Estate cleanout and junk removal in Orlando: cost, large item pickup, and who to call

Updated November 2026. Cited to the City of Orlando, Orange County, the Orange County Clerk, Florida Statutes, the Florida Bar, IRS and published price guides.

Short answer: junk removal is priced mostly by volume, and national figures put a typical job at $150 to $600 and a full truckload at $450 to $650, so a whole-house estate cleanout in Orlando usually costs more than one load.^[1] For a few big pieces, the City of Orlando picks up two large items free on your yard waste day with no appointment (sofas, dressers, standard appliances, toilets and similar items crews can load by hand), and unincorporated Orange County takes up to three cubic yards of large items a week on garbage day, but neither takes hazardous waste at the curb.^[2][7][3]

Compare local crews and send one free request on our Orlando junk removal and estate cleanout page.

What estate cleanout and junk removal cost

We looked for an Orlando or Florida price survey that we could read in full and that showed a date, and did not find one. The figures below are national, from Fixr's junk removal guide updated January 31, 2025, and include labor.^[1] Orlando quotes may be higher or lower.

Published estimates, not quotes from crews listed on this site.^[1]

Two city prices are worth comparing against a crew's quote. The City of Orlando collects a filled "dumpster-in-a-bag" for $100 per bag, billed on your OUC bill, within 3 to 5 working days of your request.^[4] It also rents 20-yard and 30-yard roll-off dumpsters inside city limits, priced by the ton, and confirms cost when you request one.^[5] Estate cleanouts add sorting, donation runs and a final sweep, so see property cleanout cost and estate cleanout vs junk removal.

Large item pickup: City of Orlando vs Orange County

Which program applies depends on the address. City services such as dumpster rentals and bag pickups are only for locations inside Orlando city limits.^[5][4] Orange County runs its own curbside program for residents of unincorporated Orange County, where garbage and large items have been collected on a different day from recycling and yard waste since December 29, 2025.^[8]

From the City of Orlando and Orange County Utilities.^[2][3][7]

In the city, the free items are standard refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers; sofas, chairs, dressers and TV consoles; and toilets, sinks or other items crews can load by hand. Anything that needs a claw truck costs extra, depending on the type and amount, and the city will tell you to schedule it at 407-246-2314. If a cleanout would take many trips, the city suggests a dumpster or a dumpster bag instead.^[2] Report a missed large item at 407-246-2314 or swcustomersvc@orlando.gov.^[3]

In unincorporated Orange County, large items include furniture, mattresses, appliances, TVs and up to four passenger car tires. Anything that fits in the garbage cart is not collected as a large item, and freon appliances such as refrigerators and freezers are left out of curbside collection. Questions go to the Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601.^[7]

Paint, chemicals, electronics and freon: Orange County drop-off sites

Garages and sheds in an estate often hold paint, pool chemicals, pesticides, fuel and batteries. The City of Orlando says hazardous waste cannot be collected curbside by law, and residents can take it free to Orange County sites.^[3] Orange County residents can drop off household hazardous waste and electronics free at the Orange County Landfill (5901 Young Pine Road, 32829) and the Porter Transfer Station (1326 Good Homes Road, 32818), both open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Paint and chemicals are limited to 25 gallons per vehicle, and no commercial waste is accepted. Tires, ammunition, fireworks, flares, prescription drugs and rear-projection TVs are not taken at these drop-offs.^[9]

Freon appliances that the county will not collect at the curb can go to the Orange County Landfill for a minimum charge of $10.^[9] If you haul the rest yourself, the county's disposal rates effective October 1, 2026 list household garbage at $56.40 per ton and Class III material, which includes furniture, at $42.70 per ton (landfill only), with a $10 minimum charge. The landfill's small vehicle drop-off area is for vehicle and trailer combinations under 30 feet, unloaded by hand.^[10]

Donating and reusing what is left

We did not find a City of Orlando or Orange County reuse directory to point you to. Orange County notes that many retailers take electronics for recycling.^[9] If the estate plans to deduct donations, keep an itemized list and receipts. IRS Publication 561 says used clothing and household items must be in good used condition or better to be deductible, and a claim of more than $5,000 for one item or a group of similar items generally needs a qualified appraisal.^[11] Ask any crew you hire whether it donates usable items and gives receipts. Our estate cleanout vs estate sale vs donation guide compares the options.

