The Best Junk Removal Companies

Thursday, June 1st

2023 Junk Removal Company Reviews

1 800 Got Junk

• Locations: 43 states plus Washington DC

For more than 30 years, 1 800 Got Junk has been helping individuals and businesses to get rid of, well, everything! As long as it's non-hazardous and able to be lifted by two strong crew members, it'll go - that includes appliances, exercise equipment, mattresses, construction debris and much more.

Junk disappears

"Just point and junk disappears" - every removal service includes two professionals to do any heavy lifting required, and all 1 800 Junk team members are fully licensed and insured. Those team members may also come equipped with shovels, rakes, basic hand tools and even a trolley or wheelbarrow: this service tries to come prepared with any tools that might be required to handle your junk removal job (but, they don't bring ladders or operate machinery). Best of all, they take care of the clean-up when they're finished, so if there are nails, bits of drywall, carpet fragments or other debris, you won't have to sweep it up.

Easy online scheduling

Out of all of the junk removal services in our review, this one has the largest service area - spanning 43 states plus Washington DC. That makes it more likely that you'll be able to take advantage of their easy, affordable clean-out service. You can either schedule a free onsite estimate through their website or by calling their toll-free number, and that's available 24/7. We found plenty of appointment windows in our area, even on weekend evenings and holidays. Your assigned team will call 15-30 minutes before arrival, letting you know they're in route.

Ballpark estimate

If you need a quick estimate, you can get a ballpark by giving 1 800 Junk a call to schedule your appointment. You'll get an approximate range, because they will not be able to verify the actual amount you want removed without seeing it in person.

In-person estimates

1 800 Got Junk will give you a more precise estimate once they visit your location. They'll do this in person, with no cost to you. That means that when you schedule an appointment, they'll show up with a truck, ready to take your junk if you agree to their price. There's no obligation to accept the price they quote you, which will depend on how much space your items will take up in the truck, plus any applicable disposal fees, gas prices, and any other factors relevant to your specific location. Their pricing is done over 12 different increments, so you don't have to pay for anything you don't use. Generally speaking, you can expect to pay at least $139 as their minimum fee, up to around $700 if you fill an entire 10'x8'x5' truck with your junk. You may also have extra fees if your items have to be carried up/down any stairs.

You don't need to be there

What if you can't be onsite when you need your junk removed? As long as their representatives can access what you're getting rid of - your appliances are already by the curb, or the construction materials are piled in the driveway, for example - they can confirm the pricing when they get there, call you for confirmation, and take a credit card over the phone. Talk about convenience!

Environmentally minded

This company makes a point of donating or recycling whenever possible. They work both with community-based charities and national organizations like Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity and The Salvation Army.

Great reputation

1 800 Got Junk has a great reputation. Not only are they "A+" rated and accredited by the Better Business Bureau, but their customers also say that their junk removal services couldn't be any easier. Across the board, this company's reps are described as being efficient and friendly, and the service overall definitely beats having a dumpster parked in the driveway for days on end.

Highest rating

Out of all of the junk removal services we considered, 1 800 Got Junk works in the most states. That alone puts them high on our list, but we also appreciate their round-the-clock scheduling availability, positive reputation, and commitment to keeping as much junk as possible out of landfills while donating to charities whenever feasible. For all of these reasons, 1 800 Got Junk earns our highest rating.

College Hunks Hauling Junk

• Locations: 37 states plus Washington DC

College Hunks Hauling Junk got its start in 2003 when a college student decided that hauling away old furniture would be a good way to make some money during the summer. What started out as one kid and his best friend earning a little extra cash blossomed into a full business after winning the University of Miami's annual Rothschild Entrepreneurship Competition - now with locations in 37 states and Washington DC. Their services include both junk removal and traditional moving.

They can handle the job

As long as your junk is non-hazardous and can be lifted without equipment, College Hunks can handle it. Their most commonly-discarded items include appliances, yard waste, electronics, carpeting, renovation debris, office equipment and even tires! Or, if you've got an attic cleanout, a hoarder house to prepare for sale, or leftovers after an estate sale, this company can help.

Sweeping and cleaning

When you use College Hunks for your junk removal, you'll get all-inclusive labor, gas and drop-off at a donation location or recycling center at no extra cost. All team members are fully licensed and insured, and their services include sweeping and cleaning up after your junk has been loaded onto the truck.

Additional services

The company also offers add-on services, which include:

• Home staging
• Furniture moving and rearranging
• Light demolition
• Recycling
• Hourly labor
• Loading and unloading
• Donation pickups
• Storage solutions

These can be quoted as part of your junk removal service or as a standalone service, depending on your needs. You'll find all of those options in their initial online appointment booking tool.

Online ballpark estimates

Compared with some junk removal companies, College Hunks offers a more accurate process before getting an in-person, exact quote. You'll start with that online tool, entering what service you want, approximately how much stuff you have (single item, a few items, room full or full house/office), location and desired date/time of service. Appointments are booked in two-hour windows.

