Concert and Festival Cleanups

This past year the pandemic put an abrupt halt to one of our favorite ways to get together every year in Southern Ontario. Festival season, and it sucked.

We love our festivals, and we will have one for just about anything. Rib Fests, BBQ Fests, Blues Festivals, Wine, Film, Garden, Agricultural, Sports, Theatre, Food, Drink, Music, Street, Busker, Dogs, Farmers and even a Butter Tart Festival. Yes we know we are missing several more, but you get the idea.

The point is, we love festivals. Spring and summer without them last year seemed empty because we missed getting together with our friends and neighbors in our cities and towns, and hanging out together while doing something we enjoy together. It could be a shared love of food and wine, or film, or the Shakespere festival. Even our local street festivals are great and we look forward to them every year.

Thankfully now that the pandemic is being contained, towns are lifting their restrictions and some festivals are back on this year. Many people are already planning their festival and getting their vendors sorted out for the next big event.

If you are planning a festival this year, don’t forget to order your roll-off disposal dumpster bins to handle all of your material this year. You can order with us online and choose from 4 sizes of dumpster bins. You will probably need more than one, and we will be able to deliver them at a scheduled time, and place them anywhere on a hard flat surface. Your clean up crew will be able to keep the festival moving and bring everything conveniently to the disposal bins, and when they are full we will remove them and take everything to a local waste management recycling station and return it quickly for another load.

We truly hope at least some festivals happen this season, because we need to get back to normal as soon as possible. We miss all of you good people, and can’t wait to see everyone this summer.

Tips For Removing Concrete In 2021

Spring and summer in Southern Ontario are prime construction and home renovation time, and now that the pandemic is finally being wiped away into the history books, more businesses and homeowners are getting geared up for their next project.

Winter with the pandemic was terrible, but it was handy for one thing: it was a great time to make plans, do our research and get everything in order for our next project, and now that the sun is out and the temperatures are rising, it’s time to get the toolbelt out and start swinging some hammers.

Many construction and home renovation projects mean that you’re going to have to break some stuff, and replace it. One of the things that is almost always on that list is concrete, and here are a few easy tips to help you bust it up and get rid of it easily and quickly.

Cover It Up:

If you have a concrete slab, like a patio, garage or basement floor that needs to be replaced, the best thing you can do to keep debris and dust to a minimum is simply cover it with a sturdy plastic sheet. You can use heavy objects like some bricks to hold it down, and then go at it with a sledge hammer. Most of the dust and debris will be contained, and then you can simply haul it out to your roll-off disposal dumpster.

Get A Power Wheelbarrow:

Speaking of hauling, you are going to have to get all of that concrete to your dumpster (more on that later) and you can easily rent a power wheelbarrow to help get it done quickly and easily. A power wheelbarrow is exactly what you think it is. The bin tilts forward so you can easily load it, then raise it back up and steer it to your dumpster. It has a power drivetrain, so you don’t have to push it, simply guide it to the bin, dump everything and repeat.

Rent A Jackhammer:

It goes without saying that a jackhammer will make the job a lot easier than swinging a sledgehammer all day, and you can rent one easily enough with the power wheelbarrow. Plus who are we kidding? They’re cool and we wish we had one in our garage all the time. It is worth noting that when you rent yours, be sure to pay attention to the service rep when they show you how to operate it correctly. Jackhammers are great tools, but they can get away from you if you don’t use it correctly, so pay close attention and ask questions. Your feet will thank you.

Rent A Disposal Bin:

Actually, this should say rent the “correct” disposal bin, because concrete is heavy and you will want one with a lower profile to make dumping your concrete into it easier. Unless you have rented a Bobcat or something with some reach, you will need a lower profile if you are doing it by hand. Yes you will probably need more trips to the recycling centre, but it is preferable to be throwing large chunks into a bigger dumpster with high walls all day.

The proper disposal bin to rent when removing concrete would be a 4 Yard Dumpster unless you’re doing a big construction job, then at that point we recommend renting a 20 Yard Dumpster for all of your concrete removal needs.

