The saying goes, “Out with the old, in with the new.” I agree with the first part of this statement, and what better time is there to clean out the house than the beginning of a year? With that in mind, I put together a few tips – including hiring a junk removal Calgary company – for doing just that. Follow them and forget about the second part of the saying to keep your house clean and clutter-free.

Designate a junk area – The garage works well for this, but a covered patio also will do. Clear an area for all of the items you plan to get rid of for good, mentally dividing the area into a space for donations and a space for true junk.

Pick the most packed room in your house – Pull out anything you don’t use and do not see using in the next year. Take items to the junk area in batches and place them in the appropriate space. Never remove an item from the junk area and bring it back into the house after you have placed it there.

Move through your home, room by room – Clear each room of all unused items. You also can organize as you go, but do not let the need for storage items derail you from the larger task. For example, if you don’t have the storage bins you want for summer shoes, don’t stop pulling items to run to the store and buy them. Next thing you know, you will have spent $100 on more items you don’t need and your cleaning task will have stalled.

Find a junk removal company – Several exist in the area. Simply type “junk removal Calgary company” or “rubbish removal Calgary” into the search engine of your choice and peruse your options. I can personally recommend 1-800-GOT-JUNK? if you would rather skip to making an appointment.

Make an appointment – Again, do not stall your progress. Set the appointment for as soon as possible, so that you don’t reconsider any of the items you placed in your junk area. No, you will never use that treadmill if you haven’t already. While you are on the phone with the junk removal Calgary company, ask what items they do not take to ensure your pickup appointment goes smoothly. Most companies will take anything but items its pickup team cannot lift and/or fit into the truck. None will take hazardous materials, as their trucks are not licensed to carry such items. Hazardous materials include paint, chemicals, solvents, oils and asbestos.

Double-check your junk area – Pull any hazardous materials out of the pile and make sure nothing accidentally made its way there that you didn’t intend to. When I performed this task last week, I didn’t notice that my wife had placed my bowling trophy in the pile “by accident.” Good thing I saw it before the rubbish removal Calgary company arrived. Remove items you planned to donate from the area as well, preferably to the charity’s drop-off location, before the team arrives to avoid confusion.

Dale Wilson contributes regularly to several Calgary publications. He recently used 1-800-GOT-JUNK? for a rubbish removal Calgary pickup and was impressed with its convenience and affordability. So impressed, he recommends the company regularly to his readers.