Month: August 2018

UPDATE: Due to threat from Hurricane Florence, the 2018 Dulles Day Plane Pull and Kid’s Truck Pull have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. More information here.

——-

It’s time again to recruit talent for the 2018 Dulles Day Plane Pull and Kid’s Truck Pull. Again this year, on Saturday, September 15, 2018, 123JUNK will be providing the big red dump truck for the Kid’s Pull event. The event is free to attend and open to the public from 10:30 AM to 4 PM and is held at the Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia.

Pull a 123JUNK Dump Truck

If you have a little one with big muscles, or a kid that wants to help raise money for Special Olympics Virginia, sign them up for the Kid’s Pull. They can test their strength on a team to pull one of our 123JUNK dump trucks for 12 feet. It’s only $10 per child either registered online or at the event on event day. All kids who register get a commemorative Kid’s Pull t-shirt.

And there is so much more for kids to do…

Play in the Kid’s Zone

Whether they are competing or not, they can enjoy the Kid’s Zone area filled with games, a bounce house, and a dunk tank. Laughter and music fill the day.

Peruse Vintage Planes and Cars

During the Dulles Day Plane Pull, numerous vintage planes and modern aircraft will be available to view up close. Kids can meet the pilots and even climb into the cockpit of selected aircraft to see what it takes to fly a plane.

Elsewhere on the tarmac, classic cars, trucks and motorcycles are on view at the Dulles Day Car & Bike Show presented by GEICO. Gather the family to vote for your favorites in several categories and see who wins the trophies. You can even enter your own unique car into the show. The 19^th annual car show will be held from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM outside the Federal Express Cargo Building at Dulles International Airport.

Pull a Jumbo Jet

Adults can register to pull a 164,000-pound jumbo jet in the Plane Pull. Or come join the 123JUNK pulling team or root for our team as they test their mettle against the Airbus to see how fast we can pull it 12 feet. There are lots of ways to win team prizes.

Bring the Entire Family Out

The Dulles Day Plane Pull festivities are free of charge for anyone who wants to come out and watch or root on a team member. Free parking and free bus service too. The day includes a Run the Runway 5K/10K race and Plane Pull and Kid’s Pull competitions, along with food vendors, games, Police K-9 demonstrations, riding fire trucks, exhibits and live music all day long. View the day’s schedule.

How Many Kids Does it Take?

So how many kids does it take to pull a 123JUNK dump truck? You’re just going to have come out and see for yourself!

Support 123JUNK and the 2018 Dulles Day Plane Pull

123JUNK is pleased to again participate in the 2018 Dulles Day Plane Pull events by donating a truck, assembling a pulling team and providing volunteers. If you’d like to help, we’re always looking for volunteers and donations too to help us reach our goal in raising money for Special Olympics. Donate by contacting 123JUNK today.

Oh, and we haul junk too.

                                                  

 

Recently, two polls were held to uncover the finest in services, entertainment, shopping, medical care, education, and more in separate contests in Prince William and Fairfax counties, Virginia.

The “Best of Prince William” contest generated more than 70,000 votes from more than 11,000 voters in over 200 categories. Fairfax County held a similar contest, with results listed in the “Best of Fairfax.”

123JUNK is the “Best of” Winner in Both Contests!

Guess who won the category for “Best Junk Removal” in both contests!  123JUNK, of course!

We are proud just to be nominated, and tickled pink to be chosen by the people of Prince William and Fairfax counties as their best junk hauling company. We work hard to provide excellent professional services, and it shows.

These special sections serve as a guide to what makes each county special. Nominations and voting were conducted through InsideNoVa.com in May 2018. Winners were chosen by popular vote and announced the end of July.

Give 123JUNK a Try Yourself

If you’d like to experience the “Best of” junk removal services, give 123JUNK a try yourself. We’ll be glad to have you as a fanatic fan as well. Contact us today to schedule your junk pickup in Prince William County, Fairfax County, or anywhere in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC or Maryland. We’ll promise you’ll say “wow” too.

123JUNK has been in the junk hauling business long enough now (10 years!) that we have begun to hear the same concerns when people call in to find out about hiring a junk hauling company. People want to know about pricing, security, privacy, and all sorts of things. So we thought we’d address some of the most frequent ones here in our blog.

