Archive for the 'junk removal' Category

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Pre-Back to School Junk Removal – Start Teaching Early

Published on August 12, 2011 in junk king and junk removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Some folks believe that cleaning should take place after the kids go back to school, but why waste all those extra hands that can help you get the job done right now? Depending on the ages of your children, you could recruit some assistance and have all that junk in your house hauled away by Junk King before you have to deal with the insanity of class schedules, lunches, and homework. Parents know that the fall is not a time of rest and relaxation just because the kids aren’t around the house all day. You might enjoy the silence for a little while, but life gets busy pretty quickly.
Start your back to school cleaning by assembling the troops. If they’re too young to help, tell them to put away anything they don’t want thrown out. That will get them to clean their rooms at least. Once all the toys, clothes, and various kid collectables are off the floor, you can go to town. Start piling items in boxes and bags and haul then outside. This is another area where the kids can help. Let them play while you clean, then have them do the heavy lifting and hauling for you. If they’re too young, have Junk King’s pros do it.
If your children are older and can legitimately help you, use the opportunity to teach them how to keep a clean house. Explain the reasoning behind creating more space and try to do some recycling of old furniture and appliances. It’s important to instill a sense of responsibility in children and part of that is making sure they don’t think that just anything can go out in the trash. That’s what we were taught when we were young and now landfills are overflowing with toxic chemicals and plastic that will never break down.
The chaos begins right after Labor Day. In some states, kids are going back to school even sooner than that; don’t waste any time getting you cleaning done. You’ll want to get rid of all the old clothes before you start shopping for the new school year. Some can be handed down, some can be donated, and others will need to be recycled or destroyed. Check the material labels to make sure you’re not throwing rayon or polyester into the regular trash. They can be just as damaging to the environment as some pesticides and plastics can be.
Cleaning is the least favorite chore for most parents. It involves hard work, selective thinking, and the willingness to examine your housekeeping skills. It usually starts out with good intentions, but often sputters and fails after a few hours. To avoid that, set realistic cleaning goals for yourself and your ‘team,’ and don’t forget that Junk King is a call away to help you out. Make sure you do it now and not after school starts though. You’ll have a host of other things to worry about once that first class is in session.

Clear Out Your Office Clutter This Summer

Published on July 18, 2011 in Clutter, Office, junk hauling, junk king and junk removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .
Clean the office and throw stuff out! Summer is the best time of year to do that because business is slow and you need something productive to do. All of your clients are on vacation and so are most of your employees at one time or another. The tumbleweeds are blowing across the break room floor and you can spend as much time as you like picking through old files and rearranging furniture. Just do yourself a favor when you’re done and get rid of all the old, useless paperwork, tables, chairs, and appliances that you are no longer using. Don’t lie to yourself and pretend you’ll use that stuff again some day. You won’t. Junk King can take care of all of that clutter and make the rest of your year clean and efficient.
Taking advantage of slowdown periods is a skill that most managers learn only after letting one of those time periods go by without doing anything. How many times did you look at those same junk items last summer and didn’t have them removed? You probably thought the slow season would last longer than it did, or maybe you just procrastinated till Labor Day and then got caught in the fall rush. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Hundreds of folks in the same position as you have failed to act in past years and are cleaning out their offices this year on schedule.
Start with an assessment of your situation.
Which part of the office do you want to work on first? That break room is not likely to be this empty again any time soon. It’s best to begin a clean-up in areas where you’re getting light traffic now, but expect heavier traffic at any point in time. In addition to the break room, that could also include the reception area, kitchens if you have them, and any conference rooms that see heavy use during the busy season. Clean these out one at a time and try to do them at night when the office is closed if you can. Even when you’re slow, it’s still better to take care of your junk removal when no one can see what you’re hauling out.
Any sensitive paperwork should be shredded. There are companies that specialize in that type of thing. Any old appliances should be recycled.  Junk King can haul away refrigerators, air conditioners, and old computers to be recycled along with couches, chairs and tables that will be destroyed.
Save your own office for last. You’ll want to be able to spend time on it without feeling rushed to complete the project. When you do finally get to it, think about throwing everything out and starting from scratch. A new look will give you a new attitude and keep you from feeling bored. You might find some great office furniture there that someone else was tired of. You know what they say, “One man’s junk is another man’s prize.” Good luck and have a wonderful summer.

