Hoarding cleanup in Charleston, SC: costs and options

A hoarding cleanout is the largest kind of junk removal job, and it's priced by the size of the home or the number of truckloads, not by the item. HomeGuide puts the total at $1,000 to $4,000 on average, or about $1 to $2 per square foot. No Charleston-specific figure is published. Town curbside pickup can't absorb a job this size, so the choice is a crew, a dumpster, or many trips to a county drop-off site.

What it costs

Only one of the cost guides we checked prices hoarding cleanup on its own. HomeGuide gives these totals by home size:

Home size	HomeGuide range
1,000 sq ft	$1,000 to $2,000
2,000 sq ft	$2,000 to $4,000
3,000 sq ft	$3,000 to $6,000

That works out to about $1 to $2 per square foot, with an average total of $1,000 to $4,000. HomeGuide says hourly cleaners may charge $25 to $100 an hour. The page shows no date and doesn't say whether its figures are national, so treat them as a rough guide and not a Charleston price.

Two other guides price the nearest comparable jobs. LawnStarter (December 2025) puts a whole-home cleanout at $625 to $2,000, and up to $4,000 for larger estates. Angi puts an estate cleanout at about $1,250 on average, with a full range of $50 to $6,000 (no date shown). Both are national.

If a company quotes by truck space, the number to ask about is truckloads. National guides put a full truck at $450 to $800 depending on the guide. See our junk removal cost guide for the load-size tables.

Who lists the work in Charleston

Lowcountry Junk Pros is the one company we found that names hoarding cleanouts on its own site, alongside house and estate cleanouts. Others list cleanouts more generally:

College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving: estate, garage and basement cleanouts, plus donation pickup
Good Junk: estate, garage and REO cleanouts
LoadUp: property cleanouts, priced per item
Junk King: single items to full cleanouts

A company that lists cleanouts may or may not take a hoarding job, so ask when you call.

What the town won't take

Curbside pickup can't carry a job this size, and towns leave out many of the things a hoarded home holds.

Weekly limits. James Island PSD allows 2 bulk items or 1 claw scoop a week. Moncks Corner allows two bulk items a week.
Electronics. Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek and James Island PSD don't collect TVs or computers at the curb.
Tires, wet paint and hazardous materials. Mount Pleasant and James Island PSD list all three as not collected. Goose Creek doesn't take tires and only takes paint once it has fully hardened.
Contractor loads. Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek and James Island PSD don't collect contractor-generated material. If you hire a crew, the crew hauls what it removes.

Sorting for the county drop-off sites

If family is doing the work, the county sites are free for residents, but loads have to be sorted and the vehicle rules apply.

Charleston County convenience centers are split into zones: household garbage in Zone 1, furniture and mattresses in Zone 2, appliances and scrap metal in Zone 3, tires in Zone 4, household hazardous waste in Zone 8 and electronics in Zone 9. Tires are limited to 4 per visit, one visit a week, with rims removed. Bring a photo ID with a county address. Box trucks and double-axle trailers need an appointment at 843-720-7111. See Charleston County convenience centers.

Berkeley County centers take household trash, furniture, mattresses, appliances and scrap metal, with up to 5 electronics and up to 5 passenger tires a day. Only pickup-sized vehicles are allowed. See Berkeley County convenience centers.

Dorchester County sites are for residential waste only, with nothing larger than a 3/4-ton pickup and single-axle trailers only. See Dorchester County convenience sites.

Pro tip pull the paint, electronics and tires out first and set them aside. They go to different zones or different sites than the general load, and they're the items a hauler is most likely to price separately.

Our guides cover each of those: paint, TVs and electronics and tires. For a house that is full but not hoarded, see how to clear out a whole house.

Renting a dumpster

A dumpster gives you days to work through the house at your own pace. ZTERS' Charleston page lists a 10-yard at $675 to $825, a 20-yard at $755 to $905, a 30-yard at $800 to $935 and a 40-yard at $890 to $990, each for a 10-day rental, with weight allowances from 1 to 2 tons up to 5 to 8 tons. The page shows no date for its prices.

Frequently asked questions

How much does hoarding cleanup cost?

HomeGuide puts the average total at $1,000 to $4,000, or about $1 to $2 per square foot, and says hourly cleaners may charge $25 to $100 an hour. Its page shows no date and doesn't say whether the figures are national. No Charleston-specific figure is published.

Which Charleston junk removal companies do hoarding cleanouts?

Lowcountry Junk Pros lists house, estate and hoarding cleanouts by name. College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving lists estate, garage and basement cleanouts, Good Junk lists estate, garage and REO cleanouts, LoadUp lists property cleanouts, and Junk King says it handles full cleanouts. Ask each one directly whether it takes hoarding jobs.

Can the town pick it all up at the curb?

No. James Island PSD allows 2 bulk items or 1 claw scoop a week and Moncks Corner allows two bulk items a week. Towns also don't collect electronics, tires, wet paint or hazardous materials at the curb, and a hoarded home usually holds some of each.

Is a dumpster cheaper than a crew for a hoarding cleanout?

It can be if you have people to do the loading. ZTERS' Charleston page lists a 20-yard dumpster at $755 to $905 for a 10-day rental. HomeGuide's range for a crew on a 2,000 square foot home is $2,000 to $4,000. The dumpster price doesn't include any labor.

Bottom line

Start by getting two or three crews to see the home in person, since the price follows volume and nobody can judge that from a phone call. Ask whether the quote is by truckload or by the square foot, and whether it covers paint, electronics and tires, which have their own disposal rules here.

How do we know this?

We check every rule, address and hour on this page against the official source, and re-check on a schedule. Spot something out of date? Tell us.