Nokomis & Hiawatha
Garage Cleanout in
Nokomis & Hiawatha
Every fall it's the same goal around Lake Nokomis: clear the detached alley garage so the car goes back inside before the snow flies. We haul it all — the dead push mower, the old second fridge, the stack of tires, the rakes and shovels and years of workshop clutter — straight out of the garage and down the alley. Tight alley access is our specialty, even in early snow, with no winter surcharge. Send a photo, get the exact flat price — a single-stall garage is usually a quarter to a half truck, from $241 — with Minnesota sales tax already inside it.
How a Nokomis garage cleanout works
Three steps, and the hauling out of a packed garage is the part you hand to us:
- Send a photo. Show us the garage — the mower and the fridge, the shelves and rafters, the pile behind the workbench — and tell us about the alley: a tight approach, a low door, a driveway that already has snow on it. That's how we confirm the flat price.
- Get the exact flat price. A single-stall garage is usually a quarter to a half truck — $241 to $431 — and a two-stall packed to the rafters can run to a full truck at $732. The number already covers the carry, the disposal, the freon recovery on any old fridge, and the roughly 9.025% MN sales tax.
- We clear it and haul it. A vetted, insured crew brings the truck down the alley, clears the garage off the shelves and out of the rafters, and hauls it — routing metal, appliances, and anything usable to the right place. Same-day when a slot's open; snow on the ground doesn't change the price.
Clear the garage before the snow flies
The lakeside blocks of Nokomis, Hiawatha, Standish, and Ericsson are classic South Minneapolis: 1920s bungalows and mid-century single-family homes, most with a detached garage off the alley and a full basement besides. Those garages become the catch-all — the mower that died two summers ago, a second fridge, old paint, a canoe, tires, and a workbench buried under a decade of projects. Come fall, everyone wants the same thing: the car back inside before the first real snow, so the October pre-snow rush is our busiest garage window (spring, right after the melt, is the other). The wrinkle is access — a tight alley and a snow-dusted approach that a big franchise truck grumbles about. We work these alleys all season, right through the first snows, and it's the same flat price in December as in September: no winter surcharge.
How much does a garage cleanout cost in Nokomis?
Flat and photo-quoted, before we roll down the alley. The carry, the disposal, the freon recovery on any fridge, and MN sales tax are all inside the number.
| Job / Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Partial garage / corner clear (quarter truck) | $241 |
| Single-stall garage (half truck) | $431 |
| Packed / two-stall garage (three-quarter truck) | $587 |
| Full garage clear-out (full truck) | $732 |
| Push mower / snow blower | $88 / $95 |
| Riding mower | $152 |
| Refrigerator / chest freezer | $164 / $146 |
| Yard tools / workshop clutter | From $45, or by truck-fill |
$75 minimum. Old tires carry a small county disposal fee (about $3 each) rolled into the flat price. Carry, disposal, freon recovery, and MN sales tax included.
For reference, traditional full-service junk companies typically quote $150–$600+ per truckload after an in-person estimate. We quote it flat from a photo, up front, tax included.
4 ways to clear a Nokomis garage
| Option | Cost | Speed | Who carries it | Appliances / tires? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Large Item Collection | 1 free/yr, then $30/item | Next pickup, 2/week cap | You — to the curb by 6am | Fridge needs freon recovered first; limited |
| Haul it yourself to a Hennepin drop-off | ~$41/ton + item fees | Several Saturdays (Tue–Sat 9–5) | You — load, drive, unload, repeat | $30 fridge freon, $3/tire, you handle it |
| Rent a dumpster | $400–$800+, plus your weekends | Days of self-loading | You and the family | Often can't take appliances or tires |
| Traditional full-service junk company | $150–$600+ per truck | Scheduled, 1–3 days out | Their crew | Sometimes, sometimes extra |
| JunkRabbit | From $241, flat & tax in | Same-day when open, snow or not | Our insured crew, down the alley | Yes — freon & tires handled, included |
The punchline for a full garage: the free and cheap paths make you recover the freon, pay per tire, and haul dozens of items yourself over several weekends — right as the snow's arriving. We take the whole garage in one trip, down the alley, with the fridge and tires handled.
Does the City of Minneapolis pick up garage junk?
