What an apartment cleanout costs in St. Louis

The short answer

A studio or one-bedroom with furniture and a few boxes usually lands around a quarter truck ($241) to a half truck ($431). A full two-bedroom often reaches 3/4 truck ($587) or a full truck ($732). If you only have a few big pieces, item prices are cleaner: sofa $126, queen set $143, dresser $126. Carry-out from any floor, elevator or stairs, is included.

St. Louis apartment types and what they change

The apartment matters as much as the contents.

• Central West End high-rises. The CWE is the City's most populous neighborhood, with 16,670 residents, and towers like Park East Tower. Expect elevator reservations and a certificate of insurance requirement.
• Downtown and Washington Avenue lofts. The Washington Avenue Historic District is a former garment district of warehouses converted to residential lofts. Freight elevators, loading docks and building move-time rules are normal.
• South City brick flats. Two-family and four-family flats in Tower Grove South, Bevo Mill, Benton Park and Dutchtown. No elevator, narrow interior stairs, loading from the alley.
• University-area apartments. Around SLU, WashU, Skinker-DeBaliviere and the Delmar Loop. Lots of turnover in May and August.
• Clayton's pre-war blocks. DeMun has brick and limestone pre-war apartment blocks, often walk-ups with courtyard entries, a short walk from towers that need elevator bookings.

None of these change our price. They change how the crew plans the job.

Typical cleanouts, priced

Those are typical shapes, not promises. The real tier depends on what is there, and you see it before booking. A two-bedroom flat in a South City four-family often runs bigger than a two-bedroom in a newer building, because the old flats have deep closets, a basement storage area and sometimes a shared attic, and all of it tends to fill up over a long tenancy.

When item prices beat a truck tier

If you are only leaving the big furniture behind, count the pieces instead.

• CWE one-bedroom, furniture only: sofa, queen set, metal frame and dresser, $126 + $143 + $68 + $126 = $463. That is a little over a half truck at $431, so ask which way it prices lower.
• Student studio near SLU: futon, desk and office chair, $111 + $83 + $61 = $255.
• Loft move-out, Washington Ave: sectional (3-piece) and a 65-inch TV, $185 + $73 = $258.
• Bevo Mill flat, kitchen and dining only: a 2-4 seat dining table and four dining chairs, $103 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 = $283.

There are no volume discounts, but there is always one clear price for the job you have.

County and Metro East apartments

Outside the City, the buildings change and so do the trash rules. University City around the Delmar Loop has a mix of older apartment buildings and post-war housing, with student and faculty moves at