First, a word on the name. People say "move-out clean out" for two different jobs: cleaning a home after it is empty, and emptying it in the first place. A cleaning service mops, scrubs and wipes. A junk removal crew carries out and hauls away what is left. This article is about the second job, which has to happen before the first one can.
Sort before the movers come
The cheapest thing to move is the thing you never put on the truck. Two or three weeks before moving day, walk the house with a roll of colored tape. Mark what goes to the new place, and leave everything else unmarked. Furniture that will not fit, the old mattress, the second refrigerator in the garage, the broken patio set: if it is not marked, it is not going with you.
Do the garage, the attic and the basement first, because they hold the most and get left for last. Then the kitchen, then bedrooms. Many people find that half of what fills a garage is boxes from the last move that were never opened.
What the crew can take, and what it cannot
Furniture, mattresses, appliances once they are disconnected, electronics, boxes, toys, rugs and household clutter can all go on a junk truck in one trip. Hazardous materials cannot: paint, chemicals, fuel, asbestos and medical waste stay behind for you to handle. Move them to one corner of the garage so the crew can see at a glance what stays.
What to pull out of the pile first
Before anything is hauled, go through the unmarked things once more for what you do not want to lose: papers in drawers, spare keys, garage door openers and appliance manuals that belong to the next owner, chargers and remotes that go with the TV you are keeping, and anything in the pockets of coats you are leaving. Put them in one labeled box that rides with you in the car.
When to book it
There are two good times. The first is a week or so before moving day, for the things you already know are not coming: it clears the path for the movers and makes packing easier. The second is right after the moving truck leaves, for whatever is left once the house is empty of everything you kept.
Avoid the same hour as the movers. Two crews and two trucks in one driveway slow each other down, and it is easy for the wrong box to end up on the wrong truck.
Renters: check the lease
If you rent, read the move-out section of your lease. Many landlords and property managers charge for anything left behind, and some require the unit to be empty before the final walk-through. A cleanout before that inspection, and photos of the empty rooms for your own records, can save an argument about the deposit later.
Selling: clear before the photos
If you are selling, the best time to clear out is before the listing photos and showings, not after the sale. Empty rooms look larger, and buyers are not distracted by a garage full of old furniture. Leave what stages the house well, and have the rest hauled.
Moving in to a house that was not emptied
Sometimes the problem is at the other end: you arrive at a new house and the last owner left a garage of boxes, a basement couch or a shed full of old tools. The same order works. Photograph what was left, decide if anything is worth keeping, and have the rest hauled before your own furniture goes in, so you are not working around it for months.
Getting a price
Send photos of everything that is not coming with you, room by room, and the date you need it gone. You get a price before anything is loaded, and on the day the crew carries it all out from wherever it sits.