Spring Cleaning Tips

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Spring is in full swing, and there’s no matter time than now to deep clean your home. Whether you are someone that regularly cleans their home and recycle/donates items that are no longer being put to good use, or someone that cleans once a year, this is the perfect time to go through all your stuff and de-clutter your life!

Cleaning

  • Dust all of the forgotten spaces, including lamp shades, drapes, and the bottoms of chairs.
  • Revive your mattress with your upholstery tools on your vacuum! Use upholstery cleaner or a mild soap to spot clean any stains.
  • Clean any miscellaneous food items that have gotten stuck around the filter of your dishwasher and run a full cycle with some machine cleaner.
  • Deep clean your microwave – place one cup of water in a microwave safe bowl and turn on high for 3-5 minutes (or until the water boils). The steam from the boiling water will soften any food splatters inside of your microwave! Just take a paper towel or sponge and wipe clean.
  • Go through your closet and donate any items that no longer fit you or ad any items that you haven’t worn in over 6 months. If you were shopping today, would you buy it?
  • Declutter your basement, attic, and garage – make three piles: keep, donate, recycle. Consider when the last time you used the item, what type of sentimental value it holds (if any), and whether you’ll be using it over the next 6 months.

If you realize you have more junk on your hands than you bargained for or decide to do some home renovation while you’re at it, contact us today for your junk removal needs! Here at Elite Service, we actively recycle, donate, and reuse the junk we remove from homes!

The Shed Demolition Process by Elite Services Junk Removal

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As a general contractor based out of the Boston North Shore area, we often get requests for free quotes to demolish old sheds that have fallen into disrepair. Sometimes these sheds are not well maintained by a previous homeowner and want to be removed by the new owner, or sometimes just the elements have an effect over the passage of a long period of time. Regardless of the reason, Elite Services Junk Removal is careful to follow strict safety protocol and procedure when we demolish and remove sheds for customers. Here is a brief overview of the procedure with which we handle a typical shed demolition.

First, we will examine the condition of any items within the shed, if the customer indicates that the items within the shed are also to be removed. Any items that can be salvaged we will remove and recycle, and we will use our standard junk removal procedures to dispose of any leftover items within the shed that the customer has let us know to remove.

Next, we will check for any electrical or plumbing connections and make sure that all breakers are thrown and all valves are closed, to ensure full safety during the demolition process.

We will then remove the roofing and the roof decking, pulling nails for wood sheds and unscrewing screws for metal sheds, and then collecting all the material for recycling and disposal. Once the roof is completely removed, the trim, siding, windows, and doors are typically next to go. Then, in preparation for the full structural demolition, the electrical fixtures and water pipes need to be removed and disassembled if the shed has electrical and plumbing connections. All material removed will be neatly collected for disposal by an Elite Services Junk Removal truck.

Next comes the structural demolition of the house. If the shed is above a certain size, we may consider bracing some of the walls to make sure that the demolition process happens in a controlled wall-by-wall manner, but most sheds are of a size that the walls can be safely demolished and the roof joists removed without needing to be braced first. The walls will then be disassembled and prepared for recycling or removal.

Finally, all that remains of the shed and its contents will be the floor. Any floor covering will be removed and we will then pry up the subfloor and remove the floor joists and foundation posts. Once all the material is collected, our customers typically are very happy with the additional space and opportunity to replant grass, expand a garden, or sometimes just build a newer, more modern shed.

If you are in need of junk removal, controlled demolition, or any of our other general contracting services, contact Elite Services Junk Removal at (978) 317-5388 today!

Get The Facts About Compulsive Hoarding Behavior

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Over the course of a lifetime, it is natural to collect a variety of trinkets, keepsakes, and odds and ends that start to fill up your home. Many items we keep contain memories, sentimental value, or and can even become collector’s items with historical value. However, collecting too many things to the point of absolute clutter in a space may be a sign of compulsive hoarding behavior. Here are the facts that you should be aware if you suspect that you or someone in your life suffers from compulsive hoarding behavior.

Compulsive hoarding must include each of the three following conditions:

  • An individual retains many items, including items that appear to be useless or of little value to most people
  • The items kept create significant clutter in living spaces to the point where the individual cannot use their living spaces in a reasonable way
  • The items kept cause distress or issues in day-to-day activities

It is important to note that hoarding is different from collecting because in hoarding, individuals typically do not display their items proudly in an organized fashion, but instead collects the items in a disorderly way that creates significant clutter in living spaces.

