Spring Cleaning Dumpster Rental: Sizes and Timing

For a spring cleaning dumpster rental, a 10 or 15-yard box covers most homes, and your quote shows the price for 7 days at your ZIP code. Spring is one of the busiest times of year for roll-off haulers, so ask about two weeks before the weekend you want. Leave it until Thursday for a Saturday and you may have to take a different size or a later date.

Why spring is peak season for dumpsters

A lot of demand lands at once. Contractors restart the roofing and remodel jobs that waited out the winter, moving season gets going, and yards full of winter limbs finally dry out enough to clear. Every one of those jobs wants a box, and a hauler only has so many, so a 20-yard sitting on a roofing job for a week is one that can't be in your driveway.

As a result, same-week dates get harder to find and the popular sizes go first.

Book two weeks out: a timeline that works

1. 14 days out: request the quote. Give us the ZIP, the weekend you want, the size you think you need and what's going in. We usually reply within 1 to 2 business hours with one all-in delivered price, held for 14 days.
2. 10 to 12 days out: say yes. Booking locks the price and the date, and nothing is charged until the day before delivery. Changes and cancellations are free, with a full refund, until the truck leaves for your delivery.
3. 7 days out: sort. Do the donation run and the recycling, and set aside the hazardous items (see below). If the pile turns out bigger than you thought, tell us and we'll move you up to a 15 and update the price.
4. 1 to 2 days out: clear the spot. You need a flat area 12 to 16 feet long and 8 to 11 feet wide, with cars moved and nothing low overhead. Ask for boards under the wheels, which are free.
5. Delivery day, ideally a Friday. Delivery can happen any time that day, so plan to load on Saturday and Sunday, and text us when it's full.

Inside two weeks, ask anyway. Say you'd take a 10, 15 or 20 and give us a two-day window. If your size isn't available on your date, we offer the next size up at no extra cost.

Room-by-room declutter plan

Walk the house before you pick a size. Typical loose volumes:

A garage, a basement and two bedrooms add up to 10 to 18 cubic yards, right where the choice between a 10 and a 15 gets made. For a garage on its own, see the garage cleanout dumpster guide.

Which size: 10 or 15 yards for most homes

A 10-yard (12 x 8 x 3.5 feet, about 3 pickup loads) covers a garage or a basement plus a few rooms. Its 3.5-foot walls make it the easiest box to load by hand.

A 15-yard (16 x 8 x 4 feet, 4 to 5 loads) covers a garage, a basement and the bedrooms, or any house where furniture is going too. The step up from a 10 is almost always cheaper than a second haul.

Go to a 20-yard (about 6 loads) for a true whole-house declutter before a move or a downsize, furniture included. All three typically include 1 to 2 tons. At the EPA's 250 to 300 pounds per loose cubic yard of household junk, a full 10-yard comes to about 1.3 to 1.5 tons, but a packed 15 or 20 can pass 2 tons, so tell us if you expect to fill one to the top. Boxed books and paper are the dense part of most spring loads, so spread them along the floor of the box.

Yard waste and indoor junk in one box?

Often, but not everywhere. Branches, brush and leaves are accepted in most places and can usually share the box with the garage junk. Some areas require yard waste to go in its own load because it's composted, so nothing else can be mixed in. Where that applies, a clean yard-waste load can be cheaper than a mixed one, and we tell you when we quote.

Two more rules apply to the yard. Cut branches so they lie flat, because tangled limbs take up far more room than they need to, and keep sod, soil and rock out, because they count as heavy debris and need a 10-yard of their own. If the yard is the main event, start from the yard cleanup dumpster page.

Sorting donations and recycling first

A good share of a spring pile doesn't belong in the dumpster at all, and sorting it first saves yards and fees:

• Donate working furniture, clothes, books and small appliances. Many charities pick up large items for free.
• Recycle scrap metal (a grill, a bike frame, a water heater), cardboard and electronics, which many states ban from landfills.
• Keep out paint and solvents, pool and lawn chemicals, propane tanks, batteries, tires, and fridges, freezers and AC units. A banned item found at pickup can be left behind or come with the disposal site's handling charge, and your county's household hazardous waste drop-off takes the paint, chemicals and batteries.
• Ask about mattresses, which are usually accepted with a per-item fee, and washers and dryers, which many haulers take, sometimes for a fee.

What moves the price in spring

Prices sometimes move in busy months, and the size, your ZIP code and the dates set the rest. A 10, 15 or 20-yard typically comes with 7 days and 1 to 2 tons included. Ours come with a 30-day rental and 3 tons included, and your quote shows the price, the per-ton rate over the allowance and the daily rate past 30 days. Extra days and weight over the allowance are billed at the rates in your quote. The residential dumpster rental page covers what else homeowners ask, and the dumpster rental by project guide sizes every other spring job.

Frequently asked questions

What size dumpster do I need for spring cleaning?

A 10-yard handles a garage or basement plus a few rooms, and a 15-yard covers a garage, basement and bedrooms together. For a whole house with furniture, take a 20-yard. When you're between two sizes, the bigger one is usually the better buy.

How far ahead should I book a dumpster in spring?

Two weeks gives you the most choice, and your quote is held for 14 days. A few days ahead often still works if you're flexible on size, since delivery is usually 1 to 3 business days after you order.

Can old paint and chemicals from the garage go in?

No. Liquid paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals and fuel are refused almost everywhere. Latex paint that has dried solid is usually fine. Take the rest to your county's household hazardous waste drop-off.

Do I need to be home for delivery?

You don't, as long as the spot is clear and marked. Put a cone where you want the box, move the cars the night before, and leave any gate codes in the quote form.

Pick your weekend now and we'll book our hauler for you before the spring rush. Get my price.