Tools Needed for DIY Junk Removal

Proper tools, dollies, straps, and padding can make junk clean-up and removal much easier, safer, and faster. Some of the items below can be acquired fairly easily and inexpensively. Many of the items can be rented from your local UHAUL dealership (we do recommend to call the location to check availability before you go there). Obviously the following tools are not required and the ones that are applicable to your job will simply depend on what you are doing. If you have any questions feel free to call us at 984-263-0777. We would be happy to assist you.

• Utility Cart: These are available from Northern Tool and cost around $100 if you would like to buy a decent one. They are very handy to have around the house. If you don’t see yourself using one very often then visit Uhual.com, who rents them out.
• Appliance Dolly: Since a good one costs $200 and up we do recommend you rent this item. If you are moving refrigerators, ranges, washer machines, or other appliances these things can make life much easier. They come with a strap in order to secure the appliance to the dolly and also feature sliding caster supports which allow you to easily move the appliance around the home, as well as up and down stairs.
• Forearm Forklift: These things are awesome. Amazon.com sells them for around $12. However, we do recommend that you also buy the extension straps. Tax and all they will cost about $20. View this video on Youtube before using one.  Point of caution: These do not work on stairs! If you would like straps that do work on stairs purchase the Shoulder Dolly. Our teams use the shoulder dollies all the time. However they are closer to $50 to purchase and the set up takes a bit longer than the Forearm Forklift.
• Moving blankets or something similar: A must to slide items easily throughout your home and protect your property. Obviously you can also use fairly thick blankets.
• Basic tool set: Make sure that you have a tool set that has a set of Hex Key wrenches. This is a common tool to disassemble furniture. Also will need a set of screw drivers at bare minimum.
• Ratchet Straps: These are used to secure your load on a pickup truck. They are much more effective than rope. View this youtube video on how to use them. Straps can be bought at Lowes, Home Depot, Wal Mart, Northern Tool, Sears, and other common tool stores. For light duty applications, Wal Mart has a good selection of straps at good prices. Expect to spend around $25 for a set of 4. You will need a set of 4 at minimum.
• Tarp: Again, this is needed to secure your load. You will also likely want some skinny rope to secure the tarp to the truck bed. Both can be bought at Lowes, Home Depot, or Northern. Avoid Wal-Mart tarps; they tend to not hold up very well.
• Four wheel dollies: These are probably not a must on most jobs however they can come in handy for moving items around.
• Orange flag: Can be purchased from Lowes. You will only need this if you have items that are long and stick out the back of your pickup.
• Painters Tape: Easy to use in order to secure doors shut. Doors and drawers that randomly open have caused a lot of damaged walls. They can also cause you to drop the item when the weight suddenly shifts.

Again, not all of the listed items will be needed. It is easy to go on a buying frenzy and purchase all of those items plus some if your aren’t careful. Remember, you are trying to do this cost effectively. Buying items that you will only use once is probably not the way to go. Feel free to give us a call at 984-263-0777 if you would like to let us know what you are doing and see what tools we recommend for your project.