Affordable pricing tiers

We were really excited to get estimated prices before our appointment - because many companies won't even tell you their minimum cost or approximate pricing upfront. While it's still true that your exact quote will depend on the on-site evaluation you get when your College Hunks team arrives, here are a few of the price points out of the company's 13 different service tiers (bearing in mind that costs in your area may vary):

• Less than 1/8 of a truckload: $79
• Half truckload: $299
• Full truckload: $599

These fees are extremely competitive ion the industry.

Donations to charity

And, College Hunks is committed to the environment. In fact, more than 70% of everything they haul away is donated to charities like Habitat for Humanity's ReStore or Goodwill, or it's recycled - and even disposal is taken care of in environmentally-conscious ways. You may even get a donation receipt if your items can be given to a non-profit organization. That's a service you can feel good about.

Thousands of satisfied customers

Customers have lots of praise for their experiences with this junk removal company. While naturally your results will depend on the team that serves your location, the business as a whole has thousands of 5-star reviews from around the country. The company culture encourages their employees to be professional, pleasant and dependable, and comment after comment shows that it's working. Polite, careful, honest and funny are just a few of the words we found in many compliments received from satisfied clients.

Impressive service

College Hunks operates in 37 states across the country. If you have a branch nearby, you should consider giving College Hunks a call when comparing junk removal services in your area. Their prices are hard to beat and we think you'll love the results.

Junk King

• Locations: 32 states plus Washington DC

Started in California by two friends who wanted to offer junk removal services with fantastic customer service AND more recycling than their competitors, Junk King has emerged as a top-rated service brand throughout North America. And they do, in fact, recycle, reuse or donate up to 60% of what they haul. (You might even enjoy seeing the process for yourself - just look for the video on their Recycling page!)

4 ways to get an estimate

One of our favorite features of this junk removal service is that they give you four different ways to get an estimate: on-site, online, toll-free number or even texting in photos! Of course, your final price won't be determined until your Junk King representative sees your items in person, but we love that prospective customers can get a ballpark estimate ahead of time that should be pretty close to the actual cost.

Promotion code

You might also get savings by booking your junk removal online: during our most recent visit to the site, there was a promo featuring a $20 discount for doing that. We also spotted a discount of up to $30 at the top of the site for any scheduled curbside pick-up. Better yet, Junk King guarantees that they'll beat any written estimate from another licensed, bonded and insured junk removal company.

Online estimates

Just be sure to click on their Pricing Estimator, not the Book Online Now button if you want to start by getting an idea of what you'll spend for your particular haul-away. It's fairly detailed: you can click on individual items in your pile like couches and dressers, or by how much truck space you might need (half or full). Their truck capacity equals approximately 6 pick-up trucks, for reference - so when you're clicking on "add full" or "add half", they're asking you to estimate how much of a regular pick-up truck it would fill, not a moving van-sized vehicle. Your estimate will populate at the top of the page.

Straightforward pricing

In our zip code, a full pick-up truck load would be anywhere from $148 to $206, and a half of a pick-up truck was $105 to $148. Other estimates were $98 to $118 for a refrigerator, king-size mattress, or a large TV; $206 to $248 for a 3-piece sectional sofa or upright piano; and $395 to $435 for a hot tub. Heavy materials like concrete, dirt, gravel and roofing material can't be estimated using the tool because it's charged by the bed load.

Items removed right away

When you settle on a date and a two-hour window, you'll get a call 15 minutes before your Junk King team arrives to give you the finalized quote. If you accept the price, your items can usually be removed right away. Unlike many of their competitors, Junk King doesn't specify how many people they send to a job or if they take care of clean-up, sweeping, etc. once your items have been removed.

Thousands of positive customer reviews

However, Junk King has a particularly good reputation. The company has earned an Angie's List Super Service award and we found not hundreds, not thousands, but over 39,000 customer reviews with an average score of 9.8 out of 10 stars. Impressive! While we weren't able to track down a BBB rating for the company as a whole, we spotted many franchise locations around the country with "A+" ratings.

Strong choice

If you live in one of the 30+ states where Junk King operates, it's worth your time to get a price quote and compare them with our two other top-rated services - especially since this company promises to meet or beat competitor pricing. Junk King is a solid option for junk removal.

JDog Junk Removal

• Locations: 27 states

JDog Junk Removal is owned and operated by military families and veterans. Their priority is to take care of your junk removal project "the military way: with respect, integrity and trust". In addition to that service, they also offer cleaning of carpets, upholstery, tile and grout, hardwood floors and basic pressure washing. Plus, if you need a little extra work around the house, like moving appliances or assembling furniture, you can hire JDog for that as well.

Lack of pricing details

JDog Junk Removal doesn't give out any pricing details online. When you visit their Pricing page, you can scroll across different amounts of room you think your junk might require - like a single refrigerator (minimum load) all the way up to a full trailer-load.

Smaller trailers

The capacity of JDog trailers is a lot smaller than many of the junk removal services we evaluated that come with large trucks, so you might be out of luck if you underestimate how much room your stuff will take up. You'll have to fill out their contact form or call their toll-free number to get a more accurate ballpark of what your junk removal will cost.

