Junk Removal Blog

For those homeowners and renters who have one, a backyard can be a great oasis, domestic get-away, and a quiet refuge. For others, a backyard is the place to entertain, to play, and to enjoy the company of friends and family.

And, while everyone – including husbands and wives – may disagree about what constitutes a “perfect” backyard, every yard has the potential to become an inviting, relaxing, and rejuvenating outdoor space.

But, for many backyards, that means some serious work needs to be done.

When a Perfect Backyard Means Total Transformation

Okay, so maybe it doesn’t really need a complete makeover. And it’s not likely you’re going to get a visit from some HGTV makeover show anytime soon anyway. But the truth is that most residential backyards in the Capital region could use some spiffing up or even some major upgrades.

There are three major considerations when it comes to backyard makeovers, and the first one has to do primarily with resources.

Of course, most of us immediately think of money when the word “resources” in mentioned, but this can also involve time and labor. In other words, if you want to do some major improvements on your backyard you need to know if you have the time to get that done as well as the skills and physical capabilities or stamina.

We’re not all 20 or 30-somethings anymore. If you are, then this might be a walk in the park for you. But if you over 50 or 60, major landscaping and backyard revitalization work might be more than you want to take on by yourself.

And, along with the time, the labor, and the money it will require, you must have a plan – a design.

The most common mistake most homeowners often make when it comes to landscaping and transforming their outdoors spaces is to launch into the work without a clear vision of what they want the end result to look like. A major landscaping project with a settled design and a plan for making that design a reality is a recipe for a yard that will be far less than perfect!

Also, a perfect backyard is often much more than a beautiful lawn, gorgeous landscaping, and new fence. There are the structural elements and things called “hardscape.”

What is that? Well, here’s a good definition from the folks at The Spruce,

“The term ‘hardscape’ refers to all of the non-living elements in landscaping, such as a brick patio, a stone wall, or a wooden arbor. It is one of the two major subcategories of landscaping, the other being softscape. Softscape is all of the living and organic elements in a garden or on a lawn, such as trees, flowers, and grass.”

So, when you are designing your perfect backyard, be sure to include any ‘hardscape’ elements or structures that you feel would be needed in order to make it truly “perfect.”

Oh! And as far as cost goes, according to HomeAdvisor, the national average cost for a total backyard renovation runs about $15,000 to $50,000. However, for a modest backyard remodeling project, including new sod, bushes, and plants, you may be looking at around $5,000.

Which brings us to the second consideration: who’s gonna do all that work?

When the Perfect Backyard Becomes a DIY Project

It’s no secret that we live in a robustly “do-it-yourself” society here in the United States.

Big box stores like Lowe’s® and The Home Depot cater to this trend and there are tens of thousands of websites and online video channels dedicated to DIY, well, everything! And one of the most popular do-it-yourself projects for homeowners and others is the backyard renewal.

Unless one is totally averse to the work involved, or simply does not have the time or the ability to tackle a DIY project of this type and scope, then it is probably going to be a largely, if not completely, do-it-yourself job.

The other option, of course, is to hire a contractor or really good friend or relative to do it for you.

If you hire someone then your overall cost will be significantly higher than the same project would be when done by the homeowner. However, there is the valuable benefit of having the confidence and peace of mind that the job will be done professionally and in a timely fashion. And that is often well worth the cost involved for many people.

That being said, it’s quite likely that the typical homeowner will opt for the DIY route for anything that doesn’t absolutely require a professional contractor, such as pouring concrete pads and such. And even that can often be managed by many residents.

So, what kinds of landscape and hardscape elements can you include in your perfect backyard design?

Here’s a graphic we put together to inspire some ideas for you project:

In truth, the things you can do with a backyard are almost endless, from  a paver stone walkway to numerous flower bed ideas to possibly even choosing to build a deck.

Of course, the pursuit of a perfect backyard doesn’t end with the design, planning, digging, planting, and building. There is also the third and final consideration that we referred to at the start of this article, and that is the cleanup and removal of all the junk and debris.

