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Looking for junk removal near me in Chicago? We do same-day and next-day pickup for homes and businesses across the city. We haul away furniture, appliances, construction debris, and full property cleanouts, and we tell you the price before we start loading, not after. Call or text and we'll usually give you a straight answer in a couple minutes.
Junk removal is the pickup, hauling, and disposal of unwanted household items, furniture, appliances, and debris, priced by how much room it takes up in a truck rather than by the piece. Most Chicago junk removal jobs run somewhere between $137 and $368, averaging around $246, based on published market data for the area. A single item is usually $65 to $130. A full truckload runs $625 to $830. Where you land in that range depends on volume, not on who happens to answer the phone that day.
If you only have a few curbside items, the City of Chicago's 311 bulk pickup program is free. It's worth trying first if your timeline allows for it, since there's no reason to pay for something the city will already do. Where a paid service usually makes more sense is a larger volume, a same-day timeline, items 311 won't take, or when you'd rather not carry a couch down three flights yourself.
We give you a number before anything gets loaded, based on volume, not a per-item charge that stacks up once we're already there. Call or text a description or a couple photos and Sherman or someone on his crew will tell you honestly what it should run, usually within a couple minutes.
If your timeline allows it, yes, it's worth checking. We'd rather you know your options than pay us for something the city or a local charity will already do.
The City of Chicago picks up a limited number of bulk items curbside for free through 311. It typically doesn't cover electronics, hazardous items, or large volumes, and scheduling can take longer than a paid pickup.
The Chicago Furniture Bank, Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations accept usable furniture and household items, often with free pickup for larger donations.
Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and Craigslist work well for anything still in decent shape, especially furniture and appliances someone else can use as-is.
Where we come in is everything left over after that: large volumes, items that aren't in donatable condition, hazardous or heavy items 311 won't take, or a timeline that can't wait on a city schedule. We're not going to talk you out of the free option first. We'd rather earn the job on a load the free options genuinely can't handle.
Volume, not per-item guessing, is how honest junk removal pricing works. Here's the framework we use and what it typically costs across Chicago.
| Situation | Typical Chicago Range | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Single item | $65 – $130 | One piece, like a couch, mattress, or appliance, including a carry down stairs |
| Quarter load | Call for a quote | A pickup-truck-bed's worth of items, usually a few pieces of furniture |
| Half load | Call for a quote | Roughly a room's worth of furniture and boxes |
| Three-quarter load | Call for a quote | Most of a garage or a full apartment's worth of smaller items |
| Full truckload | $625 – $830 | Whole-home cleanouts, estate cleanouts, or major renovation debris |
One piece, like a couch or mattress, typically runs $65–$130 depending on size and whether it needs to come down stairs.
A pickup-truck-bed's worth of items. Usually the starting point for a small cleanout or a few pieces of furniture.
Roughly a room's worth of furniture and boxes. Common for a single-room cleanout or downsizing job.
Most of a garage or a full apartment's worth of smaller items.
Whole-home cleanouts, estate cleanouts, or major renovation debris typically run $625–$830 for a full load.
Labor, loading, hauling, and responsible disposal or donation drop-off. We tell you the number before anything gets loaded, and it doesn't change once we're standing in your driveway.
Call or text a description or a few photos of what you have, and we'll give you a real number, not a range, before we schedule anything.
Most household and property junk is fair game. A few categories need special handling by law.
Couches, mattresses, dressers, tables, boxes of clutter, and general household junk from any room, garage, or basement.
Refrigerators, air conditioners, washers, dryers, TVs, and computers. Illinois law requires refrigerant to be properly recovered from fridges and AC units before disposal, and we handle that the right way, not by cracking a line to save time.
Drywall, lumber, flooring, cabinets from a remodel, and yard waste from a cleanup. We'll coordinate a pickup schedule with your contractor if the job runs multiple days.
