Before you jump into this industry make certain you do your due diligence.  Take your time to research extensively your local markets competition.  How many other junk removal companies are there?  How big are they?  What type of clientele do they cater to?  Learn as much as you can about them and your odds of success will improve dramatically.

There is so much more to this business than simply picking up garbage.  Although a college degree is not essential there are many skill sets you should already possess and some you shall acquire on the job.  Removing junk from ones home or office is not as simple as one may believe.  Every task is different and every job will bring you more insight and experience. There is definitely a learning curve.  The more jobs you complete the more competent you become.  The more money you make.  This industry in unforgiving to one’s body. It is both labour intensive and gruelling.  It can be at times back breaking work so make certain you stay in tip top shape.  Your body will thank you.

If you wish to flourish in this field you must find something, anything that sets you apart from the competition.  Find something that you can offer clients that no one else offers or find something you do better than all.  Whether it is your superb customer service or your expertise in disposing hard to remove items you will carve yourself out a niche in the market.  Don’t try to be everything to everyone.  Be a master at one particular thing but do it better than anyone else.

Be aware that giving free estimates is prevalent in this business. Clients will use this to their advantage and call several companies to have them come over and price out the job without ever having the intent ongoing any further. If you are not careful you can spend your day driving around town burning fuel, causing wear and tear to your truck and waste your precious time without ever earning a dime.  It is incumbent upon you to weed these people out from the outset.  This skill may take some time to acquire but over time you shall become more adept at separating those who are sincere to those who are not.  The faster your pick it up the less time you will spend on the road squandering your time and money.

Don’t delude yourself. This is a tough business and you need to be as tough as nails not only to survive but to succeed.  If you are and follow these simple steps you will come ahead and be rewarded handsomely. The junk removal Toronto industry can be very lucrative but only for those who are willing to make great sacrifices, have a deep commitment and a sincere desire to prevail.

There are a plethora of reasons why people require the use of our services. From those who have recently sold their homes and wish to dispose of all belongings that they have accumulated over the years and no longer serve a purpose to them – to those who wish to spruce up their dated bathroom or unseemly washroom and wish to dispose of all that renovation waste build-up, to just those doing their official yearly spring cleanup. Whatever the reason one calls a Toronto junk removal company 888-I AM JUNK is always ready and able to get it done quickly, efficiently and always with a big smile.

Some are kind, some neurotic, some are intoxicated, some angry, some smell, some just make you want to pull your hair out and others you can’t complete the job and get the heck out of their place. But for the most part, most people are regular folks just like you and me and just want the junk out of their homes or offices as quickly as possible.

On one job site we were made aware that a possum was at large roaming around the top floor of the house and that we should not be alarmed as feral as he might be he was considered a pet by the client.

The possum would run freely from room to room as we were clearing out the junk.  As unnerving as it was I was eager to complete the job at quickly as possible while ensuring I made it through with all my limbs intact.  It goes without saying that we did charge a premium for this job as I considered it danger pay and the client was more than happy to pay it as he was turned down by all other junk companies.

At the end of it all I love my job and everything about it. Every day, every job brings a new and exciting experience and I would not dream of doing anything else.   I wonder if any other Toronto junk removal guys have had similar experiences or is it just my good fortune.

Just another day in the life of a junk guy at 888-I AM JUNK.

Waste is generated daily from the things we buy, make or otherwise acquire. And it’s not just store-bought items. Some households may have a special brand of garbage that needs special attention: biomedical or bio-hazardous waste. Even yard work will often yield bags and bags of branches, leaves, weeds and other refuse that need to be disposed of.

Many people at one time or another have to deal with a massively overgrown back or front yard. Maybe you just moved into a brand new house and the previous owners left it a mess, or maybe you just haven’t had the time to get to all the shrubs and overgrown trees that need to be pruned. Once you do your big trimming though, what to do with all those massive branches and logs? How will you even haul them to the curb, let alone do something with them after that?