Symptoms of compulsive hoarding behavior include:

  • Signficant difficulty in disposing of items
  • A pronounced amount of clutter in the office, home, car, or other spaces that impedes the ability to use furniture, appliances, or regular walkways
  • Losing important items in the clutter
  • Feeling overwhelmed by the volume of items that have “taken over” living spaces
  • Difficulty resisting acceptance of “free” items, even if the items are clearly useless or excessive
  • Buying unneeded items because they are a good deal or to stock up
  • Avoiding friends and family due to embarrassment about living space

Here are recommended guidelines that can help someone with compulsive hoarding behavior:

  • Have respect for the individual’s right to make their own decisions about their items at their own pace.
  • Try to sympathize with the individual and understand the importance of his or her items to him or herself as you develop a plan together to reduce the clutter.
  • Encourage the individual to come up with ideas to make their home into a safer and more ideal living environment.
  • Team up with the individual to offer collaborative solutions to motivate the individual to discard or organize.
  • Help the individual recognize that hoarding interferes with their goals or values in life.
  • Maintain trust by always asking before eliminating an item.

For helping recovering hoarders who are ready to de-clutter to improve their living situation, contact Elite Services Junk Removal for a free estimate today.

Tips to Clean Out and Organize Your Garage

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With winter fast approaching, now might be the perfect time to try and declutter the garage, and get rid of anything you don’t use. To get as much done as possible, be sure to clean out and throw away items before you start your organization. To ensure a cleaner garage, be sure to follow the steps below.

  • Ask yourself when was the last time you used it? If the answer is more than a year ago, throw it out.
  • For any items that you believe you can get some value for, consider a garage sale or posting your items online to sell. It doesn’t hurt to see who might be interested in what you no longer have any use for, and any extra cash flow is always beneficial.
  • Make three piles of donation, trash, and what you are keeping.
  • Be sure to have a structured system including shelving, if it doesn’t already exist. This is a real space saver as you can put things on the wall instead of overstuffing your drawers.
  • Having bins where more items can be stored will help declutter and to become more organized. Introduce a color-coded system to make certain items easier to find, such as: tools, Christmas ornaments, etc. Make sure to clearly label the container.
  • Review your items to make sure you are not getting rid of anything you may need, and vice versa.
  • Once you have established all your categories, and you know what you no longer need, contact us to finalize your clean up!

We offer a variety of services such as furniture removal,  yard clean-up, and appliance removal, and would love to help make your life hoard-free.

For more information about how Elite Services can help you out, feel free to fill out our online contact form or give us a call at 978-317-5388.

Don’t Wait: Summer Junk Removal

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As we enter august, it’s hard to believe but summer is actually winding down. In about 3-4 weeks kids will be back in school and summer will just be a distant memory in our rear view mirror. The warmer months and summer in particular is a great time to clean up your house and get rid of any extra unwanted junk. Although alot of people try for “spring cleaning”, spring comes and goes so quickly that before you know it, you’ve done nothing.

Before the busy school schedule and new year starts, this is the perfect time to take advantage of summer. Read our top 5 reasons to use this time for junk removal.

1) Warm Weather: Warm weather provides the perfect atmosphere to get our there and clean your house. Open up the windows and let all that dust float away.

2) More Time: For most people, the summer is slower. There is more time then during the rest of the year. It’s the perfect opportunity to set aside time.

3) Vacation: There may be nothing more frustrating then going on a long vacation and coming home to a dirty, clutter filled home. Vacations can honestly be tiring, and coming home to a clean house can make you feel so much better. Before that vacation trip, set aside time to dig through all your junk.

4) Kids Are Outside: Unless your kids are helping with your junk removal process, having them out of the house can make the whole process easier. With the warm weather, camps, and friends sleep overs, you’ll have more space and less distractions to remove that junk.

5) Junk Removal Specialists Are Ready: Junk Removal specialists are in high gear during the summer. This is there busy season, so taking advantage of this is important. Many junk removal projects take time and need help, so look into contacting a professional.

For more information about Junk Removal, please reach out the specialists at Elite Services. We can be contacted over the phone at 978-317-5388 or through our online contact form.

Top Reasons To Recycle In Your Home

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Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition does its part by recycling after every job. We take everything that comes from either a removal and demo job and either donates or recycles everything. Throwing out everything would be terrible for the environment. As a homeowner you can also do your part by recycling as well.

Here are 6 reasons to recycle: 

1) Economy: There are many american companies that rely on recycling programs to make new products.

2) Jobs: The more that we recycle, the more jobs and people there will be. In the US, the recycling industry is a $236 billion industry and has more then 56,000 employees.

3) Environmentally friendly: One of the more beneficial and obvious reasons to recycle is because it’s good for the environment. Less energy is required, fewer resources are used it keeps waste being tossed in landfills.

4) Reduce Waste: Americans on average discard between 7-10 pounds of garbage every single day. Recycling will cut back on waste which gets tossed in landfills.

5) Water Pollution: Making products with recycled products generates far less water pollution then in comparison to new materials.

6) Wildlife Protection: Recycling materials means that there is less reason to damage forests, wetlands, rivers and other various wildlife places.

Working with Elite Services for your next junk removal or demolition project will additionally help with recycling.

For more information about Elite Services, please feel free to give us a call at 978-317-5388 or fill out an online contact form. 

