck.
One side, waist-high
The side of a two-car garage where the car no longer fits. Usually around half a load, from $425.
One-car garage, packed
One parking space filled floor to ceiling is about one full load, from $780.
Two-car garage, both spaces full
Often two loads ($1,560), sometimes a load and a quarter ($1,055). Rafters and overhead storage add to it.
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
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. 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.
Customer Reviews
Verified feedback from Google & Thumbtack customers across Chicago & suburbs.
What's Included in a Garage Cleanout
Full-service garage cleanout with no hidden fees
We provide junk removal and hauling services only — no structural repairs, shelving installation, or work requiring licensed contractors.
What We Remove From Garages
If it's in your garage and you want it gone, we'll haul it away
Old Tools & Equipment
Power tools, hand tools, workbenches
Boxes & Storage
Cardboard boxes, plastic bins, shelving
Sporting Goods
Bikes, exercise equipment, seasonal gear
Furniture
Old cabinets, chairs, tables
Yard Equipment
Lawn mowers, snow blowers, garden tools
Tires, Scrap & Paint Cans
Old tires, scrap metal, grills, dried-out paint cans
What Garage Junk Removal Looks Like Here
In the north and northwest suburbs, the garage is where a house’s overflow ends up. In older neighborhoods of Park Ridge, Niles, Skokie and Evanston it is often a detached one- or two-car garage on the alley, on a small lot with no basement access from outside. In Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Glenview and Northbrook it is more often an attached two-car garage with overhead racks that filled up years ago.
What we pull out is fairly consistent: a lawn mower that stopped starting, a snow blower, bikes the kids outgrew, a treadmill, holiday decorations, a second fridge, leftover lumber and tile from an old project, a stack of tires, paint cans, and boxes that came from the last move and were never opened.
Detached garages and alley access
If your garage opens onto an alley, that is usually the easiest place for us to load: the truck backs up to the door and nothing is carried through the yard. Tell us if the alley is narrow, unpaved or often blocked by parked cars, and whether there is anything stacked beside or behind the garage that should go too.
Shelving, workbenches and overhead storage
Freestanding metal and plastic shelving comes apart and goes with everything else, and so do workbenches that are not built in. We empty the rafters and ceiling racks too. Anything wired, plumbed or part of the structure stays.
Paint, chemicals and tires
We haul the common garage leftovers: tires, scrap metal, grills, dried-out paint cans. For liquid paint, solvents and other chemicals, send a photo and ask first. We don’t take hazardous waste, and we don’t claim to. When you text photos, include the shelves and the corner under the workbench, and tell us roughly how many tires and cans there are. That puts them in the written quote, and the crew knows exactly what to load.
How the day goes
Show us what stays, like the snow blower that still runs or the holiday bins you want to keep, and we work around it. Everything else goes straight to the truck: bikes, mowers, tools, boxes and whatever is up in the rafters. Then we sweep the floor so you can park that night. If you are not home, we send photos of the finished garage and you pay remotely.
Spring or fall?
Spring cleanouts clear the way to the lawn equipment; fall cleanouts make room to park before the first snow. If you have a date in mind, text photos a week or two ahead; same-day and next-day slots are often available too.
More Than the Garage?
Garages are often one part of a bigger job. If the basement or the rest of the house needs clearing too, see house and basement cleanouts; for a parent’s house, see estate cleanouts. Leftover drywall, tile and lumber from a project are covered under construction debris removal. Every service and price is on the main junk removal page.
Garage Cleanouts by Town
Local pages for the suburbs where we clear garages most often
We also take garage jobs in Chicago and across Lake, McHenry, DuPage and Kane counties.
View All Service Areas →Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a garage cleanout cost?
A garage cleanout is priced only by the space your things take in the truck: a quarter load from $275, a half from $425, three-quarters from $575 and a full load from $780. One parking space packed floor to ceiling is about one full load. A two-car garage with both spaces full is often two loads, sometimes a load and a quarter. A few items that fill less than a quarter of the truck fall under our $150 minimum.
How long does a garage cleanout take?
Most garage cleanouts take 2-4 hours depending on the amount of items. We work efficiently to minimize disruption to your day.
Do I need to sort items before you arrive?
No! We handle everything. Just point to what you want removed and we take care of the rest, including sorting recyclables and donations.
Do you take paint, chemicals and tires?
Tires, scrap metal and dried-out paint cans go on the truck with everything else; tell us the count so it is in the quote. For liquid paint and garage chemicals, send us a photo and ask before booking. We do not take hazardous waste such as solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals or fuel. One clear photo of the shelf is enough for us to tell you before the visit what goes and what stays.
What does a full garage cleanout include?
A full garage cleanout means we remove everything you want gone—furniture, boxes, tools, equipment, and debris. We sort items for donation or recycling when possible, load and haul everything away, and leave your garage broom-clean. Pricing is volume-based on truck space used, starting at $150 for our minimum service fee.
Can you clean out an attached or detached garage?
Yes! We handle all types of garages - attached, detached, one-car, two-car, or larger. We protect your home during the removal process.
Do I need to be home?
No. Leave the garage open or give us the keypad code, and mark what stays with tape or in a photo. We send photos when we finish and you can pay remotely.
Do you take the pile next to the garage or by the alley?
Yes. Items stacked beside the garage, behind it or along the alley are loaded the same way as the things inside. Just include them in the photos so they are in the quote.
Can you take down shelving and workbenches?
Freestanding shelving units and workbenches that are not built in come apart and go on the truck. Show us wall-mounted shelving in the photos and we will tell you whether we can take it down. We do not do structural, electrical or repair work.
Do you sweep the garage when you are done?
Yes. Every garage cleanout ends with a broom sweep, so the floor is clear enough to park, paint or put down new shelving.
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