Spring is officially here, and with it the promise of spending a lot more time outdoors. If you’ve been hibernating all winter, you may not have spent much time in your yard. With the warmer temperatures on the way, now is the best time for refreshing the garden. In honor of the change of season, Junk King Austin has some thoughts on refreshing the garden, as well as the outside of your home.

• Weeding – A classic worst childhood chore, weeding can seem an overwhelming task. Start small, dedicating a few days to a certain portion of the yard. Take breaks, drink plenty of water, and don’t forget to wear gloves. With some consistency, the weeds will be gone, leaving a manicured space behind.
  
• Pruning – Cutting back trees and bushes is a sure way to make your home appear well kept and improve your street appeal. Don’t know what to do with the branches? Give Junk King Austin a call and we’ll haul them away for you!
• Love Your Mailbox – If your mailbox is in front of your house, consider freshening it up. Are any letters or numbers missing? Does it need a fresh coat of paint? Are there any overgrown plants next to it? Improving the mailbox is simple but makes any home seem more welcoming and cheerful.
• Doormats – Doormats get a lot of use. When was the last time yours was cleaned or replaced? Upgrading your doormats can significantly clean up your entryways.
• Plants – If you have a dedicated area for plants, now is the time for refreshing the garden. Be sure to take note of sunlight and shade before heading down to your local garden center.
• Decks – Decks are a wonderful addition to any home. Before the summer cookouts start, take the time to check your deck. Furniture that lives outside may need replacing. The wood may need fresh staining. Perhaps you don’t want to have a deck at all. Luckily, Junk King also handles deck removal.
• Rock Gardens and Succulents – Texas is a dry climate, perfect for cactus and succulents. If you aren’t a lover of gardening, refreshing the garden by turning it into a rock garden with succulents may be perfect for you. Large limestone can be easily planted with succulents, creating minimal work in the future.
• Hot Tubs – If you have a hot tub, get a jump on the season and start cleaning it out now. If you have a hot tub you no longer want, give Junk King a call – we do hot tub removals!

Refreshing the garden can be made easier with Junk King Austin. We will help you remove your yard waste (trees trimmings, rocks, etc), old furniture, hot tubs, and unwanted decks. We don’t have to stay just outside, though. Junk King cleans out homes, garages, attics, storage spaces, and business spaces as well. We recycle up to 80% of what we collect. For a free estimate, give us a call or book online today!

Whether you celebrate Halloween or Fall Harvest, this time of year is a lot of fun for children and adults. However, the combination of costumes, makeup, candy, and sugar high can make for an awful mess as November dawns tomorrow. Junk King Austin has some tips for spooky stain removal to help you get through the post-holiday clean up.

1. Chocolate
No Halloween night is complete without indulging in some chocolate! Though delicious, this dark-colored treat can melt and leave a stain. To clean up, carefully scrape off as much of the chocolate as you can, working at an angle to prevent further grinding the chocolate into the fabric. Treat the area with your favorite stain remover and wash the item. If necessary, wash again with bleach that is color- or fabric-safe.

2. Chewing Gum
Fun to chew, this candy is for the mouth or trash can only. However, if chewing gum finds its way onto an article of clothing, start by holding ice to it until the gum freezes and turns hard. Working again at an angle to prevent working the gum deeper into the fabric, scrape off as much of the chewing gum as you can. If you have dry-cleaning solvent, apply some to the area. If not, use your favorite stain remover and wash.

3. Hair Products
Fall Festival attendants will of course make sure their hair matches their costume – and will ensure that it stays that way all evening. If your zombie or Frozen Princess used hair spray or hair gel, you may find their clothes are sticky afterward. Before washing the clothing or costume, be sure the scrape off as much of the hair product as you can. Then, apply your choice stain remover and wash in hot water.

4. Hair Dye
Hair dye shows commitment to the costume. It can also show up later in the form of a stain. If the item in question is bleach-safe, soak it for thirty minutes in a gallon of cold water mixed with 1/4 cup chlorine bleach. If the item is not bleach-safe, mix a gallon of cold water with 1/4 cup ammonia. With the stain in the middle, stretch the item over a bucket and carefully pour the mixture over it. Rinse the stained article and then wash it.

5. Oil-based Makeup and Lipstick
What’s Halloween without a little makeup? Unfortunately, what begins on our face does not always stay there. To treat items stained with lipstick or oil-based makeup, begin by testing a unseen area. Using makeup remover or rubbing alcohol, apply a drop to the unseen area. Wait 10 minutes; if there is no color change, then proceed to apply the makeup remover or rubbing alcohol to a washcloth. Wet the stain with the washcloth. Follow with a dry paper towel, pressing on the stain repeatedly until it no longer picks up the makeup. Apply your choice stain remover and wash in warm water. If the stain does not come out, follow these instructions again.

We hope you have a wonderful celebration this evening, and that your post-celebration cleanup is easy and quick. If you want an easy and quick cleanup in other areas, Junk King Austin is here to help. We not only clean out homes, storage spaces, office buildings, and outdoor areas, but we also recycle up to 80% of what we collect. Whether you need large appliances removed (hot tubs, refrigerators, or even deck removals), a storage area cleaned out (garages, attics, storage units), have construction waste to clean up, or just have a piece of furniture you want gone, Junk King is ready to do all the heavy lifting. Call now or book online today and make your life simpler.

Back-to-school is an exciting time of year – albeit a somewhat stressful one. Navigating new schedules requires organization. Maintaining order in the home helps ease everyone’s tensions. To help kick off the school year right, Junk King Austin is sharing 6 tips for decluttering:

1. Part Ways With The Broken and Unused
Don’t hang on to broken objects. Throw them out and free up more space. If you have items in your home that haven’t been used in the last year, donate them – they won’t be missed.

2. Utilize Your Garage
Designate an area in your garage specifically for seasonal storage. This will make the transitions in wardrobes and seasonal decorating much simpler and faster.

3. Keep Important Things Close
When assigning ‘homes’ for your objects, be sure to logically arrange them, making frequently used objects easily accessible.

4. Use It Or Lose It
It’s tempting to keep certain objects around for special occasions, but it’s not practical. So use the fancy soaps – there’s no sense keeping something around for a mythical ‘someday’.

5. Consider Space Organizers  
Take a good look at the things you need to store and think about how best to store them. Shelves are very helpful, as are tubs, trunks, and inserts for drawers.

6. Move Methodically 
In a burst of well-intentioned enthusiasm, it can be easy to begin multiple projects at once. Resist this urge and move forward one room at a time, always working clockwise around the space.

No matter your ideas for organization and simplifying your life, Junk King Austin is prepared to help – and to do all the work for you. We can handle a variety of jobs, from attic and garage clean outs to pulling up carpet and dismantling decks. We can remove large appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and hot tubs, as well as yard waste and outdoor objects like tree limbs, rocks, concrete, and building debris. If you can point to it, we can take it away. We even recycle up to 80% of what we collect, re-purposing items, sending them to recycling centers, and making charitable donations to organizations like The Salvation Army, Texas Baptist Children’s Home, and The Caring Place. Book online or call us at 512-994-2250 to get your free estimate today.

Merry Christmas, Y’all!

Thank you, Austin, for giving us the opportunity to do business with you! We are thankful to live here and wish you all a happy holiday!