You’re packing up the house and every closet is a surprise. Half the stuff you forgot you owned. The question isn’t “can I move this?” — it’s “should I?”
📦 The “Haven’t Touched It in a Year” Rule
If you haven’t used it, worn it, or looked at it in 12 months, it doesn’t go in a box. This alone eliminates 30–40% of what most people pack. Walk through every room with a garbage bag and a donation bin before the moving boxes even come out.
🛋️ Furniture: The Biggest Trap
That sectional from 2018? It probably won’t fit the new living room anyway. Moving heavy furniture costs more in labor and truck space than replacing it.
- Toss it: Particle board furniture (IKEA stuff that’s already wobbly), mattresses over 8 years old, broken recliners, water-stained tables
- Keep it: Solid wood furniture in good shape, antiques, anything you genuinely use daily
- Donate it: Working dressers, desks, dining sets — Habitat ReStore on Alexis Rd takes furniture donations
📺 Electronics & Appliances
Old TVs, printers that haven’t printed since COVID, VHS players, and that treadmill-turned-clothes-hanger. These are heavy, low-value, and a pain to move.
- E-waste drop-off: Lucas County Solid Waste accepts electronics at their Recycling Center (1st Saturday monthly)
- Best Buy: Takes small electronics for free recycling — the Levis Commons location is easiest
- We haul it: If you have a pile of mixed electronics, we’ll load and dispose of everything properly
🧹 The Garage, Attic & Basement
These are where junk goes to hide. Half-empty paint cans, old holiday decorations, broken tools, mystery boxes. Most of it predates your current address.
Pro tip: schedule a junk removal pickup 1–2 weeks before your move date. Pile everything you’re not taking in the garage and we’ll clear it in one trip. This gives you a clean staging area for packing.
💰 How Much You’ll Save
Moving companies charge by weight and truck space. Every piece of junk you remove before the move saves real money:
- A couch takes up about 15% of a standard moving truck
- A garage full of junk can add $200–$400 to your moving bill
- Junk removal before the move typically costs $150–$350 — less than moving it and then tossing it later
📅 The Pre-Move Timeline
- 4 weeks out: Walk every room, tag items as keep/toss/donate
- 3 weeks out: Drop off donations and list anything sellable on Marketplace
- 2 weeks out: Schedule junk removal for the garage/basement/attic pile
- 1 week out: Final sweep — anything left that isn’t going on the truck goes on the curb or in a last pickup
📱 We Do Moving AND Junk Removal
We’re one of the few Toledo crews that handles both. Book a junk removal for the stuff you’re ditching, then book the move for the stuff you’re keeping. Same crew, same trust, one less headache.