Garage Cleanout Spring Cleaning In Hamilton, Ontario

If you drive around just about any town or city in St Catharines, Ontario during the spring or summer, you will notice that in the residential areas many people have their garage doors open. When you pass those homes you generally notice a very common theme, and no it isn’t a cool classic car parked inside. It is stuff.

Many people (and you may be one of them) as storage units for all of their stuff. You rarely see a car in a garage anymore, because garages are full of old and unwanted items that are probably forgotten about. They pile up and pile up some more until homeowners are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin anymore. There are boxes stacked on top of old couches and tables. Television sets that are covered with toys and sporting equipment, and old large appliances that are now filled with odds and ends and it goes on and on and on until this very narrative sounds like a Dr Suess book.

These garages that are filled with stuff are also more than likely homes to unwanted guests, and we don’t mean that strange Uncle Doug who suddenly shows up uninvited during the holidays. No we mean guests like raccoons, mice and rats.

Cleaning out your garage this spring or summer is a great way to take back a room in your home, and add value to your property if you are planning on selling. Even if you don’t plan on parking your car in your garage, you can turn it into something else like a home gym, a mancave, outdoor bar, home office or (gasp) even use it as a……garage.

If you are planning a weekend of finally digging into that garage, you will want to rent a roll-off disposal dumpster. All of that stuff has to be hauled away and you can’t just leave it all on the curb and wait for urban scavengers to take it away. You need to dispose of it and a disposal bin company will take it to a waste management recycling depot so it can be disposed of according to the law.

Sure you might find a few items that you can sell on a local marketplace website, and you may even find an old chair you forgot about that just needs a little creativity and can be upcycled. It’s great if you have a few friends who will help out and work for some cold pops, and when you are done you will feel like you reclaimed a piece of your house back which can now be converted back into……a garage.

Tree Removal Projects In Hamilton, Ontario

Here is Hamilton, Ontario, homeowners are beginning to have a tree problem.

The problem they are experiencing is that many years ago when their homes were built, the builders planted trees to make the property look nice and homey, which they did. Local municipalities also lined the streets with trees for the same reason, and to give their neighborhoods a nice welcoming appearance.

Now, all of that was great back then when the trees were small and manageable. However, here we are years later and they are huge.

We now have these massive trees in our front and backyards that have enormous canopies so we barely get any sunlight anymore. The branches are gigantic and heavy, so they tend to bend over our fences into neighbors yards. They also frequently break from their own weight, and that problem is compounded in the wintertime when they are laden with snow and ice. This causes massive insurance headaches when they do break, plus it is also super dangerous.

There is also the problem with the root system. They are strong and grow into our basements, watermains and tear up everything beneath the surface of our lawns. This can cause us to lose power, destroy our plumbing and break the foundation and footing of our homes.

In short, the trees were a great idea but ended up becoming a huge problem.

When you hire a tree removal service, you can expect them to show up in the morning, and probably be done by the end of the day. They are experts who will have your tree down and in pieces quickly and efficiently. They’re ninjas at what they do and when you consider the benefits, it’s worth the cost of hiring a good team.

Your tree removal project won’t take long, and you will need to rent a roll-off disposal dumpster for the job. The tree will be chopped up into manageable pieces, so the dumpster can be placed on your driveway or on the road which will allow your crew the ability to easily toss all of the pieces into the bin. Then when it is full, it will be hauled away and everything is safely disposed of according to the law at a waste management recycling centre. It is a simple and frequently one-day process that is easily manageable, and when it is done, you’ll be amazed at how much space you now have on your property.

Home Office Renovations In Hamilton, Ontario

Home owners in Hamilton, Ontario are waking up from the long haul seemingly never ending drudgery that we call winter. Thankfully, we are also finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic, so in the words of one of our favorite television characters, “everything’s coming up Milhouse”

We have learned many things over the last year, and it has been hard on all of us. However, if there is one great take away from it all, is that we’ve figured out that many of us simply don’t need to commute into an office every day to get our work done. We can do it just as well, if not more so by working from home. We’re more relaxed because we didn’t have to fight our way into work every morning, we have more hours to get our jobs done, and we tend to spend less time chatting with co-workers about meaningless topics every day. This means we avoid Patty, the office gossip in the coffee room and can instead spend that time getting our jobs doen early so we can hit the park for a bike ride, or get some errands done.

