How much do estate cleanout services cost?

National home-services price data puts a professional estate cleanout at roughly $275 to $4,000, with an average around $1,250. Small one-bedroom or single-room cleanouts can come in under $500, while a packed multi-story home with a full basement, attic and garage can run several thousand dollars. Price is driven mostly by volume — how many truckloads leave the property — so an on-site walkthrough gives you a far more accurate number than a phone estimate.

What is the difference between an estate cleanout and an estate sale?

An estate sale is a public sale held at the home where a company prices and sells the contents and takes a commission on what sells — you receive money. An estate cleanout is a service you pay for: a crew empties the home of everything left behind, sorting into resale, donation, recycling and disposal, and leaves it broom-clean. Many families do both in order — an estate sale first to turn the contents into cash, then a cleanout for whatever did not sell.

What does broom-clean (or broom-swept) mean?

Broom-clean is a contract standard, not a legal one. It generally means the property is emptied of personal belongings and debris and the floors are swept or vacuumed. It does not mean the home is deep-cleaned, sanitized, or that appliances, carpets and windows are cleaned. Because there is no universal definition, ask your cleanout company to spell out in the contract exactly what condition the house will be left in.

How long does an estate cleanout take?

For an average three-bedroom home, professional crews commonly finish in about two to four days, with an extra day or two when the basement, attic or garage is full. Larger or heavily packed homes can run five days or more, and a DIY cleanout typically takes several times longer. If you hold an estate sale first, add a few weeks of prep and sale days before the cleanout begins.

Will a cleanout company take appliances, mattresses, paint and tires?

Most will, but several of those items carry surcharges because they require special handling. Refrigerators and freezers need EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before disposal. Mattresses and large upholstered furniture usually carry per-item fees. Paint, solvents, pesticides, propane tanks and tires are classed as hazardous or restricted waste in most areas and are often billed separately or excluded entirely. Ask for the restricted-item list before the crew arrives.

Do I get a donation receipt for what is given away?

Many companies drop usable furniture, clothing and housewares at local nonprofits and pass the receipt back to you, but it is not a universal practice — confirm it up front. Only the fair-market value of items actually donated to a qualifying nonprofit is potentially deductible, and the receipt has to come from the receiving charity. The cleanout service fee itself is not a charitable deduction.

Can I get a free cleanout in exchange for the contents?

Some regional companies do credit the resale value of what they sell against your cleanout bill, and a few will clear a property at no charge when the contents are valuable enough to resell. This is a real local practice, not a national standard — the large junk-removal franchises do not generally offer it. If a home still holds furniture, tools, jewelry or collectibles, it is worth asking two or three local companies whether they will offset the bill.

Should I have an estate sale before the cleanout?

If the home still holds furniture, tools, china, jewelry, art, vinyl, collectibles or a garage full of equipment, an estate sale first almost always nets more than paying to haul the same items away. If the contents are mostly worn-out furniture, clothing and paper, skip straight to a cleanout. A reputable estate sale company will tell you honestly which path fits after a walkthrough.

Can I clean out a house before probate is finished?

Securing the home — utilities, mail, pets, perishables, locks — is normally fine right away. Selling, donating or discarding the contents generally should wait until the executor or administrator is formally appointed by the probate court, and until an inventory of the belongings exists. Clearing a home too early can create beneficiary disputes and personal liability. Rules differ by state, so confirm with a local probate attorney before you book a cleanout.

Is it cheaper to rent a dumpster and do it myself?

Sometimes, if you have the time and the labor. A dumpster runs roughly $250 to $650 for a 10-yard container and about $450 to $1,250 for a 40-yard, plus roughly $40 to $100 for every ton over the included weight allowance and landfill tipping fees of about $30 to $80 per ton. Once you add your own days of hauling, stairs and dump runs, a full-service cleanout on an average home is often close in cost — and it handles the donation and recycling sorting for you.

Two uniformed estate cleanout workers carrying labeled boxes out of an almost-empty family home

Estate Cleanout Services: What They Cost and How They Work

An estate cleanout empties a home of everything left behind and leaves it broom-clean. Most whole-home cleanouts run $275 to $4,000, averaging about $1,250. Here is exactly what the service includes, what drives the price, and when an estate sale should come first.

Find a company near you Compare estate sale commissions

$275–$4,000

Typical whole-home estate cleanout cost

2–4 days

Common crew time for an average 3-bedroom home

Sell → donate → haul

How a good crew sorts every room

What an estate cleanout service actually includes

A house cleanout is a labor-and-logistics service. The crew arrives with a truck, works room by room, and makes decisions you approve in advance: what is worth reselling, what a local charity can use, what can be recycled, and what has to go to the landfill. You should not have to lift, sort or schedule a single dump run yourself.

Belongings sorted on a dining room floor during an estate cleanout: china and lamps to sell, linens and kitchenware boxed for donation, broken items and old paint cans for disposal

Normally included

A free on-site walkthrough and a written, volume-based quote
Room-by-room sorting into keep, sell, donate, recycle and discard
Labor, packing, lifting and stair carries — the crew does the hauling
Furniture, appliance and mattress removal
Donation drop-offs at local nonprofits
Metal, cardboard and e-waste recycling
Landfill runs and disposal fees rolled into the quote
A broom-clean finish so the home can be listed, rented or handed over

Usually not included

Deep cleaning, carpet shampooing or window washing (usually an add-on)
Repairs, painting or patching walls
Hazardous waste: paint, solvents, pesticides, propane, tires
Biohazard remediation after an unattended death or severe hoarding
Appraisal or individual pricing of valuables — that is estate sale work

Estate cleanout cost at a glance

Cleanouts are priced by volume, not by the hour or by the item. Most companies quote a fraction of a truck — an eighth, a quarter, a half, a full load — after seeing the home. These are national ranges, so expect your local number to sit somewhere inside them.

