cluttered attic

Attic Cleanout Safety Tips

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Do you feel the need to clean your attic but are dreading the process? It can be a long and dirty job; however, a clean and organized attic can help you feel better about your home. Some challenges come with cleaning out the attic – sometimes, things can even get dangerous. If you are ready to tackle the challenge, the following tips may be of help to you. 

Get Everything Cleared Out

It is hard to clean if you are surrounded by junk. Instead of cleaning around items, take everything out. This removes tripping hazards and makes the process more manageable in the long run – even if it seems like a big job right off the bat. 

Dust Every Surface

When everything is out of your attic, you have the freedom to move about and dust every surface. Shelves, window sills, and other flat surfaces collecting dust can be easily wiped down when there is nothing in the way. You may even find dust in places you didn’t think to look, so be sure to dust everything, less the dust be blown onto other surfaces when you move the removed items back in. Additionally, if the dust has truly accumulated, wearing a mask can prevent any allergens from irritating you. 

Floors Come Next

After dusting, it’s time to vacuum and sweep the floors. Vacuuming before sweeping means that there will be less dirt flying around when you do sweep. You could benefit from using a full-size vacuum the first time, sweeping, and then using a handheld vacuum to get the small pieces the dustpan leaves behind. 

Check Insulation Quality and Cleanliness

The quality of your insulation is crucial to the heating or cooling of your home. Its cleanliness also plays a part in the health of those living in the house. Mold can grow on insulation and cause concerns. Ensuring that you have adequate insulation for heating and cooling and clean insulation for the benefit of your health is ideal. If you do find mold in your insulation or other areas of your attic, it is crucial to hire a professional for the cleaning to avoid dangers. 

Seal Cracks and Holes

Cracks and holes allow air and critters to enter your attic. A professional can help you do this, or some homeowners prefer to DIY this kind of problem. Spray foam is a popular option for sealing cracks that you can purchase at any hardware store. If you notice a rodent or pest problem, you can buy supplies to remove the problem or hire an exterminator to help. 

Organize and Donate

Before moving every item back into the attic, consider what you want to donate. Organize the items into piles. Consider these factors:

  • Do you want to keep it?
  • Do you want to donate it?
  • Is it garbage?

By sorting items into piles for keep, donate, and trash, you can easily decide what things to return to the attic. You will likely find that you have to return fewer items to the attic than you removed. When you do return the items to keep, logically organize them. They will be easier to find and use in the future when you know how you’ve organized your items. 

Develop a Routine

Rather than cleaning out the attic once every few years, make it part of your routine. By cleaning a few times a year, you will not have to undertake a vast project in cleaning out the attic. Instead, it will be a quick part of your spring cleaning. 

Hire Help

If it has been a while since you’ve cleaned out your attic, you may find it easiest to hire help. Elite Services is an expert in junk removal and can easily take care of the cleanout for you. Give Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition a call to determine the best course of action for your attic situation. 

old electronics in a trash can

Throwing Away Electronics

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fi For many, the pieces sit around gathering dust. Others try to pawn them off. Some people even put them in the regular trash with last night’s dinner and today’s junk mail. If you are wondering what the most responsible way to get rid of your electronics might be, throwing them away is not it. 

Why Should You Avoid Throwing Away Electronics?

There are a number of reasons that throwing your electronics in the garbage can become problematic. Understanding these problems can be the motivation you need to dispose of your old computers and devices properly. 

Landfill

Most people are aware of the claims made about landfills – they’re too big, they’re dangerous, etc. Believing this idea is not what matters when it comes to electronics. Electronics can take up space in a landfill, but the exceptionally awful part is that landfills are not correctly suited to handle electronics. When items break down and mix with those within your electronic devices, bad things can happen. The liner beneath the piles can begin to break down, too. This is no good for anyone. 

Contaminants

There are contaminants in electronics that are not only dangerous to our landfills but our groundwater and soil. Treatment plants may filter our water, but it is not always possible to remove every contaminant from our drinking water. Contaminated water can also kill off marine life, which is an issue all by itself. Contaminating our soil would do horrible things to our food supply and land animals, as well. Properly disposing of your electronics is vital to continuing life on this planet. 

What Should You Do with Unwanted Electronics?

  1. Sell or Donate

Numerous organizations are willing to take your old and unwanted electronics off your hands. You can factory reset these devices so that no personal information remains on them before giving them away.

  1. E-Recycle

Many communities offer an e-recycling day in which all community members are welcome to drop off their old and broken devices. Please take advantage of this service when it is close to you!