When the Perfect Backyard Results in Not-So-Nice Piles of Waste and Debris

There is a fundamental truth that one cannot play in the dirt without making a mess. And this is just as true with backyard makeover work, except on an epic scale.

Depending on the scope of your project and the amount of digging and “deconstruction” that might occur, it is quite likely that you will end up generating several large piles of yard waste, debris, and other junk. And it is also likely that you may need to get rid of all this, let’s call it “yard waste,” a few times during the course of your work project.

This means having the resources necessary to pick up, load, transport, and properly dispose of all these materials and items, as well.

And some of these materials can be quite bulky and awkward to move, especially if your pre-transformation work required an old swing set removal or shed removal.

And, while you may have the wherewithal to carry out your own DIY backyard miracle, you may not have a suitable vehicle for hauling several cubic yards of old dirt, rocks, junk, and for construction debris removal. In addition, you may not be particularly keen on making multiple trips to the nearest waste transfer station or other disposal site you’ll need to go to.

So, what do you do? Search on your phone for “shed removal near me” or “swing set removal near me” in hopes of finding a reliable vendor?

You could go a bit wider in your search and type in something like “yard waste removal dc” or even just “Junk removal near me.” But you still have to decide who you can trust and who will pick up this type of junk.

Which is why Junk King Washington DC specializes in yard waste removal.

In fact, with Junk King, you have two options: you can make use of our expert, full-service yard waste removal service and have us come out as often as needed throughout the duration of your perfect backyard building project.

In addition, you can opt for using one of our versatile and user-friendly dumpster rentals. The Junk King MINI Dumpster rental can be parked close to where your project is taking place and you can fill it at your own pace as you complete the work on your perfect backyard.

In fact, it is the “prefect” staging area for all that debris and yard waste. And, when you’re done, our professional junk removal team will come back and haul it away for you. A perfect solution for a perfect backyard completion!

When You Need Yard Waste Removal in the Washington DC Area

Getting rid of all those piles of yard waste and other outdoor junk items will clear the way for enjoying your perfect backyard.

And you will always get friendly, fast, and professional removal service when you call Junk King Washington DC. Best of all – especially for yard waste material – we do all the loading and hauling! Oh, and keep in mind that you’ll also have the added benefit of helping to protect the environment when you work with Junk King.

Our experienced yard waste pickup team can also remove and haul off any other types of outdoor junk you have, as well. That can mean that old hot tub, your broken patio furniture, and the cornhole game that finally cracked and split. In fact, we’ll take just about anything except for hazardous waste.

Junk King Washington DC is part of one of the largest and most respected junk removal companies in North America, which is something of which we are quite proud. In addition, Junk King Washington DC is proud of the fact that we are 100 percent veteran-owned and a locally owned business, as well.

And, like our corporate partners, one of our overriding passions is to provide green junk removal and disposal services. But we are also passionate about providing world-class service to our friends and neighbors who live here in and around Washington DC.

Once you book an appointment with us, our professional and insured team will come to your home, and we’ll be sure to call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive. Once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your yard waste and other junk takes up in our truck.

You simply point, and we’ll load your piles of yard waste – and any other junk items you have – into our and haul them away in no time. And we do it all without any extra fees or hidden charges!

So, ready to get rid of your yard waste? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

Just make an appointment with us by booking online above, or by calling us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).

When a loved one passes away and leaves a home full of their belongings, the task of clearing out that home and cleaning it afterwards often falls on family members.

In many cases, it is the adult children of a parent who must deal with this task. And the burden of it can often weigh on them during a time of grief. For many, the pain is difficult enough without having to immerse themselves in a house full of old furniture, appliances, clothing, and assorted goods that now have to be disposed of somehow.

And, for some, this is a task that they truly would rather not have to do at all.

Which is why having professional estate cleanout specialists like Junk King Washington DC at hand can be so beneficial.