Do I need to sort my items for a 123JUNK pickup?

No, with 123JUNK, you just make one or more piles of mixed items and we will haul them away for you. Once we arrive at our destination, we sort through the piles into those items that can be repurposed or recycled. Anything else, we take to the local dump. We want to make it as easy and stress-free as possible for our customers to do business with us. For donated items, we will provide you with a receipt for tax deductions.

Who will be coming to my home?

Everyone at 123JUNK is provided with a uniform, and is required to be neat and clean. Even our trucks are clean. We are a professional company with a Ritz-Carlton service reputation, even if we do haul junk. You’ll be pleased at the polite greeting and service you’ll receive. We train everyone thoroughly in our customer service requirements.

What if there is damage to my home?

The 123JUNK team is trained to safeguard your home on every pickup. We lay protection on the floor, pad corners, and take every precaution to prevent nicks or scratches—or any other damage—to your home or property. If for some rare reason there is damage, please let us know immediately and we will calmly and pleasantly rectify the situation.

Are there going to be surprise charges?

Not with 123JUNK. The price we give you is all-inclusive and covers our labor, fuel, travel, and any disposal fees. We price our loads by volume, or by how much space your load will take in our truck beds.

Is 123JUNK insured?

As a company, 123JUNK carries Workman’s Compensation, General Liability, and Auto Theft/Collision Insurance. 

What kind of items do you take?

See our list of items we do and don’t take on our website under our FAQs. We’re glad to help remove appliances, furniture, household goods, office equipment and more, or provide you with complete clean-out or labor-only services.

What happens to the stuff you pick up?

When we sort through our loads, we look for items that can be donated to our partner organizations who sell them in their store to raise money for their missions, like Habitat for Humanity, or give them to families in need, like No One Left Behind. Secondly, we look for recyclable items like metals, electronics and paper goods, and deliver them to the area recycling center. It is what we do as part of our three-fold company mission to Donate-Recycle-Dispose.

Will your workers leave a mess?

No. As a professional junk hauling company, we try to leave as little disruption as possible behind with our clients. We will sweep out a space, leaving it broom-clean after we complete the job. And we will remove all protective materials. All you’ll be left with is a clean house with less junk!

What about discretion?

Some people are embarrassed by the condition of their home or office, and are hesitant about bringing in an outside company. Yet they know they can’t handle the job on their own. 123JUNK employees are professionals and treat each job with respect. You can rely on the utmost privacy, discretion and respect when you hire us.

Who do I call if I have a complaint?

Hopefully, you won’t have one. We don’t get many complaints; most of the calls we get are of praise or surprise at how nice it was to deal with 123JUNK. However, if you do have a concern, please call us immediately. When you call in, your call will be answered by a live person here at our office. You won’t be transferred to an automated service. And we will make every effort to solve your issue on the spot if possible.

Need Junk Hauling in Northern Virginia, Washington DC or Maryland? Call 123JUNK.

When you need junk hauling for your home or office in VA, MD or DC, 123JUNK can help. Contact us today to schedule your pickup.

Summer is the time when most people like to move. The kids are out of school, the weather is nice, and they can settle into their new homes in time for the holidays.

Moving involves a lot of work. You have to sort through all of your possessions, deciding which ones are “move-worthy” and discarding, donating or passing along the rest. You have to pack up the items you are going to move both for ease of transport and protection against breakage or other damage.

This means boxes. And packing materials.

Once you arrive at your new location, you start to unpack. While you do, you try to figure out where to pile the empty boxes, wrapping papers, and bubble wrap. Some people toss it all into the garage until they can get rid of it. Others fill the corners of their rooms.

It can be a mess.

And once you have accumulated these massive piles of cardboard and paper, now what do you do with them? Most garbage haulers will have a fit if they see this huge pile. And you know that these materials are recyclable for the most part. But you don’t have the time or the energy to haul them, carload by carload, to the recycling center. Or want the handle the hassle of storing them, listing them on Craigslist, and dealing with answering the ad and arranging for pickup.

A few tips about recycling cardboard boxes

There are certain cardboard boxes that should not be recycled. Namely those with grease, like pizza boxes or other food containers. Most recycling centers will also not accept cardboard or other paper items when they are wet. You will need to store your boxes in a dry area of your home, and not in your yard. Packaging paper can be recycled, as can bubble wrap.

