Yes. A house clearance can include the loft, garage, shed and garden, and it is usually better to clear them all in the same visit. One booking means one up-front rate, one team on site and one sweep and tidy at the end, rather than a second visit weeks later for the spaces everyone forgot.
The key is to mention every space when you ask for a quote. A full house clearance in Glasgow can look very different once a packed loft, a double garage and an overgrown back garden are added, and a company can only plan for what it knows about.
What is included in a house clearance?
A standard house clearance covers the rooms inside the home: furniture, beds and mattresses, white goods, electricals, clothes, books, kitchen items and general household contents. Many companies, including Jettison Express, also dismantle large furniture, lift carpets and flooring and sweep up once the rooms are empty. Our guide to what a house clearance service involves walks through the process.
The spaces outside the main rooms are not always assumed to be part of the job. When you ask for a quote, list each of these that applies:
- Loft or attic
- Garage, attached or separate
- Garden shed, summerhouse or greenhouse
- Front and back garden, including slabs, pots and garden furniture
- Cellar or basement
- Under-stair cupboards and built-in storage
- Bin stores, outhouses and coal sheds
- In a tenement, any cellar or storage space in the close or back court
Photos of each space help a company give an accurate rate before work starts.
Will a house clearance take everything?
A full clearance can take almost everything that is not fixed to the building, as long as it is non-hazardous waste. You decide what stays. Before the team arrives, set aside anything you are keeping, and tell the company about anything left in the house that must not go, such as items a buyer has agreed to take in the missives.
Everything that leaves with Jettison Express goes to our Glasgow depot to be sorted, and over 90% is reused or recycled. If you would rather pass good furniture on yourself first, Zero Waste Scotland has a tool for passing items on for reuse.
Do you need to empty the loft before a clearance?
No, you do not need to empty the loft yourself. A clearance team can bring everything down for you. What you should do is make sure the loft is safe to work in and that nothing important is lost.
Loft safety and access
- Is there a fixed loft ladder, or will the team need to bring one?
- Is the loft boarded? Where it is not, nobody should stand between the joists, as the ceiling below will not take a person's weight.
- Is there a light, or will torches be needed?
- How large is the hatch? Items assembled in the loft may need taking apart to fit back through it.
What is often found in a loft
Lofts tend to hold Christmas decorations, old suitcases, toys, furniture, paperwork and boxes nobody has opened for years. In a family home, those boxes can contain photographs, letters, certificates, school reports and old bank documents. If you are clearing a parent's house, check them before the day or ask the team to set aside anything personal. Papers with names, addresses or account details are best shredded or sent for confidential disposal rather than put in general waste.
What about the garage?
Garages often hold more than people expect: tools, bikes, old furniture, tins of paint, car parts and items moved out of the house over the years. Most of this can go in a normal clearance, and Jettison Express also offers stand-alone garage clearances in Glasgow.
A few garage items need extra thought:
- Paint, chemicals, oils and solvents: these are hazardous and are not taken in a house clearance. Use up or give away paint that is still good, and ask your local council how to dispose of the rest. Glasgow's household waste recycling centres are for residents, and what each site accepts varies, so check first.
- Gas bottles: contact the supplier, as many take their bottles back.
- Tyres: most tyres are banned from landfill and need a proper recycling route. Mention them when you ask for a quote.
- Old fridges and chest freezers: these must go to approved treatment facilities so the gases inside are captured, so tell the company if there is one in the garage.
Is there a risk of asbestos in sheds and garages?
Yes, in older buildings. The UK banned asbestos in 1999, so sheds, garages and outbuildings built before 2000 can have asbestos cement roofing or wall panels. Do not break, cut or drill anything you think might contain it. Jettison Express does not remove asbestos, so the structure itself will need a licensed asbestos contractor, or you can ask the council about disposal. We can still clear the contents of the shed or garage.
Can you clear a shed and garden at the same time?
Yes, and it saves time to do both together. A garden clearance can include:
- Green waste such as branches, hedge cuttings and leaves
- Broken garden furniture and old barbecues
- Old slabs, edging and plant pots
- Rotten fence panels and decking
- A dismantled shed or greenhouse, if it is free of asbestos
If the shed itself needs to come down, our article on removing an old garden shed explains how it works, and our garden clearance service in Glasgow covers bigger outdoor jobs. Treated timber should never be burned at home, as it needs the right recycling route.
What will a clearance company not take?
Every company has its own limits, so always ask. Jettison Express removes non-hazardous waste only, so we do not take:
- Asbestos or anything suspected to contain it
- Paint, chemicals, solvents, pesticides and weedkillers
- Engine oil, fuel and car batteries
- Gas bottles
- Clinical waste, sharps and medicines (take unused medicines to a pharmacy)
Sofas and armchairs are fine, but they must stay whole. In Scotland, upholstered seating may contain persistent organic pollutants, so it has to be incinerated rather than landfilled and must not be torn up or mixed with other waste.
Checklist: getting the whole property ready
- Walk round every space, inside and out, and list each one for the quote.
- Take photos of the loft, garage, shed and garden.
- Check loft boxes for photographs, documents and keepsakes.
- Remove or arrange separate disposal for paint, chemicals and gas bottles.
- Note any shed or garage roof built before 2000.
- Find keys for the garage, shed and any padlocks.
- Check parking and access for the van, especially in a lane or a tenement street.
- Agree what stays, including anything included in a sale.
Adding the loft and garage can lengthen the day, so see how long a house clearance takes if you are working to a deadline such as a date of entry.
How Jettison Express can help
We clear homes from top to bottom, loft to back garden, in a single visit wherever possible. You get an up-front rate before work starts, and our uniformed, insured team calls ahead on the day, dismantles furniture, lifts carpets and finishes with a sweep and tidy. As a registered waste carrier we take everything to our depot to be sorted and leave paperwork once the job is complete. We work for families, landlords and solicitors handling executry clearances across the city and beyond, from tenement flats to semi-detached houses with big gardens in places like Bishopbriggs.
To arrange a clearance that includes the loft, garage and garden, contact our team or call 0333 880 6800.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in a house clearance?
A house clearance usually covers everything inside the rooms of a home: furniture, beds, white goods, electricals, clothes, books and household items. It can also include the loft, garage, shed and garden, but only if you mention them when you ask for a quote. Many companies also dismantle large furniture, lift carpets and sweep up afterwards.
Will a house clearance take everything?
A full clearance can take almost everything that is not fixed to the building, as long as it is non-hazardous. You decide what stays, so set keep items aside before the team arrives. Asbestos, paint, chemicals, gas bottles, fuel and clinical waste are not taken in a standard clearance and need separate disposal.
Do you need to empty the loft before a clearance?
No. A clearance team can bring everything down from the loft for you. Before the day, check boxes for photographs, documents and keepsakes, and tell the company whether there is a fixed ladder, boarding and lighting. Nobody should stand between unboarded joists, so access needs to be safe before work starts.
Can you clear a shed and garden at the same time?
Yes. A shed and garden can be cleared together, often in the same visit as the house. Green waste, broken garden furniture, fence panels and a dismantled shed can all be removed. If the shed or garage was built before 2000, its roof or panels may contain asbestos, which needs a licensed contractor.
What will a clearance company not take?
Most clearance companies only take non-hazardous waste. That usually rules out asbestos, paint, chemicals, solvents, pesticides, engine oil, fuel, car batteries, gas bottles, clinical waste and medicines. Return gas bottles to the supplier, take unused medicines to a pharmacy and ask your local council how to dispose of household chemicals.