How to Break up With Your Junk

Breaking up is hard to do, especially when it’s your stuff!

Breaking up with someone you don’t love anymore is never easy. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things you will ever do. Well, the same goes for your possessions. Breaking up with your junk shares a lot of parallels with breaking up with a significant other.

Maybe you’ve been with your sectional sofa for years; you saw it when you started your first real job and finally had enough money to get a place of your own and the furniture to fill it with. You loved that sofa for years and share so many memories. It made you feel so warm and cozy, but lately, it just hasn’t been the same. The magic is gone.

You know you’re going to feel terrible about it, but it’s something that just has to be done. The longer you keep your junk, the harder it may be to get rid of it. So if you’re unsure how you can properly let go of your junk, we’ve prepared this guide for you.

What To Do Before You Break Up

Before you break up with your junk, it’s important to make sure that’s what you should do. As with any relationship, the decision to end it is a final one that can’t be reversed. Once that vintage turntable is gone, it’s gone forever.

Is there anything you can do to repair the items you’re considering getting rid of? If they’re not completely worn out past the point of no return, you may be able to repair or refurbish the items.

For example, if you have upholstered furniture such as a couch or recliner on the chopping block because it’s dirty or stained, consider giving it a good deep clean before deciding to give it the heave-ho.

More From the Trash Talk Blog: How to Clean Upholstery

If the furniture is ripped, lumpy, or sagging, you may be able to have it reupholstered by a professional. This can get pretty expensive, though. Having a piece of furniture reupholstered can often cost as much or more than replacing it with a new piece, so you may only want to consider reupholstery for especially beloved, unique, or special items.

When it comes to electronics and appliances, having them repaired is often a much better option than having to deal with proper disposal and having to research and spend all that money on a newer model, especially for high-quality items. The needed repair may even be something small and simple that you can do yourself.

Work out the logistics before breaking up with your junk.

If it turns out that the items in question can’t be salvaged, it’s important to come up with a plan before just tossing stuff out on the street or in a dumpster.

If you’re going to be replacing the items you’re getting rid of, you don’t want to have the old washer & dryer and the new ones in your house at the same time. That would be just about as awkward as being stuck in a room with your ex and your new beau. Though for different reasons, obviously.

More From the Trash Talk Blog: The Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Get Rid of Your Old Mattress Now

While it’s not advised to jump from one relationship straight to another in matters of the heart, you definitely don’t want to go without your new refrigerator or mattress once the old one is gone. In this case, you may need to cheat on your stuff by making a decision on your new fridge or mattress before throwing the old one away.

In a perfect world, the guys delivering your new Bowflex or bedroom suite would take the old one with them, but unfortunately, that’s almost never the case.

Letting Go of Your Junk? It’s Hard To Do.

Actually getting rid of your old junk can be even harder than making the decision to let it go. Your options for junk disposal really depend on where you live and what types of things you’re trying to throw out.

If your unwanted stuff is still in pretty good condition, you’re likely considering trying to donate it to charity or maybe even selling it. If you’ve got a whole lot of odds and ends to throw out, maybe you’re even thinking about having a yard sale.

If you decide to donate your items, call around to different charities where you live and ask if they need any of the items you’re trying to donate, as well as whether they offer pickup of donated goods.

More From the Trash Talk Blog: How to Get Rid of Practically Anything

Some charities and other nonprofit organizations will pick up donated items that are especially large or heavy, typically for a small fee.

Because there’s usually a long wait time for this service (around 2 to 3 weeks), you’ll probably have to haul your donations to the charity’s drop-off center to get it out of your house. So what do you do when the things you’re donating won’t fit in your car or are too heavy for you to lift?

Don’t just throw your relationship in the trash.

In some cities and municipalities, you can schedule a special pickup with your regular garbage collection service to have them haul away bulky waste items like your unwanted lawn mower or old, rusty bbq grill.

You’ll need to pay additional fees for this service and can also be a couple of weeks before your junk is actually picked up. Not to mention the fact that all that junk is probably going straight to the landfill, though some collection programs try to recycle most of the bulky waste they can.

More From the Trash Talk Blog: How Do You Dispose & Recycle Your Old Gas Grill?

You really don’t want to send your old stuff away to sit in a landfill until the end of time; that would be too sad. For most bulky waste items, they can be dropped off at a recycling center where they’ll be broken down and their materials reused.

Types of common junk items that can usually be taken to a recycler or scrap yard include:

• Mattresses & Box Springs
• Appliances
• Electronics
• Exercise Equipment
• Clothing & Textiles
• Furniture
• Wheel Rims

Tips for an Easier Breakup

Many people looking for a quick and easy way to end their relationship with their junk assume it’s okay to put their junk on the curb to get rid of it, but there’s a good chance you’ll end up being cited and fined for illegal dumping when you leave your junk at the curb or in a dumpster.

For those looking for the easiest, least painful way to get the junk out of their house and out of their life, the best option is to use a junk removal company.

When you schedule a pickup with a junk removal company, they send a team of haulers to come in and carry your junk items from inside and out to their truck, then haul it away to dispose of it responsibly.

More From the Trash Talk Blog: The Alternative to Traditional Junk Removal

Junk removal companies do charge a fee for their services, but when you think about all the time, energy, stress, and money you save yourself by using their service (instead of having to worry about everything yourself), the price tag is definitely worth it.

LoadUp is a nationwide, professional junk removal company offering fast, easy, and affordable junk removal at an honest, upfront price that’s typically 20-30% lower than with other licensed and insured junk removal companies.

All of the independently contracted Loaders are insured under multiple policies and pass criminal and driving background checks before they’re allowed to start completing pickups on the LoadUp platform, so you know you’re in safe hands with LoadUp.

At LoadUp, we’re excited to be leaders in the junk removal business with our proprietary software platform, which provides our customers with amazing features like real-time notifications, live GPS tracking, and courtesy pre-calling so you never have to worry about when your Loader is going to arrive.

Give LoadUp a call or message us online to learn more about our junk removal services. You can also go ahead and book a pickup online with LoadUp when you’re finally ready to say goodbye to your junk.