Line item	Typical cost	Notes
Whole-home estate cleanout	$275–$4,000	Average around $1,250; driven mostly by volume.
Priced by truckload	$120–$800+	Roughly $120–$250 for a quarter load, $600–$800+ for a full truck.
Dumpster rental (DIY route)	$250–$1,250	About $250–$650 for a 10-yard, $450–$1,250 for a 40-yard.
Weight overage	$40–$100 per extra ton	Beyond the container's included allowance, usually 2–4 tons.
Landfill tipping fees	$30–$80 per ton	Charged at the transfer station or landfill.
Move-out deep cleaning	About $360	Optional add-on after the house is emptied.
Hoarding or biohazard conditions	Quoted separately	Specialty crews, PPE and remediation; far higher than a standard cleanout.

Ranges are estimates drawn from published national home-services and junk-removal price data and vary by region, home size and company. Always get a written quote after an on-site walkthrough.

What drives your cleanout price up or down

Total volume

The single biggest factor. Cleanouts are priced by how much space your belongings take in the truck.

Home size and levels

Basements, attics, garages and sheds are where the truckloads hide.

Stairs and access

Upper-floor furniture, narrow hallways and long carries to the curb add labor hours.

Heavy and bulky items

Pianos, safes, gun cabinets, treadmills and hot tubs may need extra crew or equipment.

Restricted items

Refrigerators need certified refrigerant recovery; mattresses, tires and paint often carry per-item fees.

Hoarding conditions

Heavy clutter, pests or biohazards are quoted as a specialty job, not a standard cleanout.

Local disposal costs

Landfill tipping fees and labor rates vary widely by metro area.

Distance and schedule

Rural addresses and rush turnarounds for a closing date cost more.

Estate cleanout vs. estate sale

This is the decision that costs families the most money when they get it wrong. A cleanout is the fastest way to empty a house. An estate sale is the way to get paid for what is inside it. If the home still holds furniture, tools, china, jewelry, art or a garage full of equipment, selling first and cleaning out second is almost always the better order.

	Estate sale	Estate cleanout
Who pays whom	The company takes a commission; you receive the proceeds	You pay a fee for the labor and disposal
Goal	Get the highest price for the contents	Empty the property on a deadline
Best when	The home still holds furniture, tools, jewelry, art or collectibles	Little is left worth selling, or the sale is already over
Timeline	A few weeks of prep, then 1–3 sale days	Typically a few days once scheduled
What's left after	Unsold leftovers still need to go	Broom-clean and ready to list or hand over
Public access	Shoppers come through the home	Crew only — no strangers browsing

Not sure which side you fall on? Read the companion article, Estate Cleanout or Estate Sale? How to Decide, or compare commission rates in our estate sale company cost guide.

Some companies handle both the sale and the cleanout

The easiest path for most families is one company for both jobs — they run the estate sale, then clear whatever is left and hand the house back broom-clean. One contract, one crew, one point of contact, and no gap between the last sale day and the closing date.

Estate sales and cleanouts

SoCal Home Clear Outs

Placentia, California — serving Orange County and Southern California

SoCal Home Clear Outs runs full estate sales and also clears homes out completely, so a family can sell the contents and have the house emptied by the same team. They list their sales on EstateSaleFinder, which means you can see their real past sales and photos before you call.

socalhomeclearouts.com See their sales on EstateSaleFinder

Running an estate sale company that also does cleanouts? List your company so local families searching for both services can find you.

How resale value can lower your cleanout bill

Not every cleanout is a straight expense. Some regional companies credit the resale value of what they sell back against your invoice, and a few will clear a property at no charge when the contents are valuable enough to resell on their own. Companies that run a thrift store, a booth or an online shop are the most likely to offer it.

This is a local practice rather than an industry standard — the big national junk-hauling franchises generally do not do it. So it is worth asking every company you call two questions: do you resell anything, and does that reduce my bill?

Before you let anything leave the house

Photograph the rooms and anything that looks collectible. If you are unsure whether something is worth selling rather than hauling, our Ai Appraiser identifies an item from a photo and shows what comparable pieces have sold for — a two-minute check that occasionally saves a family thousands of dollars.

How long an estate cleanout takes

1 day

A single room, a condo or a mostly empty home.

2–4 days

An average three-bedroom house with a typical amount of contents.

5+ days

Full basement, attic and garage, heavy clutter, or a large property.

These are typical crew timelines, not guarantees — scheduling, dump hours and weather all move the date. If you are holding an estate sale first, plan on a few weeks of preparation plus the sale days before the cleanout begins, and tell both companies your closing or handover date up front.

Read this before you book: probate comes first

If the homeowner has died, do not have the house cleared out yet. Securing the property — utilities, mail, pets, perishables, changing the locks — is normally fine right away. But selling, donating or discarding the contents generally needs to wait until the executor or administrator has been formally appointed by the probate court and an inventory of the belongings exists.

Wait for your letters of appointment before anything leaves the house
Photograph and inventory the rooms first — it prevents "where did Mom's jewelry go?" disputes
Set aside documents: the will, deeds, titles, insurance policies, tax records, bank statements
Clearing a home too early can create personal liability and complicate the court's inventory
State probate rules differ, so confirm your timing with a local probate attorney

This is general information, not legal advice. Our probate estate sale guide covers the court-ready process, and the estate transition hub will build you a step-by-step plan for your situation.