  1. Recycle

Recycling your electronics can be as easy as calling your local recycling center to see if the pieces are accepted. If you cannot find a recycling center that accepts your electronics, contact an electronic store and find out where they take their own pieces. Some electronic stores will also take yours to recycle. 

  1. Hire a Junk Hauler

A junk hauler will pick up your items from your home for proper disposal. You do not have to do much more than put your old items aside for pick up. 

Who Should You Contact?

If you’re ready to dispose of your electronics properly, Elite Services is the company to contact. Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition is an expert in junk removal and recycling your old computers. We are willing and able to remove your junk quickly and efficiently. Give us a call today! 

Water damage in home

How to Prevent Water Damage in Your Home

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Water damage is an absolute horror for any homeowner. This can happen to the inside of your home in numerous different ways. Whether a pipe burst or simply rained heavily in your area, the effects of water damage can be devastating. When ignored, it can become very expensive to fix and get rid of. Luckily, we are here to share some important tips to prevent water damage from destroying your home.

What is Water Damage?

Water damage happens inside your home when water intrudes into your home when it is not supposed to be there. There are multiple ways water is able to get through your home; a bad storm, leaky appliances, clogged drains, and even foundation cracks. This can lead to thousands of dollars worth of damages. The water damage can potentially ruin your floors, furniture, appliances, electronics, and can lead to mold growing inside of your home.

Proper Gutter and Downspout Care

Debris that is stuck in your gutters, specifically your downspouts, will lead to water build-up. The water built up in your downspouts can lead to overflow that could potentially harm your home’s foundation. Make sure to clean out your gutters at least twice a year and always look to see that your downspouts are facing away from your home.

Look for Leaks

Keep an eye on each and every pipe in your home. Look for scratches, leaks, and any excess water around appliances and pipes. If you notice any moisture that is not usually there, that is a solid detection of a water leak. There are even devices called water sensors you are able to purchase that will notify you if it detects low levels, leaks, or moisture that should not be there.

Keep an Eye on Your Water Bill

If there are no signs that you can physically see of water damage inside your home, you will be able to see it on your water bill. If you notice that suddenly your bill has sky-rocketed, it is a tell-tale sign there is probably a water leak in your home.

Contact Elite Services

If you are experiencing any degree of water damage in your home, it is important to get it out immediately. If you wait, the damage will only get worse. Contact us today to learn more about our water damage removal and demolition services at (978) 317-5388.

 

 

 

6 Tips for Cleaning & Organizing Your Kitchen

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clean kitchenThe kitchen tends to be the most used area of a home, sees a lot of foot traffic, and tends to be a dumping ground for various items that don’t belong in the kitchen. In combination with cooking and eating in the space, surfaces get dirty and junk piles up very quickly. In order to keep junk to a minimum, deep cleaning your kitchen will help keep it clean even on the busiest of days. Ever 3-4 months, go through and organize your space with these tips:

Sort Through Everything

Start your kitchen cleaning process by organizing and cleaning out all of the items in your cabinets, in drawers, and on top of your counters. As you go thruogh each area, put each item into two piles: “to keep” and “toss”. Ask youself when the last time you used it and if it’s not a seasonal item, get rid of it if you haven’t used it within the last year. This will give you more space to store the items you do use on a regular basis. For the items you use regularly, keep them in easy-to-reach areas such as top drawers and cabinets close by to your main cooking area.

Wipe Down Surfaces

Starting with the wood molding, wipe down and dust the surfaces in your kitchen from top to bottom including cabinet fronts, knobs and pulls, appliances, and even your backsplash. You’ll be amazed at the amount of grime that has built up on these surfaces over time and once theyr’e wiped down, they’ll look brand new. For the hard to reach areas, use a long-handled duster to make sure they aren’t neglected.

Clean the Microwave

Over time, food splatters and and over flows, causing grime to build up in your microwave over time. Combined with the heat, the splatters become caked on and hard to clean. To eliminate harsh scrubbing, place a microwave-safe bowl with one cup of water and several several tablespoons of vinegar in the microwave for 5 minutes (or until the window is steamy). Let the microwave sit for few minutes to cool down before wiping the grime away.

Empty the Refridgerator

Since you’re already deep cleaning your kitchen, you mine as well clean out the refriderator! Take everything out of the fridge, wipe down all of the surfaces, and throw away any of the items you no longer use or are expired. Take all of the remaining items that you do use and organize them as you place them back in the fridge. Before you know it, you’ll havea clean and organized refridgerator and plenty of space to store the items you pick up on your next trip to the grocery store.