Companies also often have to deal with such issues of major garbage disposal. For example they may have cabinets and cabinets of filed papers that are no longer necessary because their offices have gone digital. Sometimes there are mass amounts of old office furniture that needs to be gotten rid of. Or if the company has recently renovated their office space, there may be a lot of bits and pieces still laying around: old carpet, large pieces of wood, big empty boxes, etc. Someone needs to get rid of it, but who? And how?

Private households and companies may also have plenty of items that can be donated or given to others in the community en masse, but all too often either time is too limited or a means to easily transport the goods is not readily available. Then these items just end up in the regular dumpster, which is a real shame.

And what if you are one of the many property owners who has to deal with tenants who up and leave a ton of stuff behind? If you don’t care about the stuff that was left behind and you don’t have to sift through it, then don’t break your back carting it all out the door and all around town to the dumpster, the Goodwill, or to recycle it.

All of these scenarios are exactly what local Toronto junk removal services are there to help the community with. They will come and haul away your junk from right where it is and make a tough task way easier for you. So when you have a big project to tackle and plenty to haul away, give them a call and let them do the heavy lifting and the tough work. That’s what they’re there for.

There was a famous case in New York City that involved two brothers who died in 1947 due to hoarding. Apparently their home had so many thousands of unused books, pieces of wood, fruit and vegetable scraps and the like that it had become a serious hazard. Both brothers were found dead in the home, one of them buried under what had been a mountainous stack of old newspapers. There were so many newspapers that the weight of them appeared to have crushed and killed him. The brother who had been killed was the caretaker of the other brother, and medical experts think the second one then died of starvation a few days later.

There are different degrees of hoarding. The beginning symptoms may include getting so behind in basic household chores that the person is embarrassed when they have friends and family over. Things are getting a bit more serious when there is so much junk that it is actually beginning to restrict movement through the home. If this is beginning to sound like you or a friend or family member, it’s time to take action before things get worse.

A trusted adviser who can help the person determine what items are no longer necessary to keep around the house should be brought in to assist with sorting, then a junk removal service should be called in to haul away the items that are no longer necessary. Junk removal services can take almost anything and often times it is not even necessary to set it out for them because they can just come and remove the junk from where it is. The junk removal company can then take items to be donated or disposed of properly, as appropriate.

If hoarding continues unchecked into the more advanced stages, then the piles of junk that were just getting in the way may build up bigger and bigger until they become a falling hazard like it was for the brothers in New York City. Furthermore, as the piles grow, often there will be food items that end up on top of the piles or behind or under them, and things begin rotting. This leads to terribly unhygienic living conditions.

If you or someone you care about might be exhibiting tendencies that could lead to potentially hazardous conditions for you or them, it is important not to let conditions worsen. Sometimes deeper counseling and rehabilitation is necessary. But getting help from a friend or family and a good junk removal service company is a good start.

Recognizing the signs and symptoms of hoarding and keeping all the “stuff” in check is key to preventing a tragedy for hoarders.

Property preservation is very important because property is of course, a huge investment of money, time and energy. Leaking roofs or weak foundations can directly affect the structural integrity of the building and the value of your property. It is important to be acutely aware of the state of your property and immediately tend to any problems that crop up. And problems will inevitably come up; that is just part of being a home owner or a business owner. The trick to being a good home or business owner is simply to stay on top of these problems and rectify them right away.

One thing that will save you a lot of time and headache now and in the future is utilizing a Mississauga junk removal company to help you clean up your property. These companies can haul away all the big appliances that are no longer working or efficient, big piles of junk that have accumulated over time or were not yours to begin with but were perhaps an old tenant’s or employee’s belongings, and other things that could pose potential risks and hazards to your property.

If you have piles of stuff scattered and stacked everywhere unnecessarily, those piles and stacks could well be covering up major issues that need to be addressed. A crack in the foundation, for example, buried behind stacks of old newspapers or unused filing cabinets could become catastrophic later with age or environmental force such as a hurricane or earthquake.

