House Clearance: What Size Skip Do I Need?

• Skip size depends on clearance project: Small clearances like attic or garage can use a 4-6 yard skip, while room renovations or larger projects require 8-12 yard skips. For full house clearances or major renovations, a 14 yard skip is best.
• Not all waste is accepted: Avoid putting hazardous materials like chemicals, batteries, oils, tyres, fridges, freezers, electrical equipment, and asbestos in the skip. Reston Waste offers alternative waste removal services for these items. Make sure you know what is and isn’t allowed in a skip before you start loading it by taking a look at our dedicated page on permitted wastes.

Since we’re all spending a lot more time at home at the moment, you might be looking around and thinking that it’s a time for a change. Whether you’re planning on ripping out large fixtures and fittings or you simply want to clear out your possessions to make more room, skip hire is ideal for a house clearance.

The trouble is, what size skip is best for house clearances? You don’t want to order a skip too large and overpay, but at the same time, you don’t want to go too small and end up having to order another one – either way you end up paying more than you have to. 

With this dilemma in mind, at Reston Waste, we’ve put together a quick and easy guide to getting the right skip for your house clearance project as well as some general advice.

What size skip do I need for a house clearance?

At Reston Waste, we have a wide range of skip sizes to help you with your house clearance, here’s a full list of our sizes: 

• 4-yard skip
• 6-yard skip 
• 8-yard skip
• 10-yard enclosed skip
• 12-yard skip
• 14-yard skip

Now you know the sizes we offer, how about a little bit of context? Let’s talk about the different kinds of house clearance projects our skips are good for. Starting off small with a clearing out of the attic or garage, maybe there are lots of boxes which simply need throwing away – including old magazines, books, clothes or scrap building materials. For this, we’d recommend a 4 or 6-yard skip, small, but effective with 5 and 8-tonne capacities respectively.

Moving on, you might be clearing out the entirety of a room to make way for a renovation. Whether it’s your garage which you plan to convert and needs clearing or an update to a bedroom where pieces of furniture need clearing, our 8, 10 or 12-yard skips can take your house clearance waste. 

For bigger projects, perhaps where you’re clearing a house to be renovated or have large suites of kitchen furniture or bathroom fixtures to be thrown out, our 14-yard skip is ideal. This allows you to take on light refurbishments or house clearance projects without having to worry about the disposal of your waste.

What can go in a skip?

It’s important to know what can go in your skip so that you’re certain you’re disposing of your waste in the proper, responsible way. Papers and fabrics from garage and attic clearances are acceptable, as is any wooden furniture or metal and plastic from your plumbing if you’re carrying out larger renovations. If you’re getting rid of tiling as part of your renovations, we can take that waste as well.

What not to put in a skip

There will also be restricted materials which you won’t be able to throw in your skip as part of a house clearance, including things like chemicals, solvents and liquid waste you might have lying around in your garage. We’re also not able to take batteries, oils or tyres, as these should be taken to a local recycling centre for proper disposal. If you’re tackling a kitchen renovation project, please note we can’t take fridges, freezers or other electrical equipment. Asbestos is also not allowed to be taken as part of skip hire house clearance due to the hazardous nature of the material.

Alternatives to skip hire

If you’re looking to get rid of waste without having to use a skip and want professional help, at Reston Waste we also offer a domestic waste removal service. This service is perfect for light, bulky waste as we utilise a fleet of waste clearance vehicles to take your waste away promptly and efficiently. 

Whichever service you decide you use for your house clearance project, you can have peace of mind knowing that we aim to recycle 100% of the waste we collect from you, minimising the impact your waste will have on the environment. We’ve been serving Wimbledon and the surrounding areas of London since 1998, so you can count on us when you need to clear your house of rubbish.

Planning a garden clearance? See our skip size guide for garden clearances.

Simply contact our team today to arrange the service you need or order your skip for house clearance online with our simple ordering system.