Moving-out cleanouts in Cleveland: what to do with what you're not taking

The short answer

For a move-out, the City's bulk week usually does not line up: it runs only in the first full week of each month and takes up to three items per home. Cleveland Heights says it does not accept bulk from large move-outs at all. So most people either haul it themselves or book a pickup. JunkRabbit prices a move-out by truck fill (1/4 truck $241, 1/2 truck $431, 3/4 truck $587) or by item (sofa $126, queen set $143, dresser $126).

The move-out calendar problem

Bulk week is the first full week of the month. Most leases end on the last day of the month. That gap is the whole problem.

If you are moving out on the 31st, the previous bulk week was about three weeks earlier, when you were still sleeping on the mattress. The next one is after you have handed in the keys. Anything you put on the tree lawn on moving day sits there until the next bulk week, if it is collected at all.

Landlords know this, which is why many leases spell out a charge for items left behind.

Who is moving in Cleveland, and from where

• Students. Case Western Reserve University has 12,475 students; Cleveland State, John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace add thousands more. Move-outs cluster around the end of the spring semester.
• Hospital trainees and staff. The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth bring a steady stream of residents and fellows moving in and out of University Circle, Little Italy, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights.
• Upstairs-double tenants. Two-unit houses are 14.5% of the city's homes, and upper-unit tenants turn over regularly.
• Corporate relocations. Moves in and out of Beachwood, Westlake, Mayfield and Mentor.
• Downsizers. Long-time owners leaving houses in Parma, Euclid, Lee–Harvard or the Heights.

Move-out by tier

Typical only. Your quote is based on what you show in photos.

Move-out by item

If you are taking most things and leaving a few, price the items:

• Old mattress set and frame you are not moving: $143 + $68 = $211.
• Futon + bookshelf + desk from a student apartment: $111 + $72 + $83 = $266.
• Sofa + coffee table + TV stand: $126 + $67 + $96 = $289.
• Chest freezer and dehumidifier left in the basement: $146 + $77 = $223.

Four Cleveland move-outs, priced

Clinic fellow leaving a Little Italy apartment

Furniture bought for a two-year program isn't worth shipping: a sofa, a queen set, a desk and an office chair. $126 + $143 + $83 + $61 = $413. A 1/2 truck at $431 is close, so if boxes and a bookshelf go too, the tier covers them.

Baldwin Wallace student in Berea

A twin mattress, a mini fridge and a small TV: $82 + $115 + $62 = $259.

Westlake relocation

A corporate move where the movers take the good furniture and leave the garage and basement. Usually a 3/4 truck at $587.

Euclid downsizer heading to a condo

Forty years in a 1950s house: furniture the new place can't hold, a basement workshop and a garage. A full truck plus a 1/2 truck: $732 + $431 = $1,163.

Moving out of a suburb

The City's bulk week only covers City of Cleveland addresses. Leaving a suburb means its rules, not the City's:

• Lakewood: mattresses, upholstered furniture and carpet wrapped and sealed in plastic, set out between 6 pm and 6 am. An improper set-out draws a minimum $100 fee.
• Cleveland Heights: four items per pick-up on a rotating route, but large move-outs and clean-outs are not accepted.
• Shaker Heights: bulk by request only, up to three items, placed on the driveway.
• Parma: bulk with weekly trash, with upholstered pieces in sealable plastic.
• Euclid: upholstered pieces double wrapped and sealed with duct tape.

For a move-out, the item limits and wrapping rules usually decide it before the calendar does.

A move-out plan that works

1. Two weeks out: sort into move, sell, give, and haul. List the sell items now.
2. If bulk week falls before your move date: use it for up to three items you can carry out and wrap.
3. One week out: book the pickup for a day or two before your move-out date, or the morning of. Pick a 2-hour window.
4. Building rules: if you are in a tower downtown or in University Circle, reserve the freight elevator and request a COI. JunkRabbit emails it within 1 hour.
5. Moving day: what you are not taking is already gone. The walk-through goes better.

Winter moves

Moving between mid-November and early February means lake-effect snow, especially on the east side and in the Heights. Icy rear stairs on a double and buried tree lawns make doing it yourself harder. Our crews carry from any floor with no stairs fee, and same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM.

Start with photos on the instant quote.

Frequently asked questions