Your Guide to Hoarding – A basic Hoarding 101 and how to combat it

Published on July 14, 2011 in hoarding and junk removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Throw it away! If you’ve heard that statement more than half a dozen times from loved ones and roommates, you might just be a hoarder. Keeping those baseball cards from your childhood is a good idea – they could be worth some serious cash in a few years. Keeping your junior high school semi-formal outfit could be justified as nostalgic, but do you seriously think you’ll ever wear it again? Give it to someone or throw it away. It’s just more junk clogging up your closets, basement, attic, or garage. Think of what you could do with all that space if you cleared all that stuff out of there.

Hoarding is a behavior. In some cases it may even be evidence of a more serious psychological condition that prevents you from letting things go. Those are the extreme cases. If you feel you’re having a nervous breakdown every time you go to throw something in the trash, see a doctor. If you’re putting stuff away in the closet because you can’t decide what to do with it, that’s something else entirely. Stop telling yourself that it will be useful someday. It won’t be. Call a junk removal company like Junk-King and have all of it hauled away. Then you can fill up all that space again if you want to.

To prevent hoarding, ask yourself each time you go to put an item in the attic or basement if there really is a need for you to keep it. If the answer is no, you have two choices – give it away or junk it. Try charity first if you can. Old clothes and toys make great gifts to churches and non-profit organizations. Getting rid of excess junk that way will help you feel better about it and will benefit someone else. As a bonus, in certain situations you can get a receipt for your gift and write it off on your taxes. That should give you some incentive to clean out your storage bins.

The second option, junk removal, requires a little more work. Any electronics need to be separated and a junk removal company that specializes in their removal needs to be called. E-waste is a serious problem that has been addressed by many cities and towns, but individuals are the ones who need to take the initiative for recycling efforts to be successful. If you’ve hoarded all your old televisions, stereos, computers, and game systems over the years, make sure you dispose of them properly. Even old cell phones thrown into a landfill can have severe long term consequences.

If reading this article is making you cringe and shake, you may have a hoarding problem. If you can’t throw things away yourself, give someone else the responsibility for doing it. Start with one closet. Go into it and take out anything you think is still useful, then turn your back on what’s left inside. Have a trusted member of the family, a roommate, or the junk removal company, clean out the rest and get rid of it. Your home will have more space that way and you’ll be on your way towards curing your hoarding problem.

For the best in junk removal services, simply call Junk King at 1-800-995 JUNK or book a free on site estimate online.

5 Fun Projects for Your Backyard

Published on July 8, 2011 in Construction Waste Disposal, Yard Waste Removal and junk removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The weather is nice and everyone needs a little exercise, right? How about creating a few projects to get work done in the backyard? You can gather up family and friends and have some fun with it. You’d be amazed at what you can accomplish when you have the manpower – and a junk removal company – at your disposal. Here are a few suggestions for fun projects you can do in your yard this summer.

