We deliver a lot of cans to houses where someone's parent lived for forty years, and the family standing in the driveway usually looks the same: overwhelmed before the first box is opened. This post is the advice we'd give a friend in that spot. None of it is complicated, but the order matters.
Walk It Once Before You Order Anything
Before you call anyone, walk the whole house one time, including the attic, the shed, and the garage. You're not sorting yet. You're just letting the size of the job be real, because the biggest mistake families make is renting a weekend dumpster for a month-long job. Give the sorting more days than you think it needs.
That's why we point estate jobs at the 14 or 30-day rentals. A 20-yard can for 30 days runs $599, and having it sit there patiently while the family works through rooms at a human pace costs less than paying for speed nobody actually has. If the month runs out with rooms left, extending is one phone call.
Sort in Three Piles, Donations First
The sorting system that works is three piles: keep, donate, and the can. Do donations first, not last. Furniture in decent shape, working kitchenware, and clothes can go to donation pickups around Greenwood and Abbeville, and every couch that goes to a donation truck is space and weight you're not paying to dispose of. The can is for what's truly done.
Appliances get their own lane. They can't ride inside the dumpster, but set them beside it and we haul them for $25 each on a separate truck, refrigerators included. Old paint cans, car batteries, and tires can't go at all, so set those aside for the county's collection options. The full list is on the what-goes-in page.
For the Families Working From Out of Town
Plenty of estate cleanouts around here are run by a son or daughter working weekends from Columbia or Charlotte. The can works fine that way. We can place it before you arrive if you describe the spot, and you don't need to be there for pickup either. Some families also hire a local cleanout crew for the heavy loading and let us handle everything after the can is full. We don't load, but we pair fine with people who do.
There's no graceful way through this job, but there's a manageable one: a long rental, a patient pace, and donations doing part of the work. When you're ready for the can, call (864) 871-4290 and tell us about the house. We'll suggest the size honestly and stay out of your way while you do the hard part.