Or for another example, if you have an old washing machine or clothes dryer that does not work properly anymore but you keep it in use because you don’t want to have to deal with hauling it away, eventually the wires could start sparking without you knowing it and cause a devastating fire.

Such hazards can also extend to the outside landscaping. If you have an old tree that is not in top shape or is already dead and rotting but still towers over your house, this is a recipe for disaster. The last thing you want is a tree crashing through your roof and damaging your house or worse, hurting your family.

Big piles of dead leaves can also be a hazard if they are near your house and catch fire. The fire can spread to the house and destroy it in minutes. Junk removal companies often also take care of landscape debris. They can cart away everything from big things like dead trees to those irritating piles of leaves that blow everywhere but into the bag when you try to gather them yourself. Get a junk removal company and just have someone else do it and be done with it!

Good property preservation is vital and you must always consider these sorts of potential problems and hazards. Junk removal companies can be your best friend to make that easier and safer for you to take care of so be sure to utilize their services as you make your way through all the things that need to be done to keep your property preserved safely and efficiently.

One often overlooked area where it is possible to save a good chunk of change that affects every household is in cleaning around the house. But with just a little creativity, some basic ingredients and some money saving savvy, there are some really great, simple ways you can limit the money you spend on your most basic chores around the house.

To begin with, one thing that will help much and immediately is to take off your shoes before you come in the house. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (or cleaner!), after all.

If you take off your shoes before entering your house, there will be considerably less dirt and grime that gets tracked inside on the carpets, on the hardwood floor, on the kitchen tile, etc. This means less paper towels, Swiffer pads, cleaning chemicals, vacuum time (and electricity consumption) etc. that will have to go into cleaning that dirt and grime up. You’ll be amazed at what a difference this simple step makes over time. If you like wearing shoes in the house have a pair of house slippers or socks ready at the door at all times.

Next, get rid of all the junk that is just taking up space! Stuff that you don’t need around the house causes clutter and clutter attracts dirt and pests. Get a Toronto junk removal company to haul away all those excess belongings that don’t fit you or your lifestyle anymore, and you’ll have to spend less to clean around it!

And finally, use Natural Cleaners. Here is a great list of basic items that are reliably useful in household cleaning and that you probably already have around the house, and what they are used for:

Baking soda can be used as an all-purpose cleaner. It is non-toxic and can clean, deodorize, remove stains, be used to scour and polish items, and more.

Cornstarch can be used to clean carpets and rugs and act as a deodorizer for them afterwards as well. Some people even use it in place of baby powder!

Ketchup, believe it or not, can be used as a great agent to clean copper. Give it a try and see for yourself.

Lemon juice is a natural whitener (that’s why some people use it on their hair in the summer). And there’s a reason other than pleasant smell that many dish soaps use lemon juice in their ingredients: it also naturally cuts grease and stains, notably on aluminum and porcelain.

Salt can be used as scouring powder.

White vinegar can be multifunctional and extremely useful for whitening, cleaning hard surfaces such as countertops or windows or even shiny metal surfaces, as well as acting as an agent to remove mildew, stains, grease and wax. Some people also swear by vinegar as an ant repellant.

And finally, peanut butter. For those with little ones, peanut butter can be used to get chewing gum out of hair and carpet. Hard to believe, but true!