Empty & Clean the Trash

Once you’re done throwing away any item you no longer use, bring the trash bag to the garabage bin and clean out the inside of the trash can. Using an antibacterial soap, clean the bin out with soap and water in your kitchen sink, or outside with the hose, to prevent mold and bacteria fom growing inside the can. Once dry, replace the trash bag for a clean, fresh start.

Sweep & Mop the Floor

Now that you’ve wiped down all of the surfaces in your kitchen, it’s time to clean the floor! Once you’ve swept the floor clean, pull out all of your appliances to sweep and mop behind them before mopping the rest of the floor. This will ensure that any of the debris from the rest of your kitchen don’t make their way back there once pushing the appliances back in.

Once you’ve cleaned your kitchen, give Elite Services Junk Removal a call at (978) 317-5388 to schedule your junk removal appointment.

How to Properly Dispose of Batteries

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Although we would like to think getting rid of our trash is as simple as bagging it up and putting it out on the curb, many materials require a different outlet in order to be properly disposed of. Properly disposing of hazardous waste products including paint, metal, and batteries is important in making sure these items don’t end up in our local landfills or water supplies. Here’s a quick guide for how you can go about disposing of batteries. For more information on this and other materials, call or text Elite Services Junk Removal at 978-317-5388.

Single-Use Batteries

Everyday batteries are sometimes conveniently disposable with your regular waste. The batteries you use for your TV’s remote control, your computer mouse, or your string lights can typically be tossed in your trash. With this said, every town is different and some have specific collection days for certain materials. To make sure your town doesn’t have any special policies regarding battery disposal, give them a call before you toss these items!

Rechargeable Batteries

You might have a rechargeable battery for your laptop that you have recently replaced. Rechargeable batteries are also used in many professional photography cameras and security systems. When one of these batteries needs replacing, should you do with the old one? Unlike many single-use batteries, rechargeable batteries typically cannot be disposed of with normal waste items. To properly dispose of these, call your local waste removal company and schedule a pickup or drop off!

Car Batteries

Car batteries can also be removed by a junk removal service or by a local scrap metal yard. If you have the entire junk car to get rid of, many scrap metal or auto salvage yards will not only remove the vehicle from your location but will also give you cash for it! Vehicle batteries can be reused if they are still in usable shape, or the materials can be repurposed to create new parts.

Junk Removal in Swampscott, MA & Beyond

Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition takes everything, from batteries to furniture and all things in between! Whether you are looking to get rid of some batteries or conducting a full demolition and need a cleanup crew, we’ve got your back. Give us a call or just text us today for more information at 978-317-5388.

Carpet Removal Tips

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After years of heavy traffic, carpet can get very worn down and will eventually need to be replaced. To save a little bit of money, a lot of homeowners opt to remove the old carpet themselves, which is a great DIY project but a lot of people do not know how to remove carpet properly. With these tips, you’ll have yours removed without damaging the underlying floor or the walls in your home!

Tools You Will Need to Remove Your Carpet

The first step to doing any project properly is to make sure you are prepared with the proper tools to do it. There are only a few essential tools you will need to pull up your own carpet. Before you begin tearing up your carpet, make sure you have the following on hand:

  • Protective gloves
  • Protective eyewear
  • Pliers
  • Crowbar
  • Utility knife
  • Floor scraper

Tips for Removing Your Carpet

The key to removing a carpet is to work efficiently and use your tools properly. Follow our tips to have your carpet removed in no time!

  • Wear all protective eyewear and gloves as soon as you begin the project to avoid dust or allergen irritation.
  • Make sure all furniture is cleared from the room to make the removal process easier and faster.
  • Remove and baseboards/moldings/heater covers that might be covering the edges of your carpet.
  • Start with the pulling up the edge of the carpet using your pliers.
  • Use your crowbar to pull up the tack strips that are holding down your carpet.
  • As you pull up the carpet, use your utility knife to cut it into small pieces to make it easier to carry out of the room.
  • If the carpet padding is held down with staples, use your pliers to pull them out; if it’s glued down, use a floor scraper to pull it up.

Disposing of Your Old Carpet

Once you’ve removed your carpet, the next step is to dispose of it. There is likely a lot of debris leftover, and more than your town or private trash route will take. Hiring a professional junk removal service gets the old carpet out of your home so that you can move onto installing your new floors. To ensure it is disposed of through the proper channels and to avoid frustration, call our team at Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition today at 978-317-5388.

old electronics

A Guide to Recycling Common Household Items

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household recyclablesThe average individual produces an average of 5 pounds of waste a day and most of that waste is in fact recyclable. If every person across the United States was more conscious of the proper ways to dispose of these items, garbage wouldn’t be as big as a problem as it currently is. Recycling not only saves space in our landfills but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Another positive of recycling – less resources are used recycling an item into something usable compared to the resources used to dispose of trash at a landfill.

