How to prepare an apartment for a junk pickup

Preparation is the cheapest thing you can do to control the cost of a collection. A crew charged for time and vehicle space works faster through a flat where the decisions have already been made, and slower through one where they have to ask about every item.

This is what to do, in the order it makes sense to do it.

A week ahead: sort the building out

This is the step with the longest lead time and the one most often left too late. Contact building management and ask three questions: do you need a permit for bulky item removal, how much notice do you need, and how do I book the service lift?

Some buildings turn this around in a day. Others want several days' notice, will only issue against a cleared service charge account, or restrict moves to specific hours. You cannot find that out on the morning of the collection.

• Ask about the move-out or bulky-item permit and its notice period
• Book the service lift for a window, not a single moment
• Ask whether the lift car needs protective covering, and who supplies it
• Check whether there are restricted hours for this kind of work

Two days ahead: decide what is going

Walk the apartment and make the decisions before the crew is standing in it. The single most useful thing you can do is physically separate what stays from what goes — ideally into different rooms, or at minimum with clear labels.

Crews will not remove anything you have not agreed to, which is the right default, but it means an ambiguous flat generates a lot of questions and a lot of standing around.

The night before: empty and drain

Loose contents are the most common cause of delay and damage. A wardrobe carried with clothes still in it is heavier, harder to balance and more likely to catch a door frame.

• Empty every drawer, wardrobe and under-bed storage box that is being taken
• Defrost and drain the fridge or freezer, and mop up the water
• Drain the washing machine or dishwasher and disconnect the hoses
• Strip bedding from mattresses that are going
• Remove cushions, throws and covers you want to keep
• Retrieve documents, keys and jewellery from drawers and safes

On the morning: clear the route

Move small furniture, rugs, plants and shoes out of the path between the items and the front door. It sounds trivial; it is the difference between a clean carry and a crew shuffling sideways.

If you have pets, put them in a room that is not being cleared and tell the crew which door to leave closed. Front doors stay open for a lot of the job.

Things worth mentioning in advance

A few details change the crew size or the tools needed, and they are much better said the day before than discovered on arrival.

• Anything unusually heavy: marble tops, safes, pianos, American-style fridges
• Anything with glass or mirrored panels that needs wrapping
• Wardrobes or beds that were assembled inside the room
• A lift that is out of service, even temporarily
• Items you are unsure we can take — send a photo and ask

After the crew leaves

Check the cupboards, the balcony and the store room before you sign off. Those are the three places items get missed, and they are much easier to deal with while the vehicle is still outside.

If the collection was part of an end-of-tenancy clearance, the flat should now be empty and swept, ready for a cleaning team ahead of your handover inspection.