1.  Save valuable time

Anyone who has done a major bout of spring cleaning in their home or office knows how time consuming thorough cleaning is. Hours and hours of precious free time are devoted to the shuffling around of major furniture, boxes of files, knick knacks, racks of clothes, etc. in order to clean under all those ledges, in those dark corners and in every nook and cranny you can find to clean. After a few hours and days of standing on your head cleaning, the last thing you will want to do is then have to haul away all the junk you have left over. Instead of spending another several sweaty, dusty hours loading up all that junk into a car and having to haul it off yourself, save yourself some valuable rest and recuperation time and hire a junk removal company to do it for you

2.  Dispose of your junk environmentally and responsibly

All those massive piles of junk that we manage to clear out of our homes or offices every year often goes right into the landfills – or worse! – because people simply do not know how to properly dispose of their junk on their own. Most people just want the junk gone as soon as they have dealt with it. This is certainly understandable, but a much more earth friendly way to get rid of the junk is to use a junk removal company to clear away your piles instead of doing it yourself. Junk removal services know the proper disposal techniques for all kinds of junk, from broken refrigerators and clothes washing machines to batteries and bio-hazardous materials.

3.  Deal with less stress

It’s simple. The less you have to do, the less you have to worry and stress about. Major cleaning projects are stressful and energy-sapping enough. Give yourself a break and let someone else haul away the aftermath for you.

4.  Take the chance to upgrade your appliances and your life

Junk removal companies open up another door to your spring cleaning that would be much more difficult to fit through without them! Instead of just cleaning out simple piles of old newspapers and dust bunnies under the bed, if you use a junk removal company you can easily also get rid of your old and outdated appliances with no muss or fuss. This gives you the opportune chance to upgrade your appliances and utilities – say the refrigerator, the dishwasher, washing machine or dryer, etc. – to a newer and more efficient model. A great chance to save money on more efficient energy consumption and reduce your carbon footprint too!

5.  Reduce or eliminate major safety hazards in and around your home

We’ve all been guilty of it. Letting too much stuff pile up in or around the house that we no longer want or need, simply because the trouble of getting rid of it is too much or something we haven’t gotten around to. Don’t let another day go by with this stuff piled up though, hire someone to take it away for you and have it over and done with. Piled up junk in and around the house is a hazard for falling on someone, catching fire, or various other potential problems. Save yourself a possible catastrophe with a simple phone call to a junk removal company and breathe easier.

Here are some examples of items that may be hidden away in your attic that could be considered very valuable items. Some of them may surprise you!

Barbara Testa was a librarian in Hollywood who in 1961 inherited several trunks from her grandfather who died in 1895. Thirty years later she came across 665 pages of handwritten manuscript. Turns out it was the first half of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.

Paintings that seem not too terribly valuable can sometimes be a surprise. One family left an oil painting as junk with the house they sold because they couldn’t be bothered to take the worthless stuff in the attic with them. It ended up fetching almost double what the buyer put as a down payment on the house.

An old child’s toy that doesn’t seem to be anything special can bring in as much as $150 as one family found out.

False teeth can even be extremely valuable as the descendants of a dentist found out decades later. When the family got tired of having assorted sizes of old metal teeth around, they decided to get rid of them. Fortunately a friend suggested to them that they take them to a jeweler to see what kind of metal the teeth were made of. Turns out they were almost solid platinum which used to be extremely cheap. The teeth were worth about $300 per pair and all the ones they had brought in almost $8,000!

Almost everything from the past may well be worth some money so it always pays to ask. Old buttons, matchboxes, glass jars, sewing machines, irons, staplers, alcohol bottles, old currency, even handcuffs could bring in much more than you would think they’re worth.

Furniture is another biggie that can be as worthless as it looks or possibly worth more than you could ever imagine. A lowboy in a southern home brought in an amazing $32,000.

Old books are sometimes worth getting appraised too. Early editions are sometimes worth a good payout, and first editions of classics can be worth even more. Pamphlets count too. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue was originally published as a pamphlet and a good copy of it fetched the owner $25,000.

These are some key items to keep your eye out for next time you head up to your old cluttered attic. But don’t get carried away; most of your old junk really is just old junk and probably warrants little more than an unceremonious garbage removal. For those items, just make it easy on yourself and call up your local junk removal company. Let them be the ones to have to go up those impossibly narrow stairs and fumble around in the dust to deal with your junk!