Here are several common household items that can be recycled and how to go about recycling them correctly:

1. Batteries

The materials that batteries are made up of contribute to pollution when they aren’t disposed of through the proper channels, especially when they break down in landfills. Most libraries, battery or electronics stores, and even your local grocery store will take your household batteries and ensure they will be recycled properly.

2. Books

Stop throwing your books away! If you no longer want a stack of books in your house, bring them to your local library, donate them in a book drop box, or take them apart and recycle them through your towns recycling center.

3. Ink Cartridges

Like batteries, many ink cartridges are made up of toxic materials that shouldn’t be sitting at landfills. Most business supply stores (Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy) will have bins inside of their store to drop your old ink cartridges for recycling and oftentimes, they’ll give you a discount on your ink purchase when you recycle your old cartridges!

4. CFL Lightbulbs

As many homeowners are switching their compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs out for more efficient options, such as LED light bulbs, many CFL bulbs are not being disposed of correctly. CFL’s actually contain a small amount of mercury which means they can’t be thrown out in your trash or in your curbside recycling. Instead, they need to be recycled through a hazardous waste facility. Not sure where one is? You can drop your CFL bulbs off at Lowe’s or Home Depot and they’ll dispose of them for you!

5. Glasses & Eyewear

Have you recently updated your eyeglasses to a new pair? Instead of throwing yours away, donate them! There are so many individuals that cannot afford a pair of eyeglasses so they depend on people like you! Drop them off at a local eye doctor or glasses place – if they don’t take them, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction. If your glasses are broken to the point of no repair, treat them as you would any other plastic item and recycle them just like you would a plastic bottle.

6. Kitchen Appliances

Replacing your broken or outdated appliances with new ones? Recycling your old ones can be a drag, but it’s worth it. There are three ways you can go about this – sell them, donate them, or recycle them.

Don’t want to deal with the recycling process? Give Elite Junk Removal & Demolition a call today at 978-317-5388. We won’t just ensure your items are recycled through the proper channels, but will also remove any other junk you need gone!

The Dangers of Doing Your Own Demolition

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Spending time at home can inspire you to change things up. Maybe you want to make your kitchen more spacious. Maybe your bathroom is long overdue for an update. The possibilities are endless! Many big projects require you to take things apart before you put them back together, though. Home demolition projects should not be taken lightly. It’s all too easy to accidentally damage your home far more than you intended. There are some dangers in particular that you should watch out for if you are attempting your own demolition.

Damaging Your Home 

First and foremost, if you aren’t familiar with the process of demolition, you can easily destroy things unintentionally. Ensuring that you only remove the things you want is a delicate process. You can’t just go at a wall with a hammer and expect everything to go well. There’s a process to safely demolishing any part of your home. 

Collapsing Roofs

One particularly devastating demolition accident is the act of breaking a support wall. Some walls and beams in your home are much more important than others. If you damage a structural wall, you can easily cause your roof to collapse. That kind of repair can easily be ten times more expensive than hiring a demolition professional to demolish a wall safely. 

Unexpected Wires or Pipes

The older your home, the more likely it is that pipes and electrical wires have been run in unexpected places. Breaking open a wall to reveal a now-cracked and leaking pipe will put all your demolition plans on hold. If you run into wiring, instead, you could get electrocuted before you know what’s happening. Even if you don’t accidentally damage these structures, you will still have to deal with either patching up the wall or moving them. It’s easier to have a professional help you strategize where to demolish in the first place. 

Asbestos or Lead Exposure

Many homes built as late as the 1980s have asbestos and lead throughout the construction. If you’re not sure whether your home is at risk, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Lead and asbestos are both deeply toxic. Breathing in particles without safety gear can cause cancer and illness. Demo teams are fully prepared for this kind of situation, and they already have protective gear on hand. 

Injury 

The process of demolition can be hazardous to your safety. Knocking down walls and tearing out floors involves a lot of muscle power and some serious tools. It’s easy to seriously hurt yourself with falling materials or a poorly-swung sledgehammer. You can also pull muscles, get plaster dust in your eyes, or even electrocute yourself if you’re not careful. Experienced demo teams know how to stay safe and avoid getting hurt. They can take care of your whole demolition without anyone getting hurt. 

