How do I clear out my home before moving out of BC?
Start about six weeks before you leave. Sort everything into move, sell, donate, recycle and throw away, then book Surrey’s free large item pickup and drop-offs early. Take hazardous items to free depots yourself. For the rest, Spartan Junk Removal can clear what’s left, from any room, after an upfront estimate at a free on-site quote.
How far ahead should you start a move-out cleanout?
Give yourself about six weeks if you can. Selling things takes time, donation drop-offs keep their own hours, and city pickup dates book up. Starting early also means you only pay to move what you really want on the other end.
If you have less time than that, don’t worry. Squeeze the same steps into the time you have, and lean on help for the heavy lifting at the end.
What does a week-by-week move-out plan look like?
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks out | Walk through every room, plus the garage, storage locker and balcony. Decide what moves, what you’ll sell, and what you’ll donate, recycle or throw away. |
| 4 to 6 weeks out | List items for sale. If you’re in Surrey, book your free city large item pickup for eligible pieces now, while there are dates to choose from. |
| 3 to 4 weeks out | Drop off donations. Start using up food, cleaning products and anything you can’t move. Book a junk removal quote for whatever is left over. |
| 2 weeks out | Take electronics, paint and propane tanks to their drop-offs. Book the elevator and loading bay if you live in a strata building. |
| Last week | Unsold items go to donation or junk removal. Flatten and recycle spare boxes and packing cardboard. |
| Move-out day | Check closets, cupboards, the storage locker and the parking stall. Do a final sweep before you hand over the keys. |
What should you sell, donate, recycle or throw away?
Go room by room and give everything one of five labels. Coloured tape or sticky notes work well.
- Move: things you love, things you use, and things that are costly to replace.
- Sell: furniture and appliances in good shape that are worth the time to list.
- Donate: clean, working household items, clothing, kitchenware and furniture.
- Recycle: electronics, appliances, mattresses, metal and cardboard. Many of these are banned from Metro Vancouver garbage.
- Throw away: broken items with no other route.
Be honest about bulky furniture. A heavy dresser or a sectional can cost more to ship across the country than it’s worth.
Where do mattresses, electronics and appliances go in Metro Vancouver?
These are the items that slow most move-outs down, because they can’t go in the garbage. Metro Vancouver bans mattresses, electronics and metal appliances from garbage loads at its facilities.
- Mattresses and box springs: Metro Vancouver recycling and waste centres take them for a per-item fee, up to four per visit. In Surrey, the free large item pickup takes mattresses sealed in a clear plastic bag, and each one counts toward your yearly items.
- Electronics: Return-It Electronics runs drop-off locations across BC. The Central Surrey and United Boulevard centres also take e-waste free.
- Fridges, freezers and large appliances: Metro centres such as Central Surrey and Langley take large metal and refrigeration appliances free, up to four refrigeration units per visit. The Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable lists other free drop-off sites.
- Moving boxes and cardboard: cardboard is banned from garbage. Flatten it and recycle it through your home or building recycling, or at a recycling and waste centre.
Sources: Metro Vancouver: Disposal ban program; Metro Vancouver: Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre; City of Surrey: Large item pickup; Return-It Electronics; Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable
Our Metro Vancouver disposal guide has the full list of bans and recycling centres.
What should you deal with before moving day?
Some things can’t ride in a junk removal truck, and you’ll want to handle them early. Paint, solvents, propane tanks, fuel and lithium batteries are regulated dangerous goods. Spartan Junk Removal can’t take them, and it’s worth asking your mover about them before you pack.
- Paint: drop it off free at a Product Care paint depot or a Metro Vancouver recycling and waste centre.
- Propane tanks: take them to a recycling and waste centre, or swap them at a propane exchange. We can take the barbecue once the tank is off.
- Household chemicals and pesticides: ask us first; it depends on the type and amount. Otherwise, Product Care runs free household hazardous waste drop-offs for products in their original labelled containers.
- Food: use up the freezer and pantry in the last few weeks.
See what we don’t take for every hazardous item and where it goes.
Sources: Product Care: Household hazardous waste in BC; Metro Vancouver: Recycling and waste facilities
Moving out of a condo or rental? What else should you check?
Apartments and strata buildings come with a few extra steps:
- Book the elevator and loading bay with your building manager, for the move and for any pickups.
- Ask about move hours. Many stratas set the times when moves are allowed.
- Clear the storage locker, balcony and parking stall. They often hold as much as the unit itself.
- Know what stays. Appliances and blinds that came with the unit usually belong to the owner, not to you.
- Read your tenancy agreement so you know how the unit should be left.
In a Surrey apartment, the city large item pickup is booked through your property manager or strata, with up to 4 items a year for eligible buildings.
Source: City of Surrey: Large item pickup
When should you book junk removal for a move-out?
Book your quote two to three weeks before you leave. By then you’ll know what didn’t sell and what nobody wanted, and there’s still time to plan the removal around your moving truck.
Spartan Junk Removal works across Surrey and Metro Vancouver, 7 days a week, 8 am to 8 pm. We come out for a free on-site quote, walk through what’s going, and give you an upfront estimate before anything moves. The crew carries everything out from any room or floor, sorts it for donation and recycling, and sweeps up.
Not home on the day? If items are outside or in an unlocked garage, we can often finish while you’re out and send photos. Landlords and property managers can read about tenant turnover cleanouts, and our pricing page shows how load sizes work.
What’s a quick move-out cleanout checklist?
- Walk through every room, locker and storage space.
- Sort into move, sell, donate, recycle and throw away.
- List items for sale early.
- Book the city large item pickup, if you have allowance left.
- Drop off donations, electronics, paint and propane tanks.
- Book the elevator and loading bay.
- Book a free junk removal quote for what’s left.
- Recycle cardboard and use up food.
- Check closets, cupboards, the balcony and the parking stall.
- Do a final sweep and hand over the keys.
