Whether you are at the end of your tenancy period or going through a tough bereavement, house clearance can be a stressful and challenging experience. Most people find it overwhelming and often make mistakes that they could have easily avoided.
It can become even more problematic if you are on a tight schedule, budget, or unaware of the things that can lead to even bigger problems like fines for improper waste disposal. This makes a professional service, such as that from The Zero Waste Group, an appealing proposition.
To ensure you have a smooth and easy clearance, you must know the house clearance basics at the very least. It can help you understand the entire process and how you should go about it.
Hence, we have come up with some house clearance basics to help you avoid unnecessary stress and difficulty during your house clearance.
House Clearance Basics
For a successful and smooth house clearance, you want to follow the basics mentioned below.
It will give you the best chance at getting through all your house clearance work for your property in the smoothest way possible, avoiding difficulties and stress.
Start With a Plan
Planning is always helpful, and it should be your first step. You don’t have to plan everything to a tee; however, knowing your steps and following them will make your house clearance much easier.
Your plan should tell you where to start and how to proceed.
It will also tell you the time you need to dedicate to the clearance. It would help if you gave yourself enough time to counter any unexpected difficulties or distractions.
A good rule of thumb is to dedicate 6-10 hours per room for a thorough clearance.
If you want to minimise stress, you should give yourself a little more than the required time. If you finish early, it will only boost your morale.
Organise For Ease
Once you have your plan, you need to go through each room and categorise items. Typically, three categories work best for all your items – keep, sell, and donate.
It is a great idea to use a coloured sticker system; you can paste red stickers on items you want to keep, yellow on those you want to sell, and green on those you can donate.
Your donation items may not all be donation-worthy, and you will have to sort out the ones you want to throw away as well. Always remember that hazardous waste items need to be disposed of carefully.
If you fail to do so, you may end up paying hefty fines of up to £5,000.
It would be best to use separate coloured stickers to mark additional items like rubbish and hazardous waste.
Once you have marked everything, pile or sort them according to their categories, this will make it easy for you to estimate volumes in the next step.
If your organisation skills are not the best, we recommend you acquire the help of a friend with good management and organisational skills.
They will also give you an unbiased perspective on what things you need to keep and what things need to go.
Some people even hire professional declutterers for the best guidance on items that need to go.
Estimate Your (Skip) Requirements
Naturally, there will be a lot of stuff you want to remove. You will want to estimate the volume of these items. The best way is to go from room to room and estimate how many domestic skips you may need for each room’s removal items. Don’t leave this to house clearance companies.
You do not need to be accurate. You need an estimation of the total number of skips you require for your house clearance.
Having such a house clearance cost estimation will help you immensely for the next step.
Choose a House Clearance Option
You have three main options to arrange your house clearance.
DIY
Although, you have to consider costs like fuel and perhaps vehicle hire to meet your estimated volume. This is the best option for small volume house clearances.
The drawback is that you must do everything yourself, which can be stressful, especially during your first time.
Rent a Skip
This is perhaps your best option if you want a flexible schedule or if your waste items are mostly heavy, loose waste. The drawbacks are that you must load the skip yourself, you cannot carry hazardous items like your TV, tyres, or fridge, and you must pay for the whole skip even if it’s only half full.
Hire The Right House Clearance Company
There are plenty of house clearance services that specialise in all areas of the job. You can plan it and only pay for the house clearance cost when needed.
A licensed and fully ensured house clearance service like manwithavanedinburgh.net, caters to all your house clearance needs with flexible, cost-effective, and comprehensive clearance services.
This includes things like fridge removals, bereavement, rubbish collection, and more. The greatest benefit of hiring professionals is that you can sit back and relax while they handle your house clearance professionally.
The drawback is that this may cost you more than the other two options.
However, with minimal stress, professional help, and flexible, cost-effective services, it may just cost you less than the mistakes you make while doing it yourself or renting a skip.
There are also insurance benefits to consider. That’s why it’s always a good idea to use an experienced house clearance contractor.
Conclusion
House clearance does not have to be difficult. If you follow our house clearance basics, you should have no trouble with it. Plan, organise, estimate, and choose a suitable option that meets your needs; that’s all there is to it.