Only in the same limited curbside way, and a garage is where it falls short. Minneapolis Large Item Collection gives municipal garbage customers one free bulk pickup a year, then $30 per item, taking up to two large items a week if they're at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the collection day (schedule at 612-673-2917). A cleared garage is dozens of items, not two, and several of them don't fit the program cleanly: an old fridge or freezer needs its freon professionally recovered first, and tires, paint, and mixed workshop clutter each have their own handling. Your self-serve alternative is repeated trips to a Hennepin County drop-off — Brooklyn Park (8100 Jefferson Hwy) or South Hennepin (1400 W 96th St, Bloomington), open roughly Tuesday–Saturday 9–5 — where garbage runs about $55 a ton, a fridge or AC is $30 for freon recovery, and a tire is about $3. We clear the whole garage in one job, recover the freon, take the tires, and roll it all into the flat price.
What we haul from a Nokomis garage
- Lawn & snow equipment — push mowers, riding mowers, snow blowers, trimmers, and leaf blowers that finally quit.
- Old appliances — the second fridge, a chest freezer, a busted washer or dryer stashed in the garage; freon recovered. See our appliance removal page.
- Tires & auto clutter — old tire sets, wheel rims, car ramps, and the parts pile in the corner.
- Yard tools & lumber — rakes, shovels, hoses, leftover fencing and lumber, planters, and bagged yard waste.
- Workshop & hobby clutter — a workbench, dead power tools, paint cans, a canoe or kayak, and the boxes behind it all.
- Whole-garage clear-outs — the entire single- or two-stall garage emptied to the walls before winter or a sale.
What happens to it after pickup
A garage is one of the more recyclable hauls we do, and Hennepin County's system makes doing it right straightforward. A working mower or usable tools are offered for reuse or routed to Bridging and Goodwill where we can. Metal — old appliances, tire rims, steel shelving — goes to a scrap processor, with the refrigerant recovered and documented on any fridge or freezer; tires are taken to be recycled; and leftover paint goes to a proper drop-off rather than the trash. Hennepin's tipping fee is moderate — around $41 a ton — and much of the region's real waste is burned for energy at the downtown HERC plant, so sorting the metal and handling the freon properly doesn't inflate your flat price. You get the garage — and the car's spot — back; the rest is recycled, not buried.
When you need a garage cleanout
- Before the snow flies — the fall push to get the car back inside for winter.
- After the spring melt — clearing what piled up over the winter and hauling out the dead yard gear.
- Downsizing or an estate — decades of a longtime owner's garage and workshop, cleared with care.
- Before you list — a broom-clean garage for the TISH evaluation and the showing photos.
- New house, old owner's stuff — clearing what the previous owner left behind in the garage and basement.
Why Nokomis chooses JunkRabbit
- No winter surcharge — a snow-dusted alley in October or January is the same flat price.
- Tight alley access handled — we bring the truck to the detached garage, not the other way around.
- Fridge & tires done right — certified freon recovery and tire recycling, included in the price.
- Flat photo-quoted price — the exact number before we roll, MN sales tax already in it.
- We do the whole carry — off the shelves, out of the rafters, down the alley; you don't move a thing to the curb.
What Nokomis homeowners say
"Finally cleared out the detached garage before winter — a dead riding mower, an old fridge, and about a hundred pounds of tires and yard junk. They came down the alley, took it all in one trip, handled the freon, and it was one flat price with tax in. Car's back inside for the first time in years."
"There was already snow on the driveway when they came and they didn't blink — no extra charge for winter. Cleared my dad's workshop garage in Standish, tools and lumber and all. Booked from a photo, exactly the price they quoted."
"Bought a bungalow in Hiawatha and the previous owner left the garage packed. Tight alley, but they got the truck right up to it and had it empty in a couple hours. Told me the mower and half the tools were going to be donated."
Nokomis garage questions, answered
How much does a garage cleanout cost?
Truck-fill from $241 (quarter) to $732 (full); a single-stall garage is usually a quarter to a half truck. $75 minimum, tax included.
Can you get down my tight alley in early snow?
Yes — we work these alleys all season, and there's no winter surcharge.
Do you take the old fridge and the tires?
Yes — freon recovered on the fridge, tires recycled, both rolled into the flat price.
Do I have to sort it or move it to the curb?
No — we clear it straight out of the garage; just point at what stays.
When's the best time?
Fall before the snow, or spring after the melt — but we clear garages year-round.
Is MN sales tax extra?
No — the roughly 9.025% tax is already inside your flat, photo-quoted price.
Minneapolis cost & comparison guides
Ready to Get It Gone?
Send a photo and get one flat price back in seconds — carry-out, hauling and disposal are all in it.
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