Now that many people have been permanently assigned to working from home, one of this year’s biggest home renovations projects is going to be building a permanent home office. People have had enough of working in their kitchens and converted laundry rooms and want a dedicated home office workspace, and since we are now in the warmer months and the vaccines are rolling out, now is the perfect time to hire that crew and get it done.

Depending on the size of people’s homes, and their ambitions, home office renovations either mean renovating an existing room, or going all out and putting on an addition. Both of these options are a great way to stimulate the working brain, and add value to your home.

In either case (and everything in between) you are going to need to plan ahead, work out your budget and hire a roll-off disposal dumpster bin to haul away all of your used and unwanted material.

Regardless of the scope of your project, you can be assured that there is going to be a lot of material that has to be safely removed and taken to a recycling waste management station. It all has to be done according to local and municipal laws, and scheduled with prearranged drop off and pickup times so your project can move forward quickly and on budget.

You can choose from any of 4 bin sizes, but we suggest that you choose from our largest selections. Home renovations and additions create a massive amount of material, and many people tend to underestimate the sheer volume of material that has to be hauled away. Even a small project will create tons of flooring, drywall, electrical, plumbing, furniture and other waste, so it is always best to be prepared so this year your project gets done in a timely manner and you can settle into your brand new home office without Patty talking your ear off every morning.

Emergency Lists For Home Owners

For many homeowners (and especially first time buyers) the fun part of moving in is making the place yours. It is all about the renovations, decorating, interior design, painting, landscaping and other “fun” projects that transform the previous owners house into your new castle.

These are great projects, and we have roll-off disposal dumpster bins that suit all of your needs for those jobs, but this is about something else. This is about the things you didn’t plan for and sooner or later are going to happen.

Owning a home in Southern Ontario means you have to be prepared for the unexpected. When you buy a home, that means you inherit all of the previous owners’ problems that they didn’t want to pay for, like plumbing, a new roof or electrical issues. It also means that you have to be prepared for our turbulent summer weather patterns, freezing cold winters and issues with our aging local infrastructure like the power grid or drainage and watermains.

These are issues that every single one of us can expect to experience as a homeowner, and you would be advised to be prepared for.

For example, you should always have extra batteries on hand, as well as some empty coolers, some ready made food, water, flashlights, cell phone power banks and solar panels or generator ready in case of a power outage. That way you can still have some power in your home, even during the winter months, a place to keep your food cold during the summer and you will be able to stay in contact with the world.

Additionally you should have some contact numbers on hand and in your cell phone in case of emergencies. For example, you will need the numbers of a on call doctor and veterinarian if you have pets, a plumber, an electrician, a roofing service, a general contractor, a snow plow operator, your kids school, poison control, a hospital, your insurance carrier and a roll-off disposal bin service.

Many people might question the last one, but trust us on this. Lets say one night your aging plumbing finally bursts and there is water everywhere. You call the plumber, the general contractor and they come over and immediately begin repairs.

All of that material from pipes, to drywall, flooring, soaked and ruined furniture and other debris needs to be removed from your home immediately. It follows that you can’t simply leave it on your lawn, so it has to be legally disposed of at a local waste management recycling depot. For that reason, your dumpster bin is just as important to the quick repairs and smooth operation of the emergency project, and so that your home can be restored to its previous state quickly, and without huge expense.

Renting A Bin In The Summer

Summer in Southern Ontario is when we come alive, and ever since the pandemic hit us like a tidal wave our homes have increasingly become our refuge. However, global plague aside, we love summer because that is the time when we are able to get our hands dirty and really dig into those projects that we have been planning all winter long.

Homeowners in Southern Ontario love their properties, and we use them for everything in the summer from firing up the bbq, entertaining friends and family, hanging out on our patios or putting in a swimming pool. Summers are great, and we love spending them in our backyards.