  1. The Massive Clean-up: Don’t be afraid to call it massive. The bigger you make it sound, the more people you can bring into the fold to help you out with it. These types of clean-ups rarely end up being as big as they appear, but they make your backyard look so much better when you’re done. Clean out all the yard waste first. Pick up dead branches and any trash that’s lying around, mow and rake the lawn, and then call the junk removal company to haul it all away. Once it’s gone, you can set up the barbeque and have a party with everyone who helped.
  2. The Weekly Mow and Clean: Combine some outdoor activity with some indoor with the weekly mow and clean. Split your volunteers into two groups, one to mow the lawn and the other to clean out a garage, attic, or basement. You can even make it a contest if you want. First team to finish gets to enjoy some cold beers purchased by the other team. That should get everyone working at a fairly rapid pace.
  3. The Tom Sawyer Project – Painting the Fence: Remember how Tom got his friends to help him paint the fence? You can do the same thing. There’s no reason why you can’t invite a few friends or family members over and hand them paint brushes. Lay some drop cloths down and wear old clothes, though. These types of yard projects tend to get a little messy. It’s okay if it does. That’s what makes the project fun.
  4. Replace the Lawn: Are you tired of looking at that ragged patch of grass you used to call a lawn. Replace it. Dig up all the old grass and turn over the soil. Pull out any rocks, roots, stumps or chunks of concrete and have the junk removal company haul them off. You can rent heavy equipment to do it, or you can just get a whole lot of people to pitch in. Buy some pre-rolled sod and just lay it down when you’re done digging and leveling. Water it for a few days and you’ll have a brand new lawn to enjoy.
  5. Install a Pool: Tackle any of the projects above during the summer and you will decide you want a pool. Maybe reading this article has you thinking about it already. You can buy one at any number of local stores or shop online. You’ll need to clean the yard before you put it in, maybe do a massive clean like the one described in Project #1, but you might want to hire professionals for the actual install.

For the best in backyard cleanup services, simply call Junk King at 1-800-995 JUNK or book a free on site estimate online.

Post Storm Cleanup – Incorporate a Little Prevention

Published on June 23, 2011 in Yard Waste Removal, junk hauling, junk king, junk removal and storm cleanup. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

The weather this year has been brutal. It doesn’t matter where in the country you live, you’ve been dealing with the wrath of Mother Nature since before the holiday season last year. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, snowstorms – all have become regular visitors to the continental United States. We even dodged a near-miss Tsunami on the West Coast and a possible nuclear fall-out in the jet stream – courtesy of fractured reactors in Japan. We weathered all of this and we’re still standing. The only thing left to do is the clean-up – and maybe a little damage prevention while we’re at it. This thought may have already crossed your mind.

One thing you can do to clean up after a storm has ripped through town is hire a professional junk removal service like Junk King to help you clean up the mess. Junk King’s hauling teams are trained in this type of thing and know how to avoid electrical and bio-hazards, two dangerous side effects of flooding and downed power lines. Even if you think its safe, contract a professional anyway. The grief and potential expense that you save yourself will make it well worthwhile. They will also be able to point out areas where you can be safer and more organized for the next storm.
Prevention begins with asking some simple questions. Look at the damage that was done to your home and figure out how it happened. What caused the damage? Was it blowing wind, flood water, excessive heat or cold, maybe hail? If something was torn loose, is there a way to fasten it down more securely? Did blowing objects in your yard, such as chairs or old junk items, cause damage when they were subjected to inclement weather? You’ll find new preventative measures you can take as you ask these questions and make a mental or written checklist of the answers.
Another tip when cleaning up after a storm is to have Junk King get rid of anything that was lying around before the storm while they’re hauling away dead branches, stray shingles, and any broken lawn or garden furniture. If you live in an area with a history of high winds you probably already know this. You might even have tables and chairs anchored or chained to a solid base so they don’t blow away. If you think that’s extreme for the area of the country you live in, call a few folks up in Springfield, Massachusetts. New England might be known for snow, but they had a pretty powerful outbreak of tornadoes up there not too long ago.
It seems our weather is changing for the worst every year. Perhaps it’s global warming causing it as some scientists suggest. Maybe it’s a shift in the poles or climate zones.  The reasons don’t really matter to the average homeowner. Storms continue to come in and we have to be prepared for them. As you clean up after your most recent storm, take a few extra minutes and get ready for the next one. When it comes, you’ll have a lot less to clean up the next time around.
For the best in post storm cleanup service, simply call Junk King at 1-800-995 JUNK or book a free on site estimate online.

