The easiest move-outs handle junk in two rounds: a big purge three to four weeks out, then a final haul before handover. Book city bulk pickup around its calendar, and take paint and chemicals to your city's hazardous waste program. In Collin and Grayson County, a junk removal crew can take the last pile, priced by trailer space.
Why deal with junk before the movers?
Movers charge for time, weight or volume. Every box you don't want costs you twice: once to move it, and again to get rid of it later.
Purging first also makes packing faster. And it leaves the garage at the next place empty instead of stacked with boxes nobody opens.
The usual candidates are furniture that won't fit the next floor plan, the old mattress, a garage fridge and unused exercise equipment. If you wouldn't buy it again, it probably shouldn't ride along.
Three to four weeks out: the big purge
Anything that doesn't sell or get picked up by your deadline goes to the haul pile. Don't let it follow you by default.
- Walk every room, the garage, the attic and the backyard. Tag anything not making the move.
- List sellable items right away. Things take time to sell, and buyers cancel.
- Set a firm date for donations to leave. Our furniture donation guide covers what area charities usually want.
- Book city bulk pickup or a haul-off date for the rest, so the pile has somewhere to go.
How do you work around the city's bulk schedule?
Bulk pickup is free or low cost, but it runs on the city's calendar, not yours. These rules come from each city's own page. Our Collin County bulk pickup rules cover more cities.
- McKinney: bulky item collection is by appointment only, with up to 12 free collections a year. Requests go through the Waste Wizard before noon the business day before collection day.
- Allen: bulk items are collected automatically once a month on an assigned Saturday based on your trash day. Items must be out by 7 a.m. and weigh less than 150 lb.
- Frisco: bulk pickup must be reserved online, and the list closes at noon the business day before. It's limited to 5 items, none over 6 ft in any direction or over 50 lb.
- Prosper: the town collects up to 4 cubic yards of bulk weekly on trash day, at the curb by 7 a.m.
- Sherman: bulk and brush collection is one free pickup a month, up to 5 cubic yards of bulk. It's call-in, through the Sherman app, the website or 903-892-7777.
What if your bulk day falls after you move?
This is the most common move-out snag. If Allen's bulk Saturday lands the week after closing, the pile either sits at a house you no longer own or goes nowhere.
Check your city's date before you set a purge deadline. If it doesn't line up, plan on self-hauling or hiring the last load instead of hoping.
Don't pack hazardous leftovers
Half-used paint, cleaning chemicals, motor oil, pesticides and propane are awkward to move. A lot of it isn't worth moving at all.
In McKinney, household hazardous waste pickup is curbside on your regular collection day, by request before noon the prior business day. Residents get up to 12 hazardous waste pickups a year at no charge.
Book it early in your timeline. Junk trailers, ours included, don't take wet paint, chemicals or motor oil, so the household hazardous waste guide covers other cities' programs.
Two weeks out: the in-between jobs
- Empty the storage unit if you have one. It's easy to forget until the last week, and our storage unit cleanout checklist walks through it.
- Defrost and empty any fridge or freezer that isn't moving.
- Clear the attic while the house still has power and the weather allows.
- Pull anything off the walls that isn't conveying, like mounted shelves or a TV bracket, and decide where it's going.
The last week: the final sweep
Packing always turns up another pile. Think of the broken lamp, the bags from under the bed, the old grill and the mattress that isn't worth moving.
Plan a final haul two or three days before handover, not the morning of. That leaves time to clean after the junk is gone.
Walk the house one last time with a checklist: closets, cabinets, the attic, the garage rafters, the side yard and behind the shed.
What do people forget on a move-out?
- The garage attic or the space above the garage door.
- Shelves in the laundry room and the cabinet over the fridge.
- Firewood, pavers and pots stacked along the side yard.
- Paint cans and pool chemicals on garage shelves.
- Old mattresses in a spare room. Our mattress removal service picks those up on their own or as part of a load.
When does hiring the haul make sense?
Hiring makes sense when your bulk day misses your move, the items are heavy or upstairs, or you're short on time. Our junk removal service covers single items up to full trailer loads, carried out of any room or floor.
Pricing goes by trailer space: a Minimum Pickup starts at $189 and a Half Trailer Load at $515. A Full Trailer Load starts at $759. The firm quote is confirmed on site before loading, and you pay at the end.
Same-day service is available when the schedule allows. For a move-out, booking a few days ahead is the safer plan.