Junk Removal For Real Estate Agents

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Residential junk removal isn’t just for homeowners! During times when a property is foreclosed, a real estate agent gets left with a house filled with junk. It is their home to sell now, and their responsibility to get it looking in tip-top shape.

Before the house is ready to hit the market and be looked at by potential buyers, it must be cleaned up first. The reason this happens is because their is no incentive for a former owner to leave the house in good condition. They have been kicked out and aren’t making any profit by having it look nice.

With this problem not being in the hands of the real estate agent, they want and need all the junk to be removed as efficiently and quickly as possible. This often includes removing old furniture, appliances and other unwanted items. Because of the short notice usually provided, this is the perfect job for a junk removal specialist.

Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition is able to quickly remove any and all things within your home. On top of the normal junk removal work, our team is able to provide demolition services as well. Whether it be interior or exterior work in order to get the house in tip, top shape, we are here for you.

For more information about how we can help your real estate process, please feel free to give us a call at 978-317-5388 or fill out our online contact form.

 

College Apartment Furniture Removal

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Did you just graduate college?  Is your apartment lease almost up?  Are you moving back home and don’t know what to do with all of your unneeded furniture?  Let Elite Services take care of all your furniture removal needs.  Anything you don’t need anymore, Elite Services will haul away for you.

Between finals, graduation, and job searching, who has time to worry about getting rid of their furniture.  “Free” furniture off the side of the road always seems to find its way into college apartments, even if it doesn’t fit.  Junk can accumulate in your apartment over your college years, and your parents definitely don’t want it clogging up their home afterwards.

Trying to move furniture by yourself can be time consuming and dangerous.  The most common injuries from moving heavy furniture are back injuries and knee injuries.  These can be caused by improper lifting techniques, or lifting loads that are too heavy.

Your body isn’t the only thing you can damage while moving, you can also damage the inside of your apartment.  Moving large furniture can cause dents and scratches on floors and walls.  Apartments often charge extra for damages and take money out of the security deposit.  No one wants to pay extra for their apartment because of an accident while moving furniture out.

Elite Services professionals quickly and efficiently remove furniture and appliances, and they recycle and reuse most of it!  They create a stress-free process of furniture removal so you can focus your attention on more important things… like finals.

Elite Services specializes in hauling away:

  • Kitchen tables
  • Kitchen chairs
  • Refrigerators
  • Stoves
  • Cabinets
  • Couches
  • Bed frames
  • Mattress’/box springs
  • Dressers
  • Shelves
  • Desks
  • Televisions
  • Washers/dryers

For more information on Elite Services, call today (978) 317-5388.

 

Why Shouldn’t I Just Hire A Dumpster For Junk Removal?

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When removing junk, people often come to a cross roads when they can’t decide between removing junk themselves with a dumpster or hiring a junk removal specialist. Hiring a dumpster may though hurt your back and your wallet though. One of the main reasons people don’t remove junk themselves is because it can take a toll on your body and without the needed experience, it can take much longer then you would like. As well, hiring a dumpster is much less economical. Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition does recycling and donates everything that they can. Just because you don’t want it, it doesn’t mean that someone else doesn’t want it.

By you helping save the environment and working with us, you are actually saving money at the same time! Overall, working with Elite Services over hiring a dumpster for your junk removal will:

  • Save you money
  • Reduce Stress
  • Reduce negative effect of
  • Reduce Chance of Injury
  • Save You Time

For more information on how our Junk Removal process works, please feel free to give us a call at 978-317-5388 or fill out our online contact form.

Spring Cleaning & Junk Removal

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Spring CleaningHappy Spring! Yesterday marked the official first day of spring. While most of the area got some snow, before we know it, it will be warm and sunny outside. With the mark of spring, and spending more time outside, this is a great time to get some spring cleaning done. All of the unwanted junk laying around your house and property can be removed to give off a fresh new feel going into the new season. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when doing your spring cleaning:

  • When going through and cleaning your refrigerator, be sure to clean the fridges condenser coils. This is very important as dust build up on the coils can lead to your refrigerator overheating and shutting down.
  • Lighting fixtures and ceiling fans can often be forgotten because they are out of reach. But just within a few minutes a cleaned lighting fixtures and fan can change the whole breeze and lighting within your home. All you need is a stepladder, all-purpose cleaner and polish cloth.
  • After removing all the unwanted junk throughout your home, you can now clean the carpets. Many of your carpets have accumulated a fair share of dirt, oils and germs so this is the perfect time to clean them. Also, be sure to clean your doormats considering they are the first line of defense for keeping dirt out of your home.

Elite Services is here to help if you need any help with Spring Cleaning Junk Removal. Big or small, we do it all. Whether it be junk inside or outside, getting your property ready for spring in summer is the best way to move on from winter!

For more information about Elite Services, please feel free to give us a call at 978-317-5388 or fill out our online contact form.