Pre-Holiday Cleanout Checklist for Chicago Homes

The Short Answer

The easiest way to do a pre-holiday cleanout in Chicago is to start a few weekends before guests arrive, work one room at a time beginning with the spaces guests will actually use, and sort everything into four piles: keep, donate, recycle and haul away. Then send each pile to the right place. Large items and extra trash need a bulk pickup arranged with your Streets and Sanitation ward office first. Flattened cardboard goes in the Blue Cart. Old electronics and household chemicals go to the City’s Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility. For furniture, appliances or a full room of mixed junk, a junk removal crew can carry it all out in one visit.

Doing it now, before the Thanksgiving-to-New-Year stretch, also leaves room for the gifts, decorations and shipping boxes that show up in December.

Before You Start: Set Up for a Fast Cleanout

A cleanout goes faster when the decisions are made before the lifting starts.

• Make four zones. Use bins, bags or taped-off floor space for keep, donate, recycle and haul away.
• Keep a donate box by the door. Anything that goes in it leaves the house the same week, not after the holidays.
• Set aside anything risky. Paint, cleaners, batteries and old electronics need separate handling, so give them their own spot.

Pre-Holiday Cleanout Checklist, Room by Room

1. Guest Room or Spare Bedroom

The spare room is often the first place extra stuff lands during the year. Clear the bed, the closet and the floor so a guest can actually unpack.

• Move out storage bins, exercise gear and boxes that live on the bed or floor.
• Free up at least part of the closet and a few drawers.
• Get rid of a worn-out mattress, broken bed frame or extra dresser you no longer need. Our furniture removal crew can take these out for you.

2. Entryway and Coat Closet

Holiday guests mean extra coats, boots and bags, so this small space works hard in December.

• Pull out coats and boots that no one wears and add them to the donate box. Donation centers set their own rules, so call ahead.
• Clear the floor of shoes, packages and sports gear.

3. Living and Dining Areas

These are the rooms guests spend the most time in. Focus on open floor space and seating.

• Remove broken chairs, a sagging couch or a table you’ve been meaning to replace, especially if new furniture is on the way.
• Clear stacks of mail, magazines and paper. Most of it can go in the Blue Cart.
• Gather old electronics, cords and remotes that are no longer used. See our guide on how to get rid of an old TV in Chicago if a new set is on the holiday list.

4. Kitchen and Pantry

Holiday cooking needs counter space and room in the refrigerator.

• Donate duplicate pans, small appliances and dishes you never use.
• Replacing a refrigerator, stove or washer before guests arrive? We offer appliance removal for the old one.

5. Basement, Garage and Attic

Guests may not see these spaces, but this is where the holiday decorations live and where everything from the other rooms ends up. Clear a path to the decorations and make room for what you just pulled from upstairs. If it’s more than a weekend job, our basement cleanout and attic junk removal services can handle it, and our fall garage and basement cleanout guide covers those spaces in more detail.

Where Your Holiday Cleanout Items Can Go in Chicago

Large Items and Extra Bags of Trash

Don’t just drag a couch or a pile of bags to the alley. The City of Chicago’s sanitation code guidelines tell residents to arrange a bulk pick-up with their Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent before putting out any large item or extra load of trash, and to always remove the doors or lids from discarded refrigerators and freezers. City garbage service covers single-family homes and buildings of four units or less. Larger apartment buildings use private collection, so check with your building owner or manager.

Cardboard, Paper and Gift Boxes

The City’s Chicago Recycles What Goes Where page asks Blue Cart households to break down cardboard boxes to save space, and to keep plastic bags, other film plastic, hoses, aerosol cans and lithium-ion batteries out of the cart. If you live in a building with five or more units, your building’s private hauler runs the recycling program, so ask your property manager what it accepts.

Old Electronics

The Illinois EPA lists TVs, computers, monitors, printers and similar devices as covered electronics that should be recycled, not thrown away. The City’s Chicago Recycles e-waste page lists the residential electronics accepted at its North Branch Street drop-off, including TVs, computers, monitors, printers, game consoles and DVD players. You can also have them picked up with our electronics recycling service.

Paint, Cleaners and Other Household Chemicals

The City’s Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility (HCCRF) at 1150 N. North Branch Street accepts household chemicals such as harsh cleaners, oil-based paints, solvents, aerosol cans, rechargeable and lithium batteries, and compact fluorescent bulbs. It does not accept latex paint, alkaline batteries or household appliances. Posted drop-off hours are:

• Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Thursday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• First Saturday of every month, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The facility is for residential waste only, and items should never be left outside it after hours. The City’s page notes possible schedule changes during facility repairs, so check it before you load the car.

When It Makes Sense to Call a Junk Removal Crew

Some items are just too big, heavy or numerous for a car trip, especially once the weather turns. A pickup makes sense when you have:

• Furniture, mattresses or appliances that need two or more people to carry.
• Items in a basement, attic or third-floor walk-up.
• A mixed load from several rooms that would take multiple drop-off trips.

Junk Robbers Inc. has been helping Chicago homes clear out since 2021. Our home cleanout crew does the lifting and loading, and items are donated or recycled whenever possible. Check our What We Take page, and read how to prepare for a junk removal service so pickup day goes smoothly. Every job gets an upfront quote before work begins.

Frequently Asked Questions