What we don't take: hazardous materials like paint, chemicals, and solvents, tires, and anything requiring a licensed hazmat disposal process. If you're not sure whether something qualifies, send a photo and we'll tell you honestly whether it's something we can haul or something you'll need to drop at a designated facility.
If any of these sound like where you're at, this is exactly what we do.
Furniture you're not taking to the new place, or a full move-out cleanout so you can hand back an empty unit.
Clearing a parent's or relative's home after a loss. We work at whatever pace makes sense and set aside anything you want to keep before anything else gets hauled.
Rooms or full properties that have built up over years. No judgment, and we work respectfully at a pace that's realistic for the situation.
Drywall, cabinets, flooring, and construction leftovers so your contractor's crew can keep working without debris piling up on-site.
Years of accumulated stuff you've been meaning to deal with. We haul it all in one trip instead of a dozen runs to the curb.
Full-property cleanouts for landlords and property managers who need a unit turned around fast and ready to show.
Ask whether the price is by volume or by item, and get it in writing before the truck shows up. A lot of the bad experiences people post about online happen when a company quotes a low number over the phone, then adds a separate charge per item once they're on-site, or tacks on a weight surcharge for a mattress after the fact that turns a $150 quote into a $500 bill.
Three questions catch most of it before you ever book. First, is the price based on the space your items take up in the truck, or is it a per-item charge that can stack up? Second, is there a minimum charge, and what is it? Third, are there separate fees for stairs, long carries, or specific items like mattresses and appliances? If a company won't give you straight answers to those three questions on the phone, that's the answer.
We quote by volume, tell you the number before anything gets loaded, and that's the number on the invoice. We're licensed and insured, and can provide proof of that for property managers or buildings that require it before we're allowed on-site.
Housing stock is the biggest factor. A lot of Chicago's greystones, three-flats, and walk-ups have narrow interior stairwells and no elevator, and alley-only access instead of a driveway, which changes how a job gets loaded compared to a house with a garage. We plan for that when we quote instead of adding a stairs or long-carry fee once we're already there.
High-rises and condo buildings usually have their own rules about loading dock access, elevator reservations, or a certificate of insurance for anyone working in the building. We ask about that when we book so there's nothing to sort out at the door. Winter is also its own factor here. Basement and garage cleanouts spike every spring as people deal with what salt, moisture, and a long Chicago winter did to stuff that was already on its way out.
Estate cleanouts and hoarding situations get handled the same careful way: nothing gets thrown out until you've had a chance to go through it, or you've told us to move ahead without stopping to check.
Photos, documents, jewelry, and anything that looks like it might matter get set aside instead of going straight into the truck.
Some cleanouts need to move fast. Others need time to process. We can do either, and we won't rush a family through a loss.
Heavy clutter builds up for all kinds of reasons. Our crew treats every property the same way, respectfully and without comment.
Every job follows the same steps, whether it's one couch or a full property.
Describe what you have or send a couple photos. We'll give you a real, volume-based number on the spot, not a vague range.
Our crew looks at everything before loading and confirms the price matches what was quoted. No surprises once the truck is there.
We load everything ourselves, sweep up the area, and donate or recycle what we can instead of sending everything straight to a landfill.
You have options for junk removal in Chicago. Here's what sets us apart.
Owned by Sherman Robinson and rooted in Chicago since 1986. Real people who know these buildings and this city, not a national call center.
We quote based on space in the truck, not a per-item charge that stacks up once we're on-site. The number we give you is the number on the invoice.
Proof of insurance available for any property manager or building that needs it before we're allowed on-site.
148 real reviews from Chicago property owners who got an honest number and a crew that showed up ready to work.
Verified reviews from Chicago property owners. See our Google reviews →
"Quoted a number over the phone based on what I described, and it didn't change once the truck was in the driveway. Cleared out my dad's whole garage in about an hour."
"They asked if I'd tried donating the furniture first before quoting me anything, which I wasn't expecting from a company that gets paid to haul stuff away. Ended up using them for the rest anyway."