Estate Cleanout and Residential Junk Clean Up Services for Difficult Times

Along with the heirloom possessions, cherished belongings, and various other items that family members choose to keep, often the remaining goods such as furnishings and household odds and ends will be gotten rid of.

Occasionally this is done with an estate sale, however, many times the things left behind are not thought to have enough value to incur the costs of such an event.

It is in those more common situations that junk clean up and junk removal is required.

In other words, a significant part of the overall cleaning up process is getting all the unwanted or unneeded things removed and disposed of somehow. While this type of cleaning up is also needed for seniors still living at home, these assisted living cleanout services are often similar in how they are carried out.

And finding these types of special estate cleanout services shouldn’t be relegated to doing a search on your phone for “junk removal near me,” “junk removal DC,” or even “junk removal Washington DC.” While you can certainly go that route, the fact is that you still have to choose between all the various results you’ll receive.

The problem, too, is that not all junk removal services are created equal. This matters in any estate cleanout scenario, but it is especially important when the estate cleaning is the result of a loved one’s passing.

The last thing you need during a time of grieving is dealing with a less-than-professional and inconsiderate crew of “junk haulers” in your loved one’s home. Perhaps no other scenario necessitates the need for professional empathy and consideration than during a time of grieving over the loss of a loved one.

Which is why Junk King Washington DC specializes in estate cleanouts.

How Much Does an Estate Cleanout Cost?

Another aspect of taking care of estate cleanouts and hiring estate cleanout specialists is considering the cost involved.

It is often for this reason alone that many family members may choose to take on this work themselves. And, while this can certainly be done, it is not always feasible or even possible. For example, an estate cleanout is needed after seniors pass away. And this often means that those taking care of the estate afterwards are older adults, or the adult children of those that passed away.

In addition to the often intimidating labor involved, junk removal and disposal requires a vehicle capable of holding and transporting large amounts of debris, furniture, and so on.

Essentially, this means that for many of those who might be willing to do the job themselves, the obstacles to doing so are challenging or even insurmountable. So, the only feasible option is to hire a professional estate cleanup service.

And what is the cost for that kind of service?

For those living in neighborhoods such as Fairlawn, Twining, and Hillcrest, for example, the equivalent of roughly six full pickup truck loads – or one full Junk King truck – may cost as much as $768 for pickup and removal.

Of course, pricing will vary depending on the junk removal firm one chooses, how much is being removed, and where one lives in the Washington DC region. Also, keep in mind that some firms charge based on the weight of a load, while others even charge based on flat fees.

Junk King, however, believes that only charging customers by how much space their junk items take up in our trucks is the most economical and equitable pricing policy.

When Your Estate Cleanout Service Needs Come During a Time for Grieving

Junk King Washington DC takes the responsibility for serving our customers seriously. And this means paying attention to details and circumstances.

There are many different reasons for residential cleanouts and residential junk removal, and an estate cleanout is just one of them. However, the nature of an estate cleanout often means that there has been a recent death in the family or of a friend. And this requires a degree of empathy and sensitivity on the part of vendors that are involved.

At Junk King, we make it our mission to always deliver exceptional and world-class service in any situation or circumstances. And that includes during times of our customer’s grieving.

One of the overriding commitments of our company’s mission is to make the junk removal and junk hauling process easy and affordable for our customers. And this extends to those jobs where are customers are dealing with trying or difficult circumstances. This is nothing unusual for us, however, as it has always been our way to treat every customer as if they were the only one we have.

When life brings times of grief and the need for estate cleanouts, you can know that your best option is to call upon the services of Junk King Washington DC.

Make Foreclosures and Evictions a Bit Easier with Help from Junk King Washington DC

No one looks forward to estate cleanouts or with the follow-up tasks related to disposing of a loved one’s property. In fact, the whole cleaning and junk removal can often be emotionally taxing and distressing for family members.

