Garage clearance in Dublin: where to start
Start a garage clearance by pulling everything out onto the driveway in daylight and sorting it into zones: keep, tools worth keeping, bikes, paint and chemicals for the council recycling centre, scrap metal, timber, old appliances, and genuine rubbish. Once it is in zones you can see how many van loads you are looking at, and the decision about doing the rest yourself or calling a crew makes itself. This guide walks through the zones, the things a van cannot take, and what to do with the space afterwards.
Why is the garage always the worst room in the house?
Because it is the overflow room. Hardly anyone in Dublin keeps a car in the garage any more; it is where the second fridge went when the kitchen was done, where the old sofa waits for a skip that never came, and where three generations of bikes lean against each other.
It is also unheated and often damp, so things stored there deteriorate: the charity-shop bags go musty, the cardboard softens, the lawnmower rusts. By the time anyone tackles it, a fair share of what seemed worth keeping is not, so be honest about condition rather than about what something cost.
How should you sort a garage?
Pick a dry day and pull everything out onto the drive; you cannot sort a garage from inside it. Then make zones:
| Zone | What goes in it | Where it ends up |
|---|---|---|
| Keep | Things you actually use: the lawnmower, the good ladder, Christmas lights that work | Back in the garage, on shelves |
| Tools worth keeping | Hand tools, power tools that run, a decent workbench | Keep, or pass on to someone who will use them |
| Bikes | Anything with two wheels and a frame that is not bent | Reuse if rideable; scrap metal if not |
| Paint, chemicals, oil, gas | Tins of paint, weedkiller, white spirit, engine oil, gas cylinders | Council recycling centre; gas cylinders back to the supplier |
| Scrap metal | Old gates, radiators, bed frames, bike frames, filing cabinets | Metal recycling |
| Timber | Offcuts, old doors, broken furniture, pallets | Timber recycling |
| Old appliances | Fridge, freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, microwave | WEEE recycling |
| Genuine rubbish | Rotten carpet, broken plastics, soggy cardboard, mixed bags | Licensed waste transfer station |
The “keep” zone is the one to be strict about. If you have not used it in two winters, it is probably not keep.
What cannot go in the van?
This is the part that catches people out. A clearance van operates under a Waste Collection Permit for household and commercial waste, which does not cover hazardous waste. So the paint, chemicals and gas zone is yours to deal with, and the right place is the council recycling centre (often called a civic amenity site).
Council recycling centres across Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow accept household paint, waste oil and garden chemicals from residents, though not every site takes every item. Check your own council’s website for the nearest centre, its opening hours, any charges and exactly what it accepts, because the rules differ from one site to another. Gas cylinders go back to the supplier named on the cylinder or one of their stockists.
If you are unsure whether something counts as hazardous (an old car battery, a bag of lime, an unlabelled drum), send us a photo and ask.
Should you do it yourself or get a crew?
Doing it yourself works when the zones add up to a car boot or two and you have a Saturday for the recycling centre, which takes bulky household items, electricals and scrap from residents for the cost of your time and the site’s charges.
A crew makes sense when any of the following is true:
- The genuine rubbish, timber and broken furniture would fill a van, not a boot.
- There are heavy items (a fridge-freezer, a cast-iron gate, a workbench, a chest freezer) that need two people.
- You do not have a car that can take a fridge, or you do not want a leaking one in it.
- The garage is part of a larger clearance of the house or shed anyway.
- You do not have the time, or you are clearing a parent’s garage from another county.
Our crew does the sorting as it goes, so you can hand over a garage in whatever state it is in and get it back empty and swept. The one thing we ask is that the hazardous zone is dealt with separately, and we will tell you exactly what that covers when we quote.
If you are weighing a crew against a skip on the drive, our house clearance versus skip hire guide goes through the trade-offs: skips suit rubble and single-material loads, crews suit mixed contents that need sorting.
What do people do with the garage afterwards?
An empty garage is one of the most useful spaces in a Dublin house, which is partly why clearances are so often the first step in a bigger plan.
- Home office or gym: the most common conversion since more people started working from home. Needs insulation, a floor, power and usually a window where the door was.