Many of our customers are planning landscaping projects this summer, like they do every year. Summer is when the hammers start flying, and people are able to tear up the earth for fresh new landscaping, removing and renovating outdoor architecture, replacing their driveways, putting on a new patio or deck (in many cases removing an old one), digging a pool and the list goes on.

If this is your first time planning a landscaping project, then you probably have a to-do list. You will have contacted a few landscaping companies or specialist companies depending on your projects like driveways, patios, pools etc, received some quotes, pulled the permits and are gearing up for that exciting summer project that will breathe new life (and add value) to your home.

Since you are here on the Clean Er Up website and reading this article, then you have already had the foresight to plan ahead and think about what size of a dumpster bin you will need to remove all of that material. Here is our advice on what size dumpster to choose, and how we break it down:

It probably goes without saying that the size of the dumpster you will require is directly proportional to the amount, size and weight of the material to be removed combined with how many truckloads it will take to remove everything. For example, you know how much garbage fits into an average sized bag, and you know how much weight they can handle before you need to split the weight into two bags. The same is naturally true of a dumpster bin. For example if you are simply clearing old and tearing down an old shed, then you will probably be fine with our 4 yard or 10 yard bins. A shed is relatively small and light, but it is broken down into big pieces, so the bin size will depend on the size of the shed.

If you are preparing for a large scale project, like putting in a pool or removing an old patio and replacing it with a new one then you can simply skip ahead and order one of our larger 16 yard or 20 yard bins, and expect several truckloads to remove everything.

Projects of these scales create a massive amount of material. So much so that homeowners are always surprised at home much there is to be removed, so you don’t want to underestimate the amount of material we will be hauling away.

Fence Installation For Home Renovation Projects

Here in Southern Ontario, our winters can be ferocious. The wind, the ice, the freezing temperatures all wreak havoc on the exterior of our homes. Over time our roofs need replacing, our driveways need to be dug up and replaced, our decks begin to fall apart and our fences eventually need an upgrade. Thankfully these projects only happen every 10-20 years, but when they occur, we have to bite the bullet and get to work.

Spring and summer are naturally the best times to begin these projects. Aside from the weather being far more conducive to working outside, we don’t have to contend with things like snow and ice removal or frozen ground. Also, it is far easier to talk a few friends into helping you during the spring and summer with the promise of a few cold pops and a BBQ when everything is done.

There are many reasons to replace an old, worn down fence, or upgrade from your current one. You may have a chain link fence and therefore almost no privacy. Plus you may have a neighbor who enjoys sunbathing in his Speedos during the summer, and nobody wants to see that when the in laws are visiting. Or ever really. If this is the case, then you will love your new privacy fence.

If your fence has seen better days, then you will want to make this your project this spring or summer. You can have a beautiful home and wonderfully landscaped garden, but if your fence looks like it has been used for target practice, then not only does it diminish the work you have done on your home, but it also drastically lowers your property value.

Thankfully putting in a new fence is a straightforward renovation project, and there are many great companies that will do it for you for a reasonable price. Most of them are busy during the spring and summer, so you will want to book one early. Additionally, replacing that old fence means you are going to need to rent a roll-off disposal bin to remove the old pieces and transport everything to a local recycling centre. Much like fence builders, dumpster bin companies are very busy during the warmer months, so you would be wise to order a bin online early, and prearrange a time for it to be dropped off and picked up. This will help your project go quickly and smoothly so all the unwanted material can be easily collected and removed so workers aren’t impeded by piles of debris.

Renting a roll-off disposal bin is a vital component to any home renovation or construction project, because it keeps your work site safe, clean and free of unwanted material. Everything is disposed of according to the law in a recycling centre and you can book pickups and deliveries at a time that is convenient so you have one less thing to think about and can put your energy into the project itself.

The Perfect Dumpsters For Parking Lots

Let’s say you have started a new business and moved into the building. You hired an interior designer to make your new space both functional and welcoming to customers or clients, you have bought some great looking furniture and display pieces and your stock has arrived and is waiting to be sold neatly on your shelves. Everything is good to go and your livelihood is counting on doing brisk business. However, you have forgotten one small detail.