Here are some tips to make sure that you are getting the most out of the space you have in your garage.

Sort

Haul everything out of the garage and start putting it into one of four piles: keep, sell, donate, trash. By putting it all on the driveway at once you’ll be forced to do something with it all right now. Touch each item and if it’s not useful or wanted, put it in the donate, sell, or get rid of pile accordingly.

Get rid of the junk

Once you have your four piles, get rid of the things that are going away immediately. There is no reason to drag them back into the garage. Right here, right now, get rid of it. Arrange with a junk removal company to be at your house at a certain time on the day you are doing your sorting. This will ensure that you have a deadline you have to stick to so you don’t put it off or work lazily during your sort. The junk removal company can then arrive as you finish and haul away your items for donation as well as take care of the garbage removal for the pile that is just trash. Then you’re halfway through your piles already.

Label

For the items to sell, either delegate someone else to do it or do it yourself, but while the items are out, label them for sale. Then draw up enough signs and posters to attract people to your garage sale and pile them with all the stuff that you will be selling. Once you’ve done this, set these items to the side.

Organize

For the items you have left that you are keeping, it’s time to organize them and put them in their new homes. Group like things together, such as tools, sports equipment, things for storage, camping gear, etc. Utilize bins that can be stacked for large items and label them, putting the heaviest ones on the bottom and not stacking higher than is easily accessible.

Utilize the ceiling

An alternative to stacking bins or an idea that can be used in conjunction with them is getting a ceiling storage rack. The rack can be used for the bins, for loose items that need to be kept out for whatever reason (like a spare tire or something like that), or for items that are too big for the bins.

Also, hanging racks are very useful for things like bicycles or some sports equipment, etc. to keep it off the floor and clear up floor space that can be used for more storage or simply better maneuverability around the garage.

What’s a surprising way you’ve cleared out space in your garage?

Feng Shui

These are some ways you can create better organization in your home through the use of the ancient art of Feng Shui:

Minimize your belongings

First and foremost, to make an easier pathway towards balance, tranquility, and effective Feng Shui, you have to be able to make a pathway through your stuff. Start your cleaning, organizing and Feng Shui-ing by sorting out the things you need and don’t need any longer. Sort it into keep, donate, sell, and trash. Then get an eco-friendly Toronto junk removal company to come take your donate pile to the appropriate place for you. They can also then pick up your trash pile so you can make sure your garbage removal is taken care of in the appropriate fashion.

Keep things in good shape

You’ll naturally be more organized if everything around you is in good working order. If light bulbs are burnt out or your desk chair is broken, a picture frame is cracked, etc., you can’t really be fully organized because part of the energy of your surroundings is being sucked into broken objects. Just as you are more efficient when things are in top shape, you will be less efficient and less organized when they are in disrepair.

Make sure things are well-lit

Not just for your eyes, but good for your state of organization too. Whether it is done by you consciously or unconsciously, unlit or poorly lit corners of your home will draw clutter to them. Similar to the way a neglected and darkened corner of your mind will gather cobwebs and jumbled up thoughts and feelings, if you don’t ensure your home spaces are well-lit, you will be less likely to ensure they are operating at maximum efficiency and in top organization.

Make your bed every day

That’s right, your mom was right. Whether she meant to employ methods of Feng Shui or not, she knew that by making your bed and smoothing the wrinkles in an orderly way, it would keep you more orderly and organized as well. The rest of your bedroom should be kept neat and clean too – no laundry on the floors or on the chairs, no items that don’t belong there. By keeping the area around you tidy, the rest of your life will be better organized. By doing it first thing in the morning to start the day, the day will begin organized and be much more likely to remain so.

Be blue

In Feng Shui, blue supports the opposite of being down – rather it encourages and promotes an organized life which will make you much happier, so have some blue around you in areas like your office or where you pay bills and create schedules, etc. Royal blue is said to be the best.