Estate cleanouts and Orange County probate

Before anything leaves the house, make sure the person hiring the crew has the right to decide. Florida calls the executor a personal representative, and the court's Letters of Administration are the evidence of that person's authority. Bank or investment accounts that pay on death to someone, or are held jointly with survivorship, may not be probate assets at all.^[13] Probate is filed in the county where the person lived at death, and the Orange County Clerk describes three types.^[12]

• Formal administration is fully court supervised, and the clerk says it must be filed by a Florida-licensed attorney.^[12]
• Summary administration is available when the will does not require formal administration and the Florida estate, less exempt property, is worth no more than $150,000, or the person has been dead more than two years.^[14] That limit comes from a 2026 law (CS/HB 1337) effective July 1, 2026.^[15] Older guides, including the Florida Bar pamphlet last updated in 2021, show a lower figure.^[13] The clerk says an attorney is not required for summary administration, though legal guidance is recommended.^[12]
• Disposition without administration applies when the estate is only exempt property plus personal property worth no more than the funeral and final 60 days of medical bills. The petition needs the paid funeral bill, medical receipts and a certified death certificate.^[16][12]

The Orange County Clerk's Probate Division is at 425 N. Orange Ave., Suite 335 (32801), 407-836-2057, with phone hours weekday mornings, and filings can be made online through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, in person or by mail. Clerk staff cannot give legal advice or tell you which type applies.^[12] More state-by-state detail is in probate basics by state.

If the person rented. Florida lets a landlord recover a unit when the last remaining tenant has died, belongings remain, rent is unpaid, at least 60 days have passed since the death, and the landlord has had no written notice of a probate estate or a personal representative (federally assisted housing is excluded). If you are handling the estate, tell the landlord in writing.^[17] For property left after a tenancy ends, the landlord must send a written notice describing it and giving at least 10 days (hand delivered) or 15 days (mailed) to claim it.^[18] Unclaimed property generally goes to public sale, though a landlord who reasonably believes it is worth less than $500 may keep or dispose of it.^[19]

How to choose an Orlando cleanout company

• Approved hauler for debris. Inside city limits, Orlando requires project debris (construction and demolition, Class III, concrete and similar) to be collected by an approved roll-off hauler, and unapproved companies face code violations and fines. The city publishes the approved list.^[6] If a cleanout includes torn-out flooring, cabinets or a dumpster, ask whether the company is on it. We did not find a separate Florida state license for estate cleanout or junk removal companies.
• Proof of insurance. Ask for a current certificate before the crew arrives.
• A written estimate. It should say how the price is set (flat rate, by truckload or by the hour), what is included (sorting, donation runs, appliances, hazardous items, sweeping), and what could change the price on the day.
• Where items go. Ask what gets donated, recycled and landfilled. Under Florida's Litter Law, dumping more than 500 pounds or 100 cubic feet, or any amount for commercial purposes, is a third degree felony.^[20]
• A keep list. Mark what stays, and set aside documents, photos and valuables before the crew starts. Our printable estate cleanout checklist covers this room by room.

More questions to ask are in how to choose an estate cleanout company.

Hoarding cleanup in Orlando

If the person is living, a full cleanout without their involvement often backfires. The International OCD Foundation says unwelcome cleanouts cause intense distress and anger toward relatives and rarely work in the long term, because the clutter tends to return. It suggests harm reduction instead: focus on safety, such as moving bottles away from the stove, and involve the person in the plan.^[22]

Hoarding jobs cost more than ordinary junk removal. Fixr's national figures put professional cleaning of a severe hoarder's house at about $1,000 per day, or $25 to $150 per hour, and biohazard cleanup at a $4,000 average ($3,000 to $5,000 for a 2,000 square foot home), as of January 2025.^[21] Ask how the crew handles biohazards, sharps and documents found in the piles.

This guide summarizes City of Orlando, Orange County, Orange County Clerk and Florida sources and published price guides. It is not legal advice. Cleanout Finder is a directory and does not perform cleanouts. Featured listings are paid placements and are labeled.