Large period single-family homes in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park (20008), many held by the same family for decades. Discreet estate and whole-home clears — attic to basement, carried out carefully, donation-routed with receipts, at a flat photo-quoted price from $75.
Send photos or book a walkthrough — one flat price back
Upload Photos & Get Quote →Cleveland Park and Woodley Park sit on the deep upper-Northwest lots above Connecticut Avenue, and the houses are the reason this page exists: large period single-family homes, three and four storeys, with a full basement below and a finished or half-finished attic above. Many have been in the same family since the middle of the last century. Some still have the carriage-house garage at the back of the lot.
A house like that doesn't produce an ordinary cleanout. It produces four floors of it. The dining room holds a china cabinet, a sideboard and a table that seated twelve. The living room holds a sofa that was reupholstered twice and a piano nobody has played in twenty years. Upstairs there are wardrobes and dressers older than the person clearing them, and a linen closet that was never once emptied. The attic is a century of boxes, luggage and books. The basement is where the second refrigerator, the chest freezer, the workbench and the file boxes went. It's not a pile of junk — most of it is genuinely good, which is precisely what makes the decisions slow and the routing matter.
So the work here is careful rather than fast. Floors and stair runs protected along the entire route, plaster and rails blanketed at every pivot, doors off hinges instead of a wardrobe forced through a frame, large pieces broken down in place. Crews that arrive quietly and leave nothing on the block. And a clear record of what left the house and where it went, because in an estate that documentation matters as much as the emptying. (DC sales tax applies at checkout.)
Send pictures room by room — including the attic, the basement and the garage — or we'll walk the house with you. One flat number comes back, plus a realistic day count.
Tag or list what the family is keeping, what should be appraised, and what may be donated. We work around the marked pieces and don't touch them.
Insured crews clear floor by floor over one to three days, route donations to partners, and send the receipts to the executor. The house is left broom-clean.
Flat and photo-quoted. Individual pieces price per item; a floor, a house or a storage unit prices as volume. The stair-carry, the floor protection, the loading, the donation routing and the disposal are already inside the number — there's no stair fee and no period-home surcharge.
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Box of books | $47 |
| Area rug (large) | $92 |
| Curio cabinet | $128 |
| Sideboard | $165 |
| Sofa / couch | $170 |
| Wardrobe | $192 |
| Chest freezer | $196 |
| Dresser (large) | $199 |
| China cabinet | $215 |
| Dining table (large) | $220 |
| Refrigerator | $221 |
| Sectional — 3-piece | $249 |
| Safe (large) | $273 |
| Upright piano | $390 |
| Grand piano | $590 |
Floors, attics, basements and whole-home clears — truck-fill ladder
| Truck fill | Flat price |
|---|---|
| 2/8 of the truck | $325 |
| 3/8 | $455 |
| 4/8 (half truck) | $580 |
| 5/8 | $690 |
| 6/8 | $790 |
| 7/8 | $890 |
| Full truck (8/8) | $985 |
The off-site storage unit, if the family has one
| Unit | Flat price |
|---|---|
| 10x10 storage unit | $790 |
| 10x15 storage unit | $1,185 |
$75 order minimum. A whole house normally takes more than one truck; we quote the full number up front rather than truck by truck as the day goes on. Renovation debris prices by volume at $162 per cubic yard, and contractor bags are $55 each or $178 for ten. DC sales tax applies at checkout.
A third-party benchmark, because executors are usually comparing bids: HomeGuide's 2026 junk-removal cost research puts 1-800-GOT-JUNK at roughly $400–$600 for a half truck and $700–$1,000 for a full truck, with College HUNKS around $600–$800+ for a full load — priced by truck volume and, in every case, confirmed only after a crew has come out to walk the house.