Your Guide to Good Summer Grilling – Junk King Style

Published on June 15, 2011 in Furniture Pick Up, furniture removal, get rid of junk, junk king, junk removal and summer cleaning. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Summer grilling is a process, not an event. If you want to do it right and enjoy it throughout those hot, summer months of July and August, there are certain things you should do in May and June before summer gets here. If you haven’t done them yet, it’s time to get going. For a good time this summer, you’ll want to started by getting your patio or yard ready for the guests you hope will not only arrive at some point, but stay because they are comfortable and content at your home. There’s more to achieving this than just serving good food.
Begin by placing yourself in the position of your prospective guests. Look around your yard and see it as if you’re encountering it for the very first time. Does it look appealing to you? As someone who lives there, you may have gotten used to having clutter lying around, even ignoring certain corners of the yard, driveway, or garage, but are guests going to be able to do the same? Won’t they be turned off by the mess and feel uncomfortable the moment they enter your domain? You might want to think about cleaning all that out before barbeque season begins.
Put all the clutter in one pile and call up Junk King to get rid it – it’s as easy as that. Mow the lawn, wash the patio, and take out the trash. If your lawn or patio furniture is old and beaten up, haul that off too. New furniture is cheap and it will make your grill area look much better to your guests, not to mention offer more comfortable seating and dining spaces. People want to sit in clean chairs and eat off clean tables. The best way to ensure that happens is to buy new furniture and wash it down thoroughly after every barbeque. If it’s not in a covered area, you might want to bring it in when it rains so it lasts longer and looks better when you have guests.
Is your grill a few years old? Grills have a tendency to look worse than they are after years of exposure to the elements. Like patio and deck furniture, new grills are not expensive. You can get a good gas or propane model for around $100 and it will last you many seasons. Get rid of the old grill, add it to the ‘junk removal’ pile and buy a new one. You don’t want your guests looking at the device you’re cooking on and feeling unsafe or queasy about eating the food that comes off it.
Speaking of food, what are you going to feed your guests this year? Hot dogs and hamburgers are great for the kids, but what are the adults going to eat? Plan some meals that are different, and make sure you include dishes that are healthy along with all those charred pork and beef recipes. Chicken is good, and so are vegetables and turkey burgers. Don’t knock them until you try them. Mix a few of these in with your other barbeque favorites and you’ll find they’re more popular than you think. Be different, have fun, and enjoy your summer barbeque season.

Large Trash Pick Up – where do you turn when you need it?

Published on June 10, 2011 in junk king, junk removal, large trash pick up and trash removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Just put it out on the curb and the trash company will take it away, right? That’s what most new homeowners believe when they sign up for their first waste removal service, but then they try to get rid of that couch or big-screen TV and it stays on the curb for a few weeks. What happened? Do the “big trash trucks” come around once a month? You’re paying for service; they should take everything. Isn’t that the way it works? In most cases, the answer is “no”. When it comes to large trash pick up you will need to call in a professional removal company like Junk King. Your regular guys will not do it.

Large trash items more often than not require special disposal procedures. Your couch might go silently into a landfill or recycling center, but items like televisions, stereos, appliances, and other mechanical devices that have tubes, wires, or chemicals inside them will need to be disposed of properly. Most waste removal services, particularly those that service residential units, are not equipped to handle that type of disposal. Even if they are, there are extra fees that need to be paid, a responsibility these companies are not willing to take on unless you pay them up front.

With new laws being passed all the time governing the disposal and destruction of trash and mechanical waste, those who are able to accommodate those laws are providing a requisite service for homeowners and businesses.  If you call a professional junk removal company like Junk King that has a regular contract with recyclers, landfills, and transfer stations, you will pay less than working with a waste removal company. They typically get better rates for volume, savings they can pass on to you.

Another benefit to having Junk King come over for large trash pick-ups is that you don’t have to have unsightly garbage on your curbstone for long. You know that old couch is hideous. That’s part of the reason you’re getting rid of it. Is it really necessary to show it to your neighbors for a week before it’s taken away? When you call in a service, you can have it taken away that day or the next day, sometimes from inside your house so you never have to put it on the curb. There’s no reason for anyone to know that once upon a time you had really poor taste in furniture.