- Utility room or extended kitchen: in semi-ds where the garage adjoins the kitchen, knocking through is a well-worn route.
- Proper storage: shelving to the ceiling, bikes on wall hooks, and a floor kept clear so the car can actually go in.
- Workshop: a bench, good light and a vice, for the people who kept the tools zone.
Whatever the plan, the builder or electrician will want it empty first, and clearing it ahead of their quote visit lets them see the structure, the damp and where the services run.
Shed versus garage: is there a difference for a clearance?
For sorting there is no difference; the zones are identical. For access there is a big one. A garage usually has a door to the front and hard-standing outside so the van can back up close, while a shed is at the end of the garden, down a side passage or through the house, which means more carrying and sometimes dismantling items to get them out.
Sheds are also where the real hazards live: rusted tools, broken glass, wasps’ nests in the eaves, rotten floorboards. If the shed itself is coming down, ask us first; our standard job is clearing the contents. Our page on clearing sheds covers the details.
The attic is often the garage’s twin in the same house; if both need doing, our attic clearance guide covers the differences in access and safety.
Frequently asked questions
Will you take old paint tins if they are nearly empty?
Tins that are completely dried out and solid are normally fine in general waste, and we can take a few of those. Anything with liquid paint in it, however little, has to go to the council recycling centre, because we are not permitted to carry it. If you are not sure, send a photo and we will tell you which pile it belongs in.
Can you take a fridge or freezer from a garage?
Yes. Fridges and freezers are electrical waste and go into the WEEE stream so the refrigerant is recovered properly. Empty it beforehand if you can; if it has been off for months and is unpleasant inside, tell us and we will come prepared.
Do I need to sort the garage before you arrive?
No, that is our job. The only sorting we ask you to do is to set aside anything you want to keep and to deal with paint, chemicals and gas cylinders separately. Everything else can stay exactly where it is, in whatever state it is in.
Where can good tools go if nobody in the family wants them?
Working hand tools and power tools are worth passing on rather than scrapping. Local Men’s Sheds and community workshops are often glad of them, so it is worth asking your nearest one, and tools we take in good order are set aside for reuse. Rusted or broken tools go for metal recycling.
What about old tyres in the garage?
Ask us first, with a photo and a count. Tyres are handled through their own recycling scheme rather than general waste, and a tyre retailer will usually take old ones back when you buy new. A garage stacked with tyres needs a separate plan, so tell us before the day rather than on it.
Can you take an old car or motorbike that has been sitting in the garage?
No. A vehicle at the end of its life has to go to an authorised treatment facility, which issues a certificate of destruction so it can be taken off the register. Contact one directly, and we will clear the rest of the garage around it.
Will you take boxes that have gone damp or mouldy?
Yes. Garages are unheated, so soft cardboard, musty bags and mouldy boxes are normal clearance items. Tell us if things are very wet, because damp boxes tend to fall apart when lifted, and open any you are unsure of before the day in case something worth keeping is inside.
What if there are mice in the garage?
Droppings and chewed boxes are common in garages and do not stop a clearance, but mention them when you send photos. If there is an active infestation, have a pest controller treat it first, because we are a clearance company, not pest control. Wear gloves if you go through anything yourself, and do not sweep up dry droppings.
We think the garage roof might be asbestos. Can you still clear the contents?
Usually, yes, as long as the roof is intact and nobody disturbs it. We do not touch, remove or work on suspect sheeting, and if it is cracked, broken or has pieces lying on the floor, a specialist should look at it before anyone works underneath. Mention it when you send photos and we will tell you plainly whether we can go ahead.
Will you take car parts, such as an old exhaust, wheels or a battery?
Metal parts such as exhausts, roof racks and wheel rims go for scrap metal recycling. Car batteries are hazardous and are not something we carry, but motor factors and battery retailers generally take old ones back, and many council recycling centres accept them. Keep tyres to one side and ask us first about those.
Next step
Take two photos: one standing at the garage door looking in, and one of anything particularly large or heavy. Send them to 085 202 1222 on WhatsApp or request a free quote and we will price the job. Our garage clearance service page covers how we work, and the shed clearance page covers the garden end of things.