| Option | Cost | Speed | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC DPW bulk trash (311 / dpw.dc.gov) | Free | Scheduled appointment | Up to 7 items per appointment, no renovation debris, curbside only — a four-storey house with a basement and attic can't be cleared this way before a settlement date |
| Estate sale | Commission on what sells | Weeks of prep | Handles the saleable third at best; the attic, the basement, the mattresses and the unsold furniture are still in the house afterwards |
| Donate (Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, A Wider Circle) | Free | Days–weeks | Clean, resellable pieces only; pickup slots book out and nobody comes up to the attic for it |
| Franchise hauler (1-800-GOT-JUNK, College HUNKS, Junk King) | ≈$400–$600 half truck, $700–$1,000 full (HomeGuide 2026) | 1–3 days | Priced by truck volume and confirmed on site, so a multi-truck house isn't a known number until the last load |
| JunkRabbit | From $75 · truck-fill $325–$985 · quoted whole-house up front | 1–3 days, scheduled to your date | None — flat photo price, discreet crews, donation receipts to the executor |
It does, and that's worth knowing before you pay anyone — including us. These are DC addresses, not Montgomery or Fairfax County ones, so the District's own program applies: DC DPW bulk trash serves single-family homes and buildings of three units or fewer, which describes essentially every house in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park. You request the appointment through 311 or dpw.dc.gov and it's free. Clearing out one bedroom, or getting rid of a mattress and two chairs? Book it.
But this is also the exact point where a Cleveland Park house parts company with the program, and it's worth being precise about why:
Use 311 for the tail end: the last few pieces, after the house is essentially empty. Use us for the house itself.
In a house held this long, most of what leaves is still good, so donation is the first route rather than an afterthought. We photograph what a partner will accept and route it to Goodwill of Greater Washington, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, or A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, which furnishes homes for families leaving shelters and is the strongest local partner for solid case furniture. The receipts follow to the executor, along with the photo record, because an estate usually needs an account of what left the house as much as it needs the house empty.
Everything else is separated on the way out rather than at the scale: metal to scrap, electronics to the District's e-waste drop-off, books and paper to recycling, and refrigerators, freezers and window AC units through EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before the shells are scrapped. What's genuinely waste tips at the regional transfer stations. If a piece looks like it should be appraised rather than donated, we set it aside and tell you instead of loading it — that call is the family's, not ours.
No elevator, and a stair run built in another century. That's the defining constraint of a Cleveland Park clear. Treads are narrow, landings turn, and the rail is usually original. We measure before we lift, take doors off hinges rather than force a wardrobe through a frame, break beds and large case pieces down in place, and blanket the rail and wall at every pivot. Horsehair plaster doesn't forgive a corner catching it, and original floors get run protection along the full route, not just at the door.
Discretion. Estate work on these blocks is often happening at a difficult time, and everyone's neighbours are close by. Crews arrive quietly, in unmarked vehicles where you'd prefer that, no container gets parked on the street, and the job doesn't advertise itself. If the family only wants to be present for the first hour, that's fine — a designated point of contact by phone works perfectly well for the rest.
The lot. Deep upper-Northwest lots often mean a rear drive or a shared alley approach to a carriage-house garage, which is usually a better load point than the front steps. Where the driveway is long or the grade is steep, we shuttle rather than back a truck up to the house. None of it is a surcharge — long carries and stair runs are inside the flat price.
"Whole home including basement and attic, cleared over three days. Careful with the antiques, donation-routed. Professional and quiet."
"Downsizing after decades here — kept what we marked, cleared the rest, donation-routed. Careful and discreet."
"Discreet, careful with the good furniture, realtor-ready. One fair flat price. Highly recommend."
How much does it cost in Cleveland Park?
Flat, photo-quoted: box of books $47, large area rug $92, curio cabinet $128, sideboard $165, sofa $170, wardrobe $192, chest freezer $196, large dresser $199, china cabinet $215, dining table $220, refrigerator $221, 3-piece sectional $249, large safe $273, upright piano $390, grand piano $590. Whole-home clears run the truck-fill ladder from $325 at 2/8 up to $985 full, with more than one truck for a full house; a 10x10 storage unit is $790 and a 10x15 is $1,185. $75 order minimum. DC sales tax applies at checkout.
Can DC bulk trash clear the house instead?