It may seem overwhelming and stressful to manage it all, but if you go step-by-step, you should get it done without a hitch.
That being said, make sure to dispose of all the junk waste properly, or it may lead to hefty fines, and if you hire professionals, make sure they are licensed and insured. You don’t want to be dealing with an environment agency for being negligent.
It is also always a good idea to secure the help of friends and family members, especially if you are going through a tough bereavement.
House Clearance Basics
For a successful and smooth house clearance, you want to follow the basics mentioned below. It will give you the best chance at clearing your property in the smoothest way possible, avoiding difficulties and stress.
Start With a Plan
Planning is always helpful, and it should be your first step. You don’t have to plan everything to a tee; however, knowing your steps and following them will make your house clearance much easier. Your plan should tell you where to start and how to proceed.
It will also tell you the time you need to dedicate to the clearance. It would help if you gave yourself enough time to counter any unexpected difficulties or distractions. A good rule of thumb is to dedicate 6-10 hours per room for a thorough clearance.
If you want to minimise stress, you should give yourself a little more than the required time. If you finish early, it will only boost your morale.
Organise for Ease
Once you have your plan, you need to go through each room and categorise items. Typically, three categories work best for all your items – keep, sell, and donate. It is a great idea to use a coloured sticker system; you can paste red stickers on items you want to keep, yellow on those you want to sell, and green on those you can donate.
Your donation items may not all be donation-worthy, and you will have to sort out the ones you want to throw away as well. Always remember that hazardous waste items need to be disposed of carefully. If you fail to do so, you may end up paying hefty fines of up to £5,000.
It would be best to use separate coloured stickers to mark additional items like rubbish and hazardous waste. Once you have marked everything, pile or sort them according to their categories, this will make it easy for you to estimate volumes in the next step.
If your organisation skills are not the best, we recommend you acquire the help of a friend with good management and organisational skills. They will also give you an unbiased perspective on what things you need to keep and what things need to go.
Some people even hire professional declutterers for the best guidance on items that need to go.
Estimate Your (Skip) Requirements
Naturally, there will be a lot of stuff you want to remove. You will want to estimate the volume of these items. The best way is to go from room to room and estimate how many domestic skips you may need for each room’s removal items.
You do not need to be accurate. You need an estimation of the total number of skips you require for your house clearance. Having such a volume estimation will help you immensely for the next step.
Choose a House Clearance Option
You have three main options to arrange your house clearance.
-
DIY
When your budget is tight, “Do It Yourself” is perhaps the best option, especially if you own or can easily rent/borrow a van/jeep/truck. Although, you have to consider costs like fuel and perhaps vehicle hire to meet your estimated volume. This is the best option for small volume house clearances.
The drawback is that you must do everything yourself, which can be stressful, especially during your first time.
-
Rent a Skip
This is perhaps your best option if you want a flexible schedule or if your waste items are mostly heavy, loose waste. The drawbacks are that you must load the skip yourself, you cannot carry hazardous items like your TV, tyres, or fridge, and you must pay for the whole skip even if it’s only half full.
-
Hire House Clearance Professionals
There are plenty of house clearance services that specialise in all areas of the job. You can plan it and only pay for the services you need. A licensed and fully ensured service like manwithavanedinburgh.net, caters to all your house clearance needs with flexible, cost-effective, and comprehensive clearance services.
This includes things like fridge removals, bereavement, rubbish collection, and more. The greatest benefit of hiring professionals is that you can sit back and relax while they handle your house clearance professionally. The drawback is that this may cost you more than the other two options.
However, with minimal stress, professional help, and flexible, cost-effective services, it may just cost you less than the mistakes you make while doing it yourself or renting a skip. There are also insurance benefits to consider.
Conclusion
House clearance does not have to be difficult. If you follow our house clearance basics, you should have no trouble with it. Plan, organise, estimate, and choose a suitable option that meets your needs; that’s all there is to it.
It may seem overwhelming and stressful to manage it all, but if you go step-by-step, you should get it done without a hitch. That being said, make sure to dispose of hazardous waste properly, or it may lead to hefty fines, and if you hire professionals, make sure they are licensed and insured.
It is also always a good idea to secure the help of friends and family, especially if you are going through a tough bereavement.
House Clearance Basics is a feature post