Packaging materials that cannot be recycled include some of the foam-based packaging materials. Look for the #6 recycling symbol—those are the foam items that can be recycled. Packing peanuts are now color-coded to make them more easily recognizable, with the green peanuts being the most environmentally-friendly. They are composed of 70% recycled materials. The traditional white and pink packing peanuts are generally not recyclable.

If you do have these materials, 123JUNK can haul them away and deliver them to the appropriate waste management site.

We have the solution to getting rid of moving boxes.  Call 123JUNK.

123JUNK is glad to help you on the packing end when you need to donate or dispose of items before you move. Then, call us again once you’ve settled in your new home to come and take away your moving boxes and packing materials and deliver them to the local recycling center.

123JUNK made a commitment and feel we have an obligation, to limit the impact trash makes on our environment. By calling us for your moving boxes—or other junk hauling—needs, you’ll be doing your part in protecting our planet Earth too.

Contact 123JUNK today to schedule your junk hauling pickup in Northern Virginia, Maryland or Washington, D.C.

Summertime is a great time to clear out the garage. With the nice weather and warm evenings, you can throw open the doors and really clear out all that junk you’ve been storing in there for years.

Like most Americans, you probably have way too much stuff in your garage. So much stuff that you probably don’t use most of it, and chances are, you don’t even know what’s there anymore.  It’s time to organize your garage.

Empty the Garage, Sorting as You Go

The easiest way to organize is to remove everything from the garage all at once. While you’re doing so, designate piles for sorting items. Create one pile for trash, donations and recycling. For everything else—items you’re going to keep—sort them by style and use. Put sporting equipment together, and lawn tools in a grouping.

Clean the Garage

Once the garage is empty, give it a good cleaning. Sweep it out and take the opportunity to paint the floors, walls and ceilings if you want. This will give you a nice, clean palette to begin organizing what you keep.

Create an Organizational Plan

Take a look at your “keep” piles and think about how you can best organize them and draw out a plan for how you are going to store them in the garage. Do you need shelves, racks or hooks? If so, install them now, based on your plan. Place the least-used items higher up or near the back, with the most-used items in the most convenient locations. Plan for “drop zones” where you can temporarily place items as you come in or out of the garage.

Involve the Family

Get the family involved. Let the family members sort through items they frequently use and determine their new home in the garage. If they have input as to where they go, they will be more likely to return the items to their homes after use.

After you’ve returned all the items you’re going to keep to the garage, stand back a moment and admire your handiwork! It will all look clean and organized.

Maintain your Garage Organizational System

Now the trick is—keeping it that way. Make it a habit to return items to their proper location. Trace around items on a toolbench, for example so that when you remove an item its profile remains and you can easily see where to return it. If you bring in new items, create a permanent home for them also.

What to Do with Items You’ve Removed from Your Garage

So far, we’ve only talked about organizing the items you will be keeping and returning to the garage. What do you do with all the rest?

If you’re in northern Virginia, Maryland or Washington, D.C., call 123JUNK. Our professional team will pick up almost anything you’ve cleared out of your garage—from old lawnmowers to trash. You don’t need to sort the items you won’t be keeping. We’ll do that for you after we haul it away.

Please note, however, that there are items considered to be hazardous that we cannot take, like chemicals, fuels and solvents. Please refer to our “What’s on the Hazardous Materials List?” blog post for details on what those items are and how to dispose of them.

123JUNK will give you flat rate pricing that includes everything. There won’t be any surprises once we arrive. Then our team will load up everything you want to go and take it away in our big red truck.  With our Donate-Recycle-Dispose™ process, we’ll go through the load, donating items we think can be reused to our charity partners, delivering recyclable items to the local recycling center, and disposing of the rest.

We’ll provide you with a receipt, along with photographic evidence, for your taxes for any items that go to charity.

Organizing your garage can be done in as short as one day. Especially when we do the hard work of hauling away unwanted items for you. Don’t wait until winter when you really need to use the garage and it’s too full. Use these warm summer months to get that garage organized.  We’ll help!

Learn more about our Garage Cleanout Services

Contact 123JUNK today to set your junk hauling appointment.