Anything with a tube or monitor needs to be removed individually. Your local waste removal company will not take a television. Those have to be disposed of in a safe manner where the components won’t pollute the earth or air. Recycling is a good option for them, especially if they’re less than twenty years old. Anything older than that may have mercury tubes in it, which are highly dangerous, poisonous, and require professional handling and disposal. Be very careful when you handle items like that and make sure you hire a pro like Junk King to get rid of them.

For the best in Large Trash Pick Up, simply call Junk King at 1-800 995 JUNK or book a free on site estimate online.

Redesign Your Home for the Summer

Published on June 3, 2011 in Furniture Pick Up, interior decoration, junk king and junk removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .
Here’s a suggestion. Go through your house and throw out all the useless junk that’s accumulated over the winter, and then rearrange the furniture before you put the air conditioners in the windows. You will find that you have more actual living space when you’re done. Most folks don’t realize that their high traffic and sitting rooms are more cramped than they need to be. If you’re like a lot of homeowners, or even renters, you probably have favorite corners and closets that you use for quick storage or for when you want to put something aside until later. It’s later. Is that something still there? Don’t you think it’s about time you got rid of it?
People are creatures of habit. We get used to certain layouts for our furniture and have specific routines when it comes to storing or disposing of unwanted items. Some people are pack-rats, keeping everything, whether it will have a future use or not. Others are just not motivated to move things downstairs to the trash barrels. If you’re either of those and your house has reached the point where the junk is pushing you out the door, give Junk King a call to take it all away for you.
Where do you begin? You might want to start with the room that’s most congested. Take all of those boxes and move them to the bottom of the stairs and then out to the sidewalk. If the box has been there more than two years and you haven’t opened it, there’s a good chance anything inside it is something you don’t need. Don’t get caught up in the sorting. Take a brief look (because you know you have to) and then get it outside. Once the room is clear, vacuum the rug, close the door, and move on.
Do you have clothing you haven’t worn since high school? Nostalgia aside, do you really think it will ever fit you again? Even the skinny you as an adult will never be that small again. Keep your old leather jacket or letterman sweater if you want to reflect back, but get rid of the rest. The kids won’t wear them either. You know better. Find a used clothing box in the neighborhood or call Junk King to recycle or dispose of it. That separation anxiety will only last a few minutes until the truck is out of sight.
Now that the boxes and old clothes are gone, what’s next? You’re already seeing more space and thinking about new arrangements for the furniture. What can you do to give your home even more room to grow again? How about trashing the old appliances that you’ve been procrastinating about fixing? New ones are more efficient and you might even get a cash rebate if you act now. There are state and federal programs that pay you to upgrade, but only for a limited time. Get rid of them now along with everything else you need to throw away. Then start moving your furniture around. When you’re done, it will look like you moved into a brand new home.