Your parking lot looks like Godzilla’s battleground and it needs to be replaced.

When you pull into any business, say for example a common strip mall so you can visit the convenience store, or laundromat, pizza place or local bakery, the first thing you see is the parking lot. If the parking lot spaces are too small, or there are potholes everywhere, the pavement is cracked and fading and it generally looks like it hasn’t been replaced since the 70’s, it is an immediate turn off. It tells you that the owner doesn’t care a great deal about the property, and if that is the case then what does that say about the donut shop that you are about to visit?

Putting a new parking lot in is a great way to invite customers and clients into your business, and contrary to many beliefs, it really isn’t a huge job. Most pavement companies can have it done fairly quickly and for a decent price that you can live with, and it is an investment that lasts for decades. For example, many parking lots were painted with spacing between cars that were smaller a few decades ago and don’t fit modern SUVs very well. They also become created, sun bleached and ravaged with potholes over time and when that happens, people who visit your business have a difficult time simply parking their vehicle and walking to your business. It looks bad and you should treat it like a leaky roof that needs fixing now, and not simply patched up for a later day.

When you replace that old busted up parking lot, you will need a roll-off disposal dumpster bin to haul away the chunks of pavement and concrete that have been dug up. You can choose from 4 sizes, but you will most certainly need the largest 20 yard bin and probably a few truckloads to remove everything. A 20 yard bin can handle 4 tons of material, and you will need it because you will be surprised at how much of it you will have when it is dug up. Your crew will also want it gone as quickly as possible, and returned so they can fill it again for another truckload with as little downtime as possible.

Putting a new parking lot in is a great way to welcome your visitors and dramatically improve the looks of your business. Depending on the size of your parking lot, it is generally a fairly quick project, and you will want to have it completed quickly, so make sure you have your dumpster bin schedule planned in advance so it can happen as seamlessly as possible.

Why Bin Rentals Are Better Than Junk Removal

The warm weather has finally arrived in Southern Ontario, which means homeowners and businesses who have been chomping at the bit all winter long are finally able to get outside and tackle their home renovation, construction project or clean out in the more hospitable weather.

People have been planning their projects all winter long, and due to the recent global events, they are more than ready to clean er up and get it done.

One of the most important facets to any project is waste removal. It has to be done safely and according to local and municipal bylaws, so just about everyone understands the need for some kind of refuse removal service. While researching the topic, many people discover that there are two types of services for them to choose from. Junk removal services, and roll-off disposal dumpster bin service like our own. Naturally both have their benefits, and here are the basic differences to help you choose which is best for you and your next project.

Junk Removal:

A junk removal service is traditionally a service where a team will come to your home or business and remove anything you want to be rid of. They arrive at your location, clean up anything you want to have removed and then haul it away. This is a great service if you aren’t picky about what is being removed, or are unable to do it yourself.

For example, if you have a basement full of stuff and you simply want it all gone, without checking through boxes or doing any kind of inventory and don’t want to or can’t do it yourself, then a junk removal service is a good option. They do charge more than a roll-off disposal bin service, but they do offer a level of convenience and hands-off approach.

Disposal Bin Service:

Conversely, if you are planning a home renovation, construction project, landscaping work or large scale clean out, then having a roll-off disposal dumpster bin delivered to your home is probably the best option. Your project will take days or even weeks to complete so when you order a roll-off disposal bin, it can be placed anywhere on a flat surface on your property, and then you or crew will fill it as the project progresses. Then when it is full it can be hauled away to a waste disposal recycling station and promptly returned for the next load. You can also choose from a number of sizes to suit your project and it is drastically cheaper than a junk removal service.

Whatever your next project may be, make sure to choose your waste removal service wisely, and according to your budget. People frequently overlook the importance of a waste removal service, so if you have any questions you should always be sure to get in touch first and ask any questions you may have. Clean Er Up Bin Rentals is the perfect company to help you with all of your “bin rentals near me” search queries.

The Winner: Bin Rentals