Search -- either in the phonebook or Google -- for "basement/ garage cleanout" or "attic cleanout" as well as "garage basement junk."

Frequently, the companies have "Junk" in their names.

Thanks Pammyfay. I'll search using your info.

I have used Craigslist with excellent success for tasks like this. Junk removal, handyman chores, etc. Can't say that I have ever been disappointed in the various types of people I have hired.
If you want to give it all away you can post it on freecycle too.
When we moved from the house in Oklahoma I found a man who came out with a big flat bed trailer and truck, he took everything we had out in our barn that we didn't want to move. He loaded it up and hauled it off for free for the stuff. Some he could sell as scrap metal but some of it was good enough stuff to sell and make money from.

There's a TV show on where this guy's company comes out and cleans out your garage for the stuff inside. He has a couple of thrift stores he sells it at and he has a guy who does Internet searches on things that might have value, and he sells it on eBay. The show is called Garage Gold.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garage gold

Very cool to know Ravencajun and thanks!

Gran, make sure you stay with whomever cleans out your garage, just in case there are items you don't want to part with.

Lana, you are neither... it just sneaks up on us sometimes. Since you plan to get it taken care of, you really are neither a hoarder, nor lazy!

Moni

It can happen. Garages can be such a great place to just stow stuff with the idea that you will get to it later. Some people I know have used 1-800-got-junk to clear out the garage. However, they charge you by weight for what you have to take away. If your garage is filled with concrete blocks, that may not be a good way tot go!

I had thrown a bunch of stuff in my detached garage over the winter. I cane home from my volunteer duty at the library one day and voila! -- my son had straightened out the whole mess. Ysy, son.

Good luck with your project. I say just call someone and get rid of the entire mess.

A professional organizer can help you sort through everything and probably arrange for removal of unwanted items as well. You can probably google "professional organizer" and the name of your city and come up with some names.

Just call, GOT JUNK.COM, for an estimate on hauling it all away.

pal did just that..hire someone...she was careful and saved a few items, including a "packed (special box)" civil war uniform, but for the most part she let go with a ton of stuff...she and her dh have the house up for sale...the major broble was her stained glass collection...she makes windows all the time, so organized that...

heck they even have a show on tv now that cleans out garages for free but what they find in treasures they keep...

I used 1-800-Got-Junk when I was clearing out a storage unit. They didn't charge me by weight, but gave me an estimate based on what they saw. It was a great help because the storage unit place doesn't have any on-site trash collection. I love that they move everything for you and my guy even swept out the storage unit so that it met the broom clean guideline.

No, you are NOT lazy, but I would suggest whoever you choose to help have a relative or trusted friend with you and review what is being removed. Sometimes we put things in the garage or other storage places that maybe our kids/grandkids want for memories. Before my DH passed away, he sat down with our son and son-in-law and watched them clean the garage. He made the decision what to give to who--even as sick as he was. Saved a lot of anger issues when he did pass away.
When we moved, we also gave a lot of stuff to neighbors who had been good to us and could especially use, the tools and garden equipment.
So, I guess, what I am saying--be aware of what you have and what you want to either sell or give away.

This post was edited by marie-ndcal on Tue, May 20, 14 at 22:27

If you can still get your car into the garage you are not a hoarder. Life's stuff can definitely get the better of us sometimes.

That is exactly what I was thinking! Wait you can still get your car in? You are definitely not a hoarder lol
We can not fit any of our vehicles in our garage.
One it is filled up with my husbands shop tools and shop stuff since he does not have a shop at this house unfortunately and has not had one built.
Two there are 4 Harleys in there taking up a LOT of room!
Three both of our vehicles are too wide/tall to fit through the garage doors. We never thought of that when we bought the house to actually check to see if they would fit in. This house was built in the 70's and the garage doors were smaller then apparently and the size of vehicles have increased also.
My hummer will just barely squeeze in if I fold the side mirrors in.
I would love to have a nice carport built so the cars and the RV have cover over head and have him just make the garage into a shop and either sell the Harleys or put them in a storage unit near by.

You all are making me feel so much better about this dreaded garage clean out and I appreciate all the tips, too!

I keep saying just dump it all, but I know better and must find the time to look over a few areas before I call someone.

I'm so looking forward to having this done and I will slap myself silly if I ever, ever let it get this bad again. I'm thinking since I'm already 70, how much time do I have to trash it again? LOL

I would definitely want to go through everything first and separate into keep/haul piles before someone comes to take everything. I think it would be hard to do as they are putting stuff in the truck...I'm sure they move quickly and want to get in and get out. You'd kick yourself if something got hauled off you wanted to keep.

Hi granlan,

Would you be interested in putting out the word to family, friends that they were to come by on a Friday evening to choose some goods in your garage that they might like to purchase/remove, as you were having a garage sale on the Saturday?

Are you or some family member or trusted friend interested in having a garage sale, with most of the stuff in its original location?

That'd reduce the amount of stuff that you'd need to have an agency remove later ... at whatever fee per hundredweight

Are you connected with a social, sports, theatre, faith, etc. group that, if you were to invite them, would clean it out for you, without worrying if there were some things that you chose to save.

But ... a big "but", quite likely ... it'd be important to have it understood that they were to clear out all of the stuff that you wanted gone ...

... not just pick it over to take away just the stuff that they liked.

Some thoughts on your situation that my start other thoughts moving in your noggin.

ole joyful

When my mother went to assisted living, she refused to part with anything, & her sister rented a storage building to stuff everything into.

The sister called me one day & said that the storage building was being emptied at last;
she & my brothers & their wives had gotten everything they wanted...
so I could come get what I wanted before the rest of it went into the dumpster.

This is my family.

so I drove down there & sifted through what was left & took some things & found some really old textbooks that were falling apart.

I knew they must have been kept for some reason, so I called this aunt, & she hightailed it back to the storage building & grabbed those books.

Her mother had been the first girl in their family to graduate from high school;
back then, students had to buy their own books, & if you couldn't buy the books, you couldn't take the class & graduate.

These were her mother's school books, not valuable on the antiques market, but family heirlooms.

My aunt's son now has them.

& the moral of this story is...
Do *not* let anyone into that garage with the agreement that they can keep whatever they want until you've put your hands on every object in there.
& get a friend or family member to be there with you
1) when you're going through stuff &
2) while you're keeping an eye on the people who are cleaning it out.