Your garage holds 12 years of stuff. You haven't parked a car in it since the Obama administration. The lawnmower is buried under 4 boxes of holiday decorations and a treadmill nobody uses.
Sound familiar?
Garage cleanouts are the #1 service we provide at Bison Bin Co. We've helped Utah homeowners reclaim their garages — and we've learned what actually works. This is the checklist we wish every customer had before they started.
Before You Start: The 4-Pile System
Most garage cleanouts fail because people start moving stuff without a plan. Don't do that. Set up four staging areas in your driveway BEFORE you start pulling things out.
- KEEP: Items you actually use and have a place for
- DONATE: Items in good condition you don't need
- SELL: Items worth $50+ that aren't junk (post on Marketplace)
- HAUL: Junk, broken stuff, things you forgot you owned
Use chalk on your driveway to mark the four zones. Or use four colors of painter's tape on the floor.
Dumpster vs. Hauling Service: Which One?
Get a dumpster if:
- You want to take 5-7 days to sort through everything
- You want to control what gets thrown out at your own pace
- You have lots of broken-down items and bags
A 15-yard dumpster ($385) holds about 4-5 pickup truck loads — usually enough for a typical garage cleanout.
Get a hauling service if:
- You want it done in one day
- You want someone else to do the loading
- You have heavy items (workbenches, gun safes, freezers, lawn equipment)
A half-trailer junk removal service ($385 at Bison Bin Co.) covers most garage cleanouts.
The Garage Cleanout Process — Step by Step
Step 1: Empty Everything Out (1-2 hours)
Pull every single thing out of the garage. Yes, EVERY thing. The only way to truly assess what you have is to see it all in the driveway. This is the hardest part — once it's done, the rest is easier.
Pro tip: Sweep and hose down the empty garage NOW. You'll never have a better chance to clean it.
Step 2: Sort Into the 4 Piles (2-3 hours)
As you bring stuff out, drop it directly into one of your four piles. The trick: make decisions FAST. If you stand staring at something for more than 10 seconds, it's almost always going to the HAUL pile.
Question to ask: "When did I last use this?" If the answer is over a year, it goes.
Step 3: Process the SELL Pile (30 min)
Take photos of items worth $50+. Post them on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or KSL Classifieds RIGHT NOW. Don't wait. Items that sit a week never sell.
Step 4: Bag the DONATE Pile (30 min)
Bag up the donate pile in heavy-duty trash bags. Then drive it to:
- Deseret Industries — accepts almost everything
- Salvation Army — clothes, household items
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore — building materials, furniture, tools
Take a receipt for tax purposes. Most donations of household items qualify for a deduction.
Things You Can't Throw Away (Important)
These items can't go in a regular dumpster or be picked up with normal junk removal. Plan accordingly:
- Paint cans (full or partial) — drop at Salt Lake County Hazardous Waste Facility
- Motor oil — most auto parts stores accept it free
- Car batteries — auto parts stores or scrap yards
- Propane tanks — propane refilling stations or scrap
- Tires — most tire shops accept old tires for $5-$10 each
- Pesticides, fertilizers — Salt Lake County Hazardous Waste Facility
- Electronics with batteries — Best Buy or local e-waste facilities
How Long Does a Garage Cleanout Actually Take?
- Small (single-car garage, mild clutter): 4-6 hours
- Medium (two-car garage, lots of stuff): 8-12 hours (one full Saturday)
- Large (two-car garage, decades of stuff): 1-2 full weekends
When to Hire It Out
Some garage cleanouts are too much for one person. Hire it out if:
- You have heavy items you can't safely lift
- You have a tight deadline (selling the house, moving)
- You've started cleanouts before and never finished
- Physical limitations make the work risky
Bison Bin Co. handles full garage cleanouts across Utah's South Valley and North Utah County. We bring the trailer, the muscle, and the disposal — you just point at what goes.