At Junk King Washington DC, we understand that which is why we go above and beyond to provide professional and experienced residential cleanout and junk removal services. We know that what we do can be a significant benefit for families, real estate professionals, and others involved in an estate sale or cleanout.

Junk King Washington DC is 100 percent veteran-owned and local business, and we are part of one of the country’s largest and most respected junk removal firms. As such, we are also fully committed to being a green and eco-friendly operation, as well, since this is at the core of Junk King’s corporate mission.

In addition, we work hard to provide world-class service to all our friends and neighbors who live and work in the greater Washington DC area.

And this simply means that estate cleanouts of debris, bulk trash, and the subsequent junk removal couldn’t be any easier – or greener!

When you call on Junk King Washington DC, you can know that professional and insured trash and junk removal team show up at your property on time, as promised. And we’ll always call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive. Once there, we’ll also give you a free estimate based on how much room all of the debris, trash, and other junk will take up in our truck.

You simply point, and we’ll load all of the trash and debris, as well as any bulk garbage items and other junk, into our clean junk removal trucks. And we’ll haul it away without any hidden fees or added charges.

Or, if you prefer to load the junk and debris yourself on your own schedule, you can book one of our convenient MINI Dumpster rentals and have us pick it up when you’re done. With far more capacity than any pickup truck, our unique dumpster rental units are perfect for eviction cleanouts.

So, ready to clear out residential debris? It can be as simple as 1, 2, 3.

You can make an appointment by booking online above or call us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).

In the United States, it has been estimated that since 2017 approximately 393,000,000 desktop PCs, 896,000,000 tablets, and 1,152,000,000 laptops have been sold.

That means, among other things, that we’re looking at potentially hundreds of millions of “old” PCs, tablets, and laptops being disposed of over the next five years. And that’s in addition the millions that are already being gotten rid of today.

Unfortunately, with all the electronics being disposed of – computers included – not nearly enough of them are being recycled.

While recent statistics are hard to come by, according to estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA,

“…in 2009, US consumers and businesses discarded televisions, computers, cell phones and hard copy peripherals (including printers, scanners, faxes) totaling 2.37 million tons. Approximately 25 percent of these electronics were collected for recycling, with the remainder disposed of primarily in landfills, where the precious metals cannot be recovered.”

And one of the major benefits of electronic waste recycling is the extraction and recovery of valuable and rare metals. Another benefit is the reduction of the environmental threat posed by electronic waste in landfills.

Keeping Electronic Waste Disposal Eco-Friendly and Environmentally Safe

Although it is far easier to dispose of electronic waste, or e-waste as it is known, by sending it to landfills, this is certainly not an eco-friendly option. And, in fact, it is potential hazardous to our environment.

On the plus side, e-waste typically holds a wealth of reusable materials.

As one article notes,

“Electronic devices are made of a complex mix of materials that include gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, lithium, cobalt and other valuable elements. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, “One metric ton of circuit boards can contain 40 to 800 times the amount of gold and 30 to 40 times the amount of copper mined from one metric ton of ore in the United States.” These precious materials can be reclaimed through recycling.”

However, these same repositories of resources have a dark side. The same article goes on to point out,

“But electronic devices also comprise toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium, polluting PVC plastic, and hazardous chemicals, such as brominated flame retardants, which can harm human health and the environment.”

While electronic waste only makes up about three percent of America’s solid waste stream, all the lead, cadmium, chromium, and other toxic materials they contain make up about 70 percent of the total amount of hazardous material in landfills, according to the EPA.

Which is why reducing the overall volume of e-waste in our landfills will make those facilities that much eco-friendlier and safer.

Two Great Alternatives for Electronic Waste Disposal in the Washington DC Area

The good news is that tossing electronic waste into the trash and, consequently, into a landfill, is not our only options. Donating usable electronics or recycling unwanted e-waste are far better alternatives.

And the other good news is that Junk King Washington DC is ready to help you with your electronic waste recycling needs.