Big Junk Items That Can Be Recycled

Published on May 24, 2011 in Old Appliances, Old Furniture Pick Up, get rid of junk, junk king, junk recycling and junk removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
It’s time to get rid of that old refrigerator or washing machine. You know it, your spouse knows it, and anyone who could see your bank statement would know it if they saw how much you’re paying for gas, water, and electricity. Those old appliances are literally sucking the life out of you. If you choose to upgrade now to energy star rated modern appliances you could save hundreds, even thousands of dollars per year. That makes them an investment, not an expense.
Now that you have come to grips with the fact that you have to get rid of your old appliances, how exactly do you do it? Your city waste disposal  might have a day or two a month when they come around to get items like that, but then the appliances most likely end up in a landfill. The chemicals inside them, particularly in air conditioners and refrigerators, will seep into the earth and poison it. You don’t want that, do you? You’re better off calling a junk removal company like Junk King that can take these items to the proper recycling center.
Junk removal isn’t the same as waste disposal. A waste disposal company’s sole purpose is to destroy or eliminate any waste or junk that you put out curbside. A junk removal company comes to pick up specific items, and they’ll take them to the right places for proper disposal. Many recycling centers will take used appliances. Depending on what state you live in, you might even get paid to get rid of the old items, in cash or with a rebate on a new appliance. Some of these “Cash for Clunkers” appliance programs still have a few dollars left in their budgets.
One man’s garbage is another man’s prize. That old refrigerator you want to throw away might just end up in someone’s garage, basement, or cottage. How many times have you gone on an outdoor adventure and seen an old General Electric or Maytag appliance? In a situation like that, the gas and electric bill aren’t a major concern. The machines aren’t used often enough to worry about it. Not only that, but when it comes to durability and longevity some of those old appliances are legendary.
Recycling doesn’t just apply to appliances either. Other large junk items like couches, kitchen tables, and old desks can be restored and would look great in someone else’s home or office. Do you have teenage children? They’re going to get their first apartment or dorm room soon enough. Maybe you should hang on to some of that furniture and let them have it when they move out. Who cares if it’s old and stained? Do you remember what your first place looked like?
There’s always a use for a used appliance or old piece of furniture. It may not be useful to you, but someone else could get some years out of it. Don’t throw it away. The landfills are full enough and even if it’s incinerated you’ll still be polluting the environment. If you can’t give it away or sell it at a yard sale, call Junk King at 1-800-995 JUNK and they’ll come by and pick it up in a jiffy.

Summer BBQ Preparation Guide

Published on May 17, 2011 in Old Furniture Pick Up, Yard Waste Removal, junk king and junk removal. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
The sun is shining, the temperatures are warm, and that wonderful time of year is upon us again. Some people look forward to sandy beaches and water sports, but you know what summer is really all about. Its barbecue season and you aren’t nearly ready for it. Stop staring out the window wistfully; dreaming of all the good times you had in the past. This year is going to be better than all of them, but only if you start the preparations right now. Here’s a short to-do list that might help you:
Go grill shopping. Do this before the season starts also, even if you don’t need a new grill. You know, at some point during the summer, you will go to someone else’s house and covet their grilling set-up. That’s okay. Yours is fine, but you might want to convince yourself of that early by checking out new models. Who knows? Maybe you will upgrade. At the very least, you’ll probably buy some cool accessories.
Buy a freezer. This is for the really serious entertainers. Buy a freezer for the garage or basement and stock it full of meats to feed your friends and neighbors. The hot summer sun will thaw anything out in a few hours and your gas, propane, or charcoal grill will finish the job on time for lunch or dinner. There are some real advantages to having an extra freezer on the premises, the two most popular ones being always having enough to cook and the savings you can enjoy when you shop in bulk.
Invest in some real lawn and deck furniture. Do you really want your guests sitting on those flimsy folding chairs? How many did you break last year? Invest in some real furniture and make your home the comfortable barbeque spot everyone wants to visit. They’ll be talking about you long after the summer is over, and it will be for good reasons this time. People will gossip, no matter what, but gossip can be positive.
Clear all the junk out of the yard. If you don’t do this now at the beginning of barbeque season, you’ll never do it. There’s accumulated junk back there from the long winter of inactivity, maybe even a few items that have been there since before last summer. Did you procrastinate last season until it was too late? Don’t do it this year. Clean the yard and the porch while you’re at it, then call Junk King to get rid of everything before you start inviting friends and neighbors over.
Do some planning, but leave a few weekends open to be spontaneous. Grilling for friends and neighbors can be a lot of fun, but it gets monotonous if you do it every weekend. Don’t allow your source of enjoyment to become a chore. Plan a few weekend events, but leave other weekends open for spontaneous events. You may want to leave your back yard or deck at times to take advantage of those other summer activities – you know – the beach and water sports. You don’t have to give up grilling completely to partake in those. Bring the hibachi.