All you should know about House Clearance

A house clearance is usually a challenging task, but taking certain steps can make the house clearance easy and help you complete it within a short time.

The following tips will ensure your house clearance runs smoothly.

Determine how long the house clearance will take

Planning how long it will take to carry out the house clearance is the first step to ensuring the task runs smoothly. Generally, two people carrying out a house clearance takes about half a day, and under this assumption, a small garden equals a small room.

This timing may seem like a lot, but giving yourself time to undertake the house clearance will help take away the stress house clearance brings.

Decide what you want to dispose of and what item to keep

After allocating time for your house clearance, the next step is going through your belongings to decide the items you want to keep, those to sell or donate and items for disposal. Decluttering is a good idea if you want to get rid of items.

Using the traffic light system is a simpler approach for categorising items in your house. Use separate coloured stickers for each category of items. You can also label items in every room to make the task easier. Be sure to label keep on only important items you need to prevent keeping many things you do not need.

After labelling everything in the house, move items around to keep each category of items together. Moving the items you want to dispose of first is a good idea because it wouldn’t matter if they get damaged.

Estimate how much junk you have

After categorising items and putting out those for disposal, you need to estimate how much waste you have before arranging for disposal. You can estimate how much waste you have by considering the standard domestic skips.

Can the items for disposal fit into the standard domestic skip (the six-yard skip)? Go to each room and estimate how many skips you need to move the items. For bulky items you want to dispose of, such as cupboards, you may need to break them down, which will take up less space.

Arrange for the house clearance 

After estimating the volume of things to keep, those you want to donate or sell and the items for disposal, you will deal with their clearance separately.

• Move the item you want to keep 

You can check for removal firms in your areas or check The British Association of Removers. Members meet certain requirements and are regulated for waste collection. You can also hire a van to transport your belonging. This option may save you money, but the hard work of moving bulky items may be more.

Loading the items carefully will make a huge difference in whether or not the items will arrive safely at your new location.

• Moving items for donation and sale 

Many websites like eBay are available to sell unwanted household items, but you may need to answer several questions from buyers about the items. It may be best to sell bulky items through second-hand dealers or a local auction house.

You can find the names of local operators in the yellow pages or your local paper. If you want to know how much delivery will cost, contact the operator in advance and send them photos.

Local charity shops also accept different items, excluding electrical furniture and appliances without a current fire-safety certificate.

• Moving items for disposal 

The first option is DIY. You can handle the junk disposal yourself if you have the time and energy. Depending on the amount of junk, you can load them in the boot of your car or get a van to transport the junk to a local dump. You can also contact your local council for bulky waste collection at a subsidised cost or for free. Council collections are usually weekly or bi-weekly, and you must keep the junk outside your property.

The second option is a skip-hire service. For this service, the skip driver will drop the skip outside your property, and you will fill it with waste. The cost of skips is fixed, and you need a skip permit and, in some cases, parking suspension from the council if you will park the skip on the road. The cost of skips varies depending on the skip size, and you also need to consider the cost of parking suspension and permit.

Another option is hiring a clearance and disposal company. This is the easiest solution as the clearance team will clear, load and dispose of all items you want to get rid of. Clearance and disposal companies accept most items and will collect them from anywhere on your property. The cost of the house clearance service depends on the amount of junk you want to remove, the urgency of collection, and if the items need removal and recycling.

If you want to hire a waste contract or man and van operators, ask for references and proof they have the necessary license to carry waste and confirm they are insured against damages.

Be careful with documents 

Identity theft is a growing issue in the UK, and you need to protect yourself by carefully treating your confidential documents. If you want to dispose of health records, credit card receipts or bank statements, destroy the documents first or get a shredder.

During your house clearance, be careful not to dispose of documents you still need, especially if you are carrying out a house clearance for a deceased relative. Do not dispose of official paperwork until everything about the estate is settled. You can talk to the executor or solicitor dealing with the estate if you are in doubt.

• Your safety and health 

If you are moving many items that have been undisturbed for a long time, you will likely dislodge dust. Ensure you keep the windows open during the house clearance and wear a dusk mask, especially if you are clearing items from the cellar or loft.

Take extra care when lifting heavy items to avoid accidents. Always keep your back straight and bend your knees while moving items. If you are carrying items with someone, discuss how you will lift them and where you want to move them first. This helps to prevent accidents.

If you do not have the time or energy for your house clearance in London, feel free to call London Rubbish Removal on 020 37451018 to book our house clearance services.