It’s estimated that the vast majority of used electronics that are destined for a dumpster can actually be donated, refurbished, or simply reused by those who need them. Despite the massive quantity of PCs, laptops, and tablets in our country, for example, there are still about 25 percent of Americans who do not own one.

That’s approximately 80 million folks who could benefit from a donated desktop PC, laptop, or tablet device. And, of course, there are the phones. Millions upon millions of used cellphones, many of them smart phones, are tossed out each year. Yet, these too, can often be donated.

In other words, we have multiple opportunities to donate electronics of all kinds to those in need.

The other eco-friendly e-waste disposal alternative that avoids putting it all in a landfill, is electronic waste recycling.

In addition to the metals contained in most electronics, the materials that devices are made of can often be recycled, as well. This can include glass, plastics, and circuitry. Electronic waste recycling decreases the amount of raw materials needed for manufacturing new products and provides jobs and revenue that add to the economy.

And there are a wide variety of devices that can make up our electronic recycling efforts.

Computer recycling is, perhaps, one of the most common, and presents both huge benefits for the environment and the electronic waste recycling industry, but also potential issues for donors.

Things to Consider When It Comes to Safe and Easy Electronic Device Disposal

Unfortunately, there are very real security risks when donating or recycling of certain devices. Primarily there is the risk of someone getting an old computer with personal info on it. Identity thieves could use the sensitive data stored on your device for assorted frauds, but you can make it hard for them.

There are steps you can take prior to donating or disposing of these e-waste devices to provide for a secure transition.

According to online security company Norton,

• Back it up. Be sure to back up your documents, photos, and other important information. Or transfer this data to your new device. This way you won’t lose it. To back up your data, you can make a copy in a physical location, such as on an external hard drive or thumb drive. Or you can make a copy that is stored in the “cloud,” or online, in a secure location.
• Erase it. Once you’ve backed up the data you want to save, make sure you’ve deleted everything on your old device. This includes your download folder, photos, and the search history on your internet browser. You should clear your browsing history, cookies and site data, and cached files and images. It’s a good idea not to leave anything behind that might give someone access to your personal information.
• Don’t forget about your apps. Delete all of your apps. This includes deleting app cache and data.
• Wipe your hard drive. Deleting things like files from your device doesn’t mean they’ve been completely erased. Remember to completely wipe your hard drive as well.
• Do a factory reset. Follow the device manufacturer’s instructions and do a factory reset, which should eliminate anything left on your device.

Affordable and Eco-Friendly Electronic Waste Recycling

In addition to getting eco-friendly and green e-waste removal service, you can know that you will be helping us preserve the environment. And you can be assured that you’ll be getting world-class junk removal service when you call Junk King Washington DC.

And even better than enjoying our renowned service is not having to do it yourself!

Our professional and experienced mattress removal team can also remove and haul off any other types of junk you have, as well (except household hazardous waste.) Fortunately, most waste electronics don’t fall under that category.

And, for those who might have a quite a large amount of electronic waste to collect – or are collecting it over a period of time – our affordable dumpster rental service can be a perfect way to have us take your e-waste.

Not only is Junk King Washington DC part of the nation’s largest and most respected junk removal firms, but we are also proud of the fact that our location is a locally owned and 100 percent veteran-owned business.

While our mission is to run a green and eco-friendly junk removal operation, we are also wholly committed to providing outstanding service to our friends and neighbors who live here in and around the Washington DC area.

What that means for you is that electronic waste recycling and removal couldn’t be any easier – or greener!

Our professional and insured junk removal team will come to your home, and we’ll call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive. Once there, we’ll give you a free quote based on how much room your electronic waste and other junk will take up in our truck.

You simply point, and we’ll load your old electronic devices and other items into our big, red junk removal trucks and haul them away – and always without any hidden fees!

So, ready to get rid of your old electronic waste? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

All you need to do is make an appointment with us by booking online above, or by calling us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).