"Estate cleanout for my mother's condo. They were patient while we sorted through what we wanted to keep and never rushed us. Handled the elevator reservation with the building themselves too."
Direct answers to what Chicago residents want to know before booking.
Most jobs run between $137 and $368, averaging around $246, based on published Chicago-area pricing. A single item is typically $65–$130, and a full truckload runs $625–$830. We quote based on volume and give you a real number before anything gets loaded, not a range.
Yes, through the CHI311 bulk pickup program. It covers a limited number of items curbside and typically doesn't include electronics, hazardous materials, or large volumes. It's worth trying first if your timeline allows for it, since there's no reason to pay for something the city will already handle.
The Chicago Furniture Bank, Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore all accept usable furniture and household items, often with free pickup for larger donations. Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor work well for anything still in good condition.
Often, yes, especially for a single item or a small load. Call or text in the morning and we'll tell you honestly whether we can fit you in that day or whether the next day is more realistic given the schedule.
It depends on the job. A dumpster makes sense if you're generating debris over several days, like during a renovation. A junk removal crew makes more sense for a one-time cleanout since we do the loading and hauling ourselves and you're not stuck waiting for a container to be picked up.
We price by volume starting at a single item, so even a small pickup gets a fair, proportional quote rather than a flat minimum built for a full truckload.
Yes. Both are common single-item pickups. If it needs to come down stairs or through a narrow hallway, mention that when you call so the quote accounts for it upfront.
We take both, but Illinois law requires refrigerant to be properly recovered before disposal. We handle that the correct way rather than cutting corners, so factor that into your timeline if you're on a tight schedule.
Hazardous materials like paint, chemicals, and solvents, along with tires, require a licensed hazmat disposal process we don't perform. Send a photo of anything you're unsure about and we'll tell you honestly whether it's something we can haul.
A full truckload typically runs $625–$830, covering whole-home cleanouts, estate cleanouts, or major renovation debris. Smaller loads are priced proportionally by volume.
The City of Chicago generally requires a permit for a dumpster placed on a public way, including alleys in some cases. We load directly into our truck, so in most residential jobs there's nothing sitting in the alley that would require a permit.
A full-service crew like ours handles the labor, hauling, and disposal for one price based on volume. Hourly labor-only services charge by the hour and typically don't include a truck or disposal, so you're paying separately for a vehicle and a dump fee on top of the labor.
We factor stairs and long carries into the quote upfront rather than adding a fee once we're there. High-rises sometimes require elevator reservations or a certificate of insurance, which we're happy to coordinate with your building when you book.
Yes. We work at whatever pace makes sense for the family, and we set aside photos, documents, and anything that looks meaningful before loading anything into the truck.
Yes, respectfully and without judgment. We can work at a slower pace if that's what the situation calls for, or move quickly if the property needs to be cleared fast.
Yes, where it makes sense. Usable furniture and household items get routed to donation whenever possible, and we recycle scrap metal and e-waste rather than sending everything straight to a landfill.
Yes. We can provide proof of insurance for any property manager, landlord, or building that requires it before we're allowed on-site.
Labor, loading, hauling, and responsible disposal or donation drop-off are all included in the number we give you. What's not included is anything hazardous, which we can't legally haul, and refrigerant recovery on fridges and AC units, which we handle separately at cost since it requires a certified process.
If it's still usable, a donation pickup from the Chicago Furniture Bank or Habitat ReStore is the easiest free option. If it's worn out, damaged, or you just want it gone the same day, a junk removal pickup like ours is faster than waiting on a donation truck's schedule or hauling it to the curb yourself.
Family-owned and local since 1986.
We answer 24/7 and can often schedule same-day or next-day pickup anywhere in Chicago.
Family owned in Chicago since 1986, licensed and insured, and the price we quote is based on volume, not a per-item surprise.
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