Whole-house clearing, room by room

St. Louis Hoarding Cleanup: Hoarder House Cleanouts in St. Louis

Clearing a hoarded house to the floors, with the papers, photographs and valuables found and kept along the way.

St. Louis and eleven towns within 28 miles
Written price before work starts
Licensed, insured local contractors
Occupancy inspection rules covered

St. Louis Hoarding Cleanup arranges whole-house cleanouts for hoarded homes in St. Louis and the towns around it, carried out by local cleanout crews. A hoarder house cleanout is the largest job on this site: every room cleared, every bag sorted before it leaves, and the house left empty enough to clean, inspect, sell or live in again.

A planned cleanout of a 2,000 square foot house runs about $2,000 to $4,000; the same house cleared in a rush after a failed occupancy inspection pays the cleanout plus a $50 reinspection in towns like Florissant, and a closing that slips while the buyer waits.

$2,000 to $6,000 for a typical whole house

A hoarder house cleanout in St. Louis typically runs $1 to $2 per square foot, which is about $2,000 to $4,000 for a 2,000 square foot house and up to $6,000 for a 3,000 square foot house with a full basement, the ranges published cost guides give for this work. The price moves with how full the house is, how many floors and stairs the material comes down, how much sorting the family wants, and how many truckloads go to the transfer station.

Get a price: (636) 216-6490

Signs the whole house needs clearing, not one room

More than one room can no longer be used for what it is for
The kitchen counters, stove and sink are buried
The stairs to the basement or second floor are down to a single path
A bedroom door will not open fully
Bags and boxes have started to fill the porch, the garage or the car

How a whole-house cleanout runs

The first visit is a walk-through with whoever has authority over the house: the owner, a person holding power of attorney, or the personal representative of an estate. That walk sets three things. What must be kept, what must be searched for, and where everything else is going.

Work then runs from the door inward. Exits and paths are cleared first so the crew can move safely, then the kitchen and bathroom, then bedrooms and living rooms, then the basement and garage. Each room is emptied to the floor rather than skimmed, because a skimmed room fills again from the bottom.

Day one is usually paths, exits and the first truckload
Most of the volume leaves on days two and three
The last day is basements, garages and a broom sweep
A 2,000 square foot house typically takes two to five days in total

What gets looked for before anything is thrown away

In a hoarded house the important things are rarely where they belong. Crews open envelopes, check coat pockets and look inside boxes before they are bagged. The usual search list is deeds, vehicle titles, insurance policies, tax returns, bank and brokerage statements, wills, keys, medication, jewelry, photographs and cash. Anything found goes into a single box for the family rather than back into the house.

Not sure how big the job is? Describe the rooms and what is in them, and get a straight answer on what it usually takes.

Call (636) 216-6490

Where a hoarded St. Louis house sends its material

A house this full is several truckloads, and the city's monthly bulk pickup of three items does not touch it. Household trash goes to a transfer station or landfill. Refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, water heaters, air conditioners and car batteries are pulled out first, because Missouri law keeps major appliances and lead-acid batteries out of landfills. Old paint, pesticides and solvents go to the regional household hazardous waste program, which charges by the pound after the first 50.

Furniture and clothing in good condition can go to donation, and paper is recycled once it has been checked. North county ranch houses in places like Florissant tend to send more to donation, because their basements hold furniture, while the brick flats of the city send more paper.

When a whole-house cleanout is the wrong job

If the house has heavy animal or human waste, sewage on the floors, widespread mold or needles, the work is biohazard remediation, and it needs a company equipped and permitted for it. A cleanout crew can follow once that part is done. You will be told on the call if what you are describing is that kind of job.

Questions people ask

How much does a hoarder house cleanout cost in St. Louis?

About $1 to $2 per square foot, so $2,000 to $4,000 for a 2,000 square foot house and up to $6,000 for a larger house with a basement.

How long does a whole-house cleanout take?

Usually two to five days, depending on the size of the house, how full it is and how much sorting is wanted.

What are the signs a house needs a full cleanout?

Several unusable rooms, a buried kitchen, stairs down to a single path and clutter spilling onto the porch or into the garage.

Will the crew look for important papers?

Yes. Agree a search list at the walk-through. Deeds, titles, wills, financial papers, photographs, jewelry and cash are the usual items.

Who has to give permission for the cleanout?

The owner, or someone with legal authority over the house, such as a person holding power of attorney or the personal representative of an estate.

Does the crew clean after clearing?

A broom sweep is normal. A full clean is a separate job once the surfaces can be reached.

Often done together

Estate cleanout

Emptying a parent's or relative's house, with the papers and keepsakes found first and the rest handled carefully.
Cleanout before a sale

Getting a hoarded house empty enough to inspect, photograph and sell, before the closing date sets the pace.
Deep cleaning after a cleanout

Cleaning the surfaces a hoarded house has hidden for years, once the clutter is finally out of the way.

Talk it through before anyone carries anything out

Say how many rooms are affected, whether there is a deadline, and whether anything in the house needs to be kept. You will hear what the job usually involves, what it tends to cost, and how long it tends to take.