10 Ways to Get Rid of Your Old Junk

Got old junk piling up quicker than you realized? If that broken mini fridge has become a footrest or the old TV is just wall art now, it might be time to declutter your space. So, in the end, the old burning question remains, “How do I get rid of junk?”

So what do you do with a bunch of old junk that’s piling up? Keep reading for 10 expert tips and tricks on how to get rid of junk and other unwanted items quickly and with less hassle.

Getting Rid of Your Old Junk

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get rid of your old junk without just throwing it out with the garbage, where it’ll likely end up in a landfill and harm the environment.

You don’t want to just dump your junk in an alley—there are much easier and more eco-friendly ways to remove junk from your house.

So take a deep breath, and check out the options below to find the best way to get rid of junk. Ready? Let’s do this..

People usually think of Facebook Marketplace first when considering the best ways to sell junk online. While that is definitely a solid option, there are plenty of other websites and apps you can use to sell your unwanted items and get rid of junk

ThredUp, Poshmark, and Mercari are great for selling (and buying) old name-brand clothes, shoes, and accessories that no longer fit your style. These platforms make it easy to remove junk from your house while earning a little extra cash.

You can try selling your unwanted electronics on Gazelle. Online marketplaces like OfferUp and Ebay are also great options for selling just about anything you no longer need. They’re an easy way to get rid of junk for free while clearing out space.

If you take some high-quality photos of the items you’d like to sell and write a clear, detailed description, you’re more likely to have success making extra cash from that old desk or filing cabinet on Facebook Marketplace. It’s a simple and effective way to remove junk from your house without spending a dime.

You can also try selling your unwanted stuff on social media, where you’re more likely to actually know the person you’re selling your old dining set or unused elliptical to,making it a safer and more convenient way to remove junk from your house than inviting a total stranger over.

You know those bags of shoes, clothes, and toys you’ve had sitting in your trunk for three months, waiting to be dropped off at one of those donation drop boxes? It’s time to finally let them go. There are plenty of ways to donate your gently used junk and even more types of junk items you can give away instead of throwing away junk that could still be useful to someone else.

National charities like Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army will gladly take your old furniture, appliances, electronics, and even exercise equipment.

Note: Donating clothes to charities that request specific items can more effectively support those in need.

For large items that won’t fit in a donation drop box, you’ll need to bring them to the charity’s local donation drop-off center. You can easily find out where to go by calling the organization or checking their website for more information.

When you donate your used sleeper sofa, washer and dryer, or lawn mower, you can feel good knowing you’re helping others in your community and keeping junk out of landfills.

Spending an entire weekend on your lawn trying to sell your stuff to a bunch of thrifty strangers is probably not your idea of fun. Skip the yard sale and offer your items directly to friends or family instead.

People who know you well and trust you are more likely to take your used items off your hands. Send out a quick text to friends and family with a list of what you’re offering.

If none of your friends or family are in the market for a headboard and bed frame, they probably know someone who could use one.

The best part? You can turn this into an opportunity to visit and catch up with loved ones you haven’t seen in a while.

College students are always in need of something and typically don’t care what it looks like, as long as it’s free and works. Post flyers or a few “free” signs around college campuses to advertise your unwanted items.

Even if some of the students who see your flyers don’t need any of the items, they probably know someone who could use something until they get established and can afford a brand new fridge or dining table of their own.

If trying to sell your junk didn’t go so well, try giving items away by posting those photos you took in any online groups you’re a member of.

You can also try doing this by using apps like Freecycle and Nextdoor, which are designed for giving things away to people in your own neighborhood.

You can turn your old junk into treasure by getting crafty and using it for other things. While that old, worn-out sofa or ancient laptop computer may have seen better days, a lot of that stuff can still be salvaged.

Even if some of the items may not be in good enough shape to be used for their original purpose, they can still serve a useful purpose somewhere in your home.

If you feel like you don’t have a creative bone in your body, don’t worry. There are tons of great repurposed junk ideas online, especially on platforms like Pinterest.

You can cover a lumpy sofa cushion with an old t-shirt to make a pet bed, or turn a rusty tire rim into a backyard fire pit with a few garden stones and some fire glass.

Once you start to use your imagination, you’ll be surprised at how many ways you can reuse junk around your home.

Most people don’t realize it, but many junk items can actually be recycled. Items made from metal, wood, fibers, foam, and glass, like old mattresses, broken furniture, outdated appliances, and electronics—are great candidates for eco-friendly junk removal.

Sure, recycling takes more effort than just tossing your broken recliner or outdated computer monitor in the trash, but choosing to recycle helps reduce waste and supports a greener planet.

Need guidance? You can find helpful disposal information from the EPA, or use online tools like Earth911 to easily locate local recycling centers that accept specific junk items near you.

Keep in mind, most municipal recycling services don’t offer pickup for bulky items like mattresses or appliances. That means you’ll likely have to drop them off at a designated facility yourself.

Between renting a truck and hauling heavy items, DIY junk recycling can quickly become a time-consuming and costly chore. If you’re short on time or resources, it might be worth looking into professional junk hauling services to do the heavy lifting for you.

Whether you’re using a private waste company or your city’s garbage collection service, you’ll need to request a special pickup in order to schedule a bulk junk removal appointment.

You can expect to pay additional fees for this service, and there are usually restrictions on the size and types of junk you can have picked up. In addition, it can take days to weeks before your junk is able to be removed.

If you want to get rid of bulky junk fast, you’ll likely need to load it into a truck yourself and haul it to a local landfill or transfer station for disposal. This is one of the more common options for people wondering where to throw away junk.

If you’re tossing out something like an old mattress or recliner, most dump sites will require proof of residence before they’ll accept your junk items.

You can also expect to pay fees for disposal. You will likely end up paying around $500 to drop off a truckload of junk, which is pretty easy to do with bulky junk items like furniture and appliances. Or you could pay less than that to have a professional junk removal company like LoadUp haul it away for you, instead.

Junk removal companies aren’t the folks who come in the big dump truck to pick up your junk every week. Junk haulers are the people to call when you have big, bulky junk items or several boxes and bags of small junk you need to get rid of.

When you book a pickup with a junk removal company, these men and women come into your home or office and carry your junk from wherever it is out to their truck and haul it away to dispose of it responsibly.

Whether you’re decluttering, relocating, redecorating, or renovating, if you’re dealing with heavy, bulky items that are hard to move, you’ll benefit from using a junk removal company.

While some junk haulers just take your junk straight to the dump, there are many eco-friendly junk removal companies out there that will take your junk to a recycling center or donate it to charity in order to keep it out of the landfill.

Junk removal companies do charge a fee for their services, but when you consider how much time, energy, stress, and money you could save with their service instead of having to worry with everything yourself, it’s a small price to pay.

9. Keep Your Junk

If none of the options for removing junk from your house seem feasible or if you’re just attached to that pool table or mini fridge in the basement, you can always choose to hold onto your junk forever. Problem solved.

Okay, so obviously this one is a joke. Just kidding!

But… if you’re looking to help a hoarder clean out or wondering about the cost to get rid of junk in extreme situations, LoadUp is here to assist! Our hoarder cleanup services are designed to provide professional, compassionate assistance at a guaranteed price.

Now that you’ve cleared out all the junk from your house, the only thing you need to focus on is preventing it from piling back up again.

To keep your space organized long-term, stay organized from here on out. When everything has a designated place and is easy to access, you’re less likely to accumulate more stuff you don’t need.

Speaking of shopping, create a list of what you actually need. If it’s not on the list, don’t buy it! And whenever you purchase new non-consumables, make it a habit to get rid of junk that’s already cluttering your space before you bring the new thing in.

You’ll find that doing these things will help you save a lot of money, space, and time.

Out of all the solutions for getting old junk out of your house and out of your life, the one that is likely the best option for you is using a junk removal company.

It might sound weird to hire a professional to get rid of your junk for you, but it’s seriously the smartest option there is for figuring how to get rid of junk from your house.

Because bulky junk tends to be so heavy, you could seriously injure yourself trying to dispose of it on your own. Plus, junk removal requires much less time, money, and energy on your part.

When deciding which junk removal company to use, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one you would be more satisfied with than LoadUp.

LoadUp is a nationwide, professional junk removal company offering fast, easy, and affordable junk removal at a price that’s usually 20-30% lower than what most other junk removal companies charge.

LoadUp provides customers with honest, upfront pricing before you book, green disposal methods such as donation and recycling, and fast pickup as soon as next-day.

All of the independently contracted Loaders carry a $1M insurance policy and are vetted with multiple background checks before they’re allowed to complete pickups on the LoadUp platform, so you know you’re safe having them in your home or office.

At LoadUp, we’re excited to be on the forefront of the junk removal and disposal industry with our custom technology platform, allowing us to provide our customers with great features, including real-time notifications and live GPS tracking.

If you’d like to learn more about LoadUp and why we’re the best junk removal company in America, or how to book a pickup with us, give us a call or message us online today!

Related Articles from the Trash Talk blog:

• How to Properly Dispose of Large Household Items
• Best Ways to Organize Your Living Room
• 41 Ways to Reduce Waste at Home
• How to Break Up With Your Junk