Couldn't connect

Unfortunately, when we called (on a Saturday), our call went to a loop of "please wait for the next available representative" and never connected with someone who could give us an estimate for our project. Doing a little bit of digging, we found people that reported prices anywhere from $100 to $600 when using JDog, so you can use that as a basic rule of thumb until you're able to get in touch with a rep for a more detailed estimate. They're available in just over half of the states in the country, so you might want to go through their locations list and book online specifically with the franchise that covers your area.

Donations are a focus

Like most junk removal services, JDog donates or recycles discarded items as often as possible, giving you the donation receipt for anything that's able to be given to a non-profit organization. 60-80% of what they haul away is kept out of landfills through their diligent efforts to reuse, recycle, resell and repurpose items whenever feasible. As long as it's non-hazardous, JDog can remove it for you.

Happy customers

Like most junk removal companies that operate through independently-owned franchises, JDog's reputation depends on each service location - but we were pleased that, for the locations we could determine, customers were happy with the professionalism and prices they received.

Room to grow

We really appreciate JDog's support of military families and veterans and their dedication to help reduce veteran unemployment rates by both hiring them and giving them the opportunity to build their own franchises - noble goals indeed! On the other hand, because they're a smaller operation (fewer states, no online quotes or pricing information, unanswered phone calls), they don't quite compete yet with the bigger names in the industry. We hope for more good things to come from JDog Junk Removal in the future, but for now they wind up in the middle of the pack for junk removal companies.

The Junkluggers

• Locations: 18 states plus Washington DC

The Junkluggers is a company founded in 2004 that started as a one-man business and grew to serve customers throughout the US. Being eco-friendly is one of the core values of this business, striving to eliminate 100% of waste from landfills by the year 2025. They donate or recycle as much of the junk they haul as possible, working with nonprofits and finding eco-friendly ways to get rid of the rest.

Large trucks

Despite being a smaller brand than many of the services you probably know, The Junkluggers use trucks that are 12'x8'x4.5', which can hold approximately the entire contents of a small one-bedroom apartment! All of their trucks are supplied with a dolly, hand truck, basic toolbox, shovel and broom so that their technicians can clean up the space after they remove your junk.

Price Assurance Guarantee

You won't be able to get a price estimate on The Junkluggers' site, but you can check the site for a franchise near you and then contact them for an over-the-phone estimate. You'll get a more detailed price quote in person, and the company's Price Assurance Guarantee means that if they don't wind up needing as much space in the truck as originally quoted you'll be charged less.

Limited service area

Out of all of the junk removal companies we rated, The Junkluggers operates in the smallest number of states: just 18, plus Washington DC. So, if you live west of the Mississippi or anywhere other than the Eastern Seaboard, chances are high that you won't be able to get a quote from this business. We looked for a franchise of The Junkluggers in our area - a major metro area in a state listed as one where they operate - and were told that they don't yet service our zip code.

Customers pleased

There were a handful of testimonials and reviews on The Junkluggers' site, and most were satisfied with the junk removal experience. We found a comment that complained about the phone quote being inaccurate, but the rep who did the service made sure the price reflected the original quote even though it should have been higher. For those who have The Junkluggers in their area, they seem to be pleased with the overall service.

Trustworthy but limited

Going forward, we'd love to see this company get more transparent with their pricing - even ballpark estimates or minimum/maximum charges would be useful. And, of course, The Junkluggers won't be really competitive with other junk removal companies until they expand to a larger number of states (and to more locations within the states they already serve). For now, we consider them a trustworthy, but limited, resource for junk removal.

Master Service

• Locations: Limited service areas

Mister Service refers you to local franchisees for junk removal. According to their website, they offer help with everything from water-damaged drywall to houses packed with hoarders' junk. There's very little on the site to tell you if their local contractors are licensed, bonded and insured, or if they're just some guys with a truck.

Questionable service area

It's difficult to know where Mister Service is in business. We entered several zip codes and the site said that there were trucks within a few miles of that location, offering same-day service 24/7. In the past, the website's fine print said that they had franchises in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, DC, Florida, Illinois, and California, but the site gave us availability in some other states when we entered random zip codes.

Disappointing estimate process

The only way to get specific information is to call the toll-free number on the website. We asked for an estimate on junk removal in our area for junk removal on a three-bedroom home. The representative said that for a quantity of approximately one medium-sized UHaul truck, we'd pay anywhere from $800 to $1,200. That's a pretty wide price range, and we weren't told any other details that would get a more accurate estimate.

Unprofessional

As in previous evaluations of this company, customer service continues to be lacking with Mister Service. Asking the representative how much lead time they would need, we were told "that day, a day ahead, whatever." In the middle of getting a quote over the phone, the representative cut us off because he wanted to take another call coming through. We weren't given the opportunity to ask any of the questions we would have had concerning their service in our area.

Better choices available

"Whatever" is exactly how we would describe the feel of this service. Their website? Whatever. Quotes? Whatever. You'll have a hard time finding anyone with positive things to say about this junk removal service, so we strongly recommend that you choose from one of the higher rated, easy-to-use services in our reviews.