No. The house is eligible — DPW serves single-family and ≤3-unit buildings via 311 or dpw.dc.gov — but the program allows up to seven items per appointment, takes no renovation or construction debris, and collects curbside only. Four storeys plus a basement, an attic and a garage cannot be cleared that way before a settlement date.
Do you do discreet estate clears?
Yes — that's the core of what we do on these blocks. Unmarked where you want it, quiet crews, nothing parked on the street, and the work staged over days so the family only attends when it wants to.
Do we get donation receipts?
Yes. We photograph and route what a partner will accept — Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, A Wider Circle — and the receipts follow to the executor.
Can you move the piano?
Upright $390, grand $590, flat, carry included. Measured and blanketed first; nothing dragged across an original floor.
Will you be careful with plaster and the stair rail?
Run protection along the whole route, blanketed rails and doorframes at every pivot, doors off hinges, large pieces broken down in place. No stair fee.
Do you take renovation debris?
Yes — the exact category DPW refuses. $162 per cubic yard; contractor bags $55 each or $178 for ten.
How fast can you clear before settlement?
Typically one to three days depending on floors and how full the attic and basement are, scheduled to your date. Photos room by room get you the full number and the day count before you commit.
Flat and photo-quoted. Single pieces: box of books $47, large area rug $92, curio cabinet $128, sideboard $165, sofa $170, wardrobe $192, chest freezer $196, large dresser $199, china cabinet $215, large dining table $220, refrigerator $221, 3-piece sectional $249, large safe $273, upright piano $390, grand piano $590. A whole period home prices as truck-fill: 2/8 of the truck $325, 3/8 $455, 4/8 $580, 5/8 $690, 6/8 $790, 7/8 $890, full truck $985, with more than one truck for a full house. A 10x10 storage unit is $790 and a 10x15 is $1,185. The order minimum is $75 and DC sales tax applies at checkout.
Yes — Cleveland Park's historic detached homes get discreet estate clears, careful with fine furniture, donation-routed, basement to attic, realtor-ready. Crews arrive in unmarked vehicles where you prefer it, no container is parked on your block, floors and stair runs are protected, and the work can be staged across several days so an executor or a family member only has to be present when they want to be.
Not realistically. A Cleveland Park period home is eligible — DC DPW bulk trash serves single-family homes and buildings of three units or fewer, requested through 311 or dpw.dc.gov — but the program allows up to seven items per appointment and will not take renovation or construction and demolition debris. A four-storey house with a full basement, an attic and a carriage-house garage is not a seven-item job, and you cannot spread a whole-home clear across a queue of appointments before a settlement date. Use 311 for a few pieces; use us for the house.
Yes. We photograph what a partner will accept and route it to Goodwill of Greater Washington, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStore or A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, and the receipts follow to the executor. Estate work usually needs a record of what left the house as much as it needs the house emptied, so that documentation is part of the job rather than something you have to ask for afterwards.
Yes. An upright piano is $390 and a grand is $590, flat, including the carry. These houses have no elevator, so a piano comes out down a period stair run or through the widest opening we can plan around — measured beforehand, blanketed, and moved by a crew that has done it in houses like these. Nothing is dragged across an original floor.
That is the whole difficulty of a Cleveland Park house. Horsehair plaster, original floors and stair rails that cannot be replaced from a store shelf. We protect floors along the whole route, blanket rails and doorframes at every pivot, take doors off hinges rather than force a wardrobe through, and break large pieces down in place. None of that is an add-on; it is simply how a period-home clear has to be done.
Yes — and it is a category the city program refuses outright. DC DPW bulk trash does not accept renovation or construction and demolition debris, so torn-out cabinetry, an old vanity, plaster and lath, and removed millwork are never a 311 appointment. Demolition material prices by volume at $162 per cubic yard and contractor bags are $55 each or $178 for ten.
Most whole-home clears here run one to three days depending on how many floors and how full the basement and attic are, and we schedule around a settlement or listing date rather than the other way round. Send photos room by room, including the attic and basement, and you will have the full truck-fill number and a day count before anything is committed.