Don’t hesitate to hire a demo team to take care of the demolition side of your project for you. Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition knows how to take things apart efficiently, quickly, & safely, and then remove all debris from the site. Let us do the dirty work for you, and book your appointment today. 978-317-5388

Eliminating Clutter Before the Holidays

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It’s that time of the year again – The most wonderful time, that is! Winter hit and just like that, we find ourselves right in the middle of the holiday season. New Year’s is just around the corner. And yet, your home is still cluttered with a bunch of junk from years past! Check out these tips for cleaning out from the professionals at Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition, and get your home ready for the holiday season. 

Looking Back on Clutter

Soon, you’ll be packing away all the holiday décor in a garage filled with your kids’ old clothes and toys that no one in your family will ever use again. There are likely old appliances, computers, monitors, keyboards, & old TVs just sitting around taking up space. What about that old, worn furniture and all those boxes left behind by family members? And what about all that clutter past the garage, inside your home? Wouldn’t it be nice to clean up the clutter and start the New Year with an organized house and garage?

Making Room for the New Year

With all this going on, you don’t even have room for the gifts you’ll receive this holiday. Not to mention there’s a lot of stuff on the kids’ Christmas list to Santa Claus! If their rooms and your spare closets are already cluttered, where will you put all the new stuff? It is often best to hire a professional junk removal service to get rid of all the useless junk. Many junk removal services will also donate reusable items so they don’t go to waste! 

Decluttering Outside Your Home

Have a bunch of waste all over your yard? Droves of leaves leftover from the fall, fallen, dead trees from the last storm, old tires, file cabinets, broken lawnmowers… let’s face it, there’s a big mess going on back there, and it’s not helping your holiday spirit. Your local junk removal service can help with this too! That way, your holiday decor will look even better, and when spring kicks in next year, your yard is ready for you and yours to enjoy.

No Time to Separate the Clutter?

A trustworthy junk removal company would never just toss your stuff on a truck and haul it all off to your local landfill. Instead, these professionals go through it removing things that can be reused or recycled. These items are then donated to charity and nothing goes to waste.

Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition in Salem, MA

Choose not to start your new year with your home and yard cluttered with last years’ junk. Get rid of the old and make room for the new! If you are in the Salem, MA area, call Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition for all of your junk removal needs.

The Benefits of Hiring a Skilled Demolition Team

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Landscape renovation can add aesthetic & property value to your home, but the project often requires the demolition of old or existing structures to pave the way for a new design. Pools, sheds, garages, and other structures will often cause homeowners to reach out to the professionals. Each of these projects will require someone who has access to the right equipment and is well-versed with the process. Although you might be tempted to embark on this project yourself, there are various benefits to hiring a demolition professional.

Your Personal Safety

A demolition process in itself poses some specific risks, many of which inexperienced individuals cannot anticipate and therefore take preemptive measures to avoid injury. Skilled personnel, on the other hand, ensure that everything goes according to plan and that there are no unnecessary risks involved. Assured safety brings about that all-important peace of mind regarding any project. Hiring a licensed and insured team of professionals also means that as the property owner, you’re not liable for physical injury suffered by the contracted company workers in the course of the demolition. 

Regulation & Compliance Purposes

The complexity of construction and demolition regulations can also pose a real challenge. Professional demolition companies offer guidance along the way on taking the necessary steps towards a fully-compliant project, minimizing the risk of violating federal laws or local regulations. Violation of set laws may attract hefty fines and undue delays, resulting in unforeseen and unwanted expenses. 

Security for Neighboring Property

Demolition projects typically observe strict boundary points. For example, it takes skill to demolish a house and a pool squeezed between two buildings. An inexperienced crew may cause the neighboring structures unwanted damage, to the detriment of both the property owner and their neighbors. To avoid such an inconvenience, reputable demolition crews understand the process thoroughly and take the right measures to carry out the project seamlessly. 

 

Convenience

One of the primary motivators for employing a skilled crew is the aspect of convenience. A key advantage is that demolitions don’t take longer or cost more than expected once carried out by an experienced crew. A demolition professional who can also remove the debris from your property, like Elite Services Junk Removal and Demolition, allows you to kill two birds with one stone! Once the demolition stage is in the hands of a professional, the property owner can then focus on next steps of the project at hand as the demolition takes place.

Construction and demolition processes demand the proper equipment and skillset. While the idea of bringing down a structure by yourself appears an attractive DIY project, the wrong approach may result in injury, damage to neighboring property, or unnecessary cost. Worse still, the project may stall or fail altogether. A professional demolition team ensures that everything goes according to plan. If you are in need of a professional demolition team you can count on, contact Elite Services Junk Removal & Demolition today!