Hoarder Cleanout in Polk County: How It Works and the Cost

I get this call from a son, a daughter, a landlord, or the person who lives in the house. They're usually embarrassed before they say a word. There's no need. A house that got away from someone is a hauling job, and hauling is what I do. Here's how a hoarder cleanout runs with my crew in Polk County, what it costs, and what I don't do so you can line up the right people for that part.

What happens first?

A walkthrough, in person, with me. Not a photo quote, because a photo of a full room doesn't tell me what's under the top layer or how many rooms are behind the one I can see. I come by at a time you pick, walk the house quietly, and count trailer loads. I look at the paths, the doorways, the stairs and the garage, and I ask two questions: what's in here that matters to you, and is there anything I should know about before the crew starts.

That visit is free. At the end of it you have a price and a plan, and nobody has touched anything.

How is a hoarder cleanout priced?

By the trailer load, after the walkthrough. A full trailer is $700 with my crew loading it, and a hoarder house is a number of full trailers. I count them on the walkthrough and give you the total. That total is all-inclusive: the crew, the carrying, the stairs, the drive to the landfill and the dump fee. It doesn't change when we find a second layer under the first, because I counted the layers when I walked it.

If you want the crew to sort as they go instead of just clearing, that's hourly labor on top of the loads, and the rate is something to ask me about on the walkthrough. Most families pick one or two rooms to sort and let the rest go straight to the trailer.

What is the keep pile?

Every hoarder cleanout has one, even when the family says nothing in the house is worth keeping. It's where the crew puts anything that looks like it matters: documents, photos, jewelry, cash, medication, a box that's clearly been packed on purpose. It sits in one spot, usually a cleared corner of the living room or the garage, and I show it to you before the day ends. You decide what leaves the house and what leaves with us.

If the person who lives there is home, the keep pile is theirs. They can pull anything into it. The crew doesn't argue over a magazine.

How long does it take?

One day for most houses, two for the very full ones. I bring more than one trailer and a crew so loading never stops while a full trailer goes to the landfill. Kitchens and bathrooms usually go last, because that's where the spoiled food and the wet stuff usually is, and I'd rather the crew has a clear path to the door by then.

What about safety gear?

Respirators and gloves when the house calls for them. Old paper, mold, animals that lived there, spoiled food: the crew knows what each smells like and gears up without making a show of it. If I see something on the walkthrough that's beyond gloves and a respirator, I say so and we talk about who handles that before my crew goes in.

What does Big Rob's not do?

I'd rather tell you now than surprise you after. My crew hauls. That's the whole job, and we do it well. We don't:

• Deep clean, sanitize or deodorize
• Treat for roaches, rodents or anything else that moved in
• Repair drywall, flooring or plumbing the pile was hiding
• Take paint, solvents, oil, propane, pool chemicals or batteries
• Take concrete or dirt in the trailers

For the first three, I'll tell you honestly what I saw and what kind of company handles it. For the chemicals, Polk County's hazardous waste facility in Winter Haven takes them free from residents. For concrete and dirt, I have partner dump trucks.

What does the house look like when we're done?

Empty of what you told us to take, swept, and quiet. The trailer's gone from the driveway. If you asked for photos, you have them. Then it's the cleaning company's turn, or the family's, or nobody's. Sometimes empty is the whole goal.

What Big Rob's does here

Hoarder cleanouts is the service page, and the cleanouts hub covers the estate and whole-house versions of the same work. I do these quietly in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, Kissimmee and Davenport.

Text or call (863) 225-2147 and ask for a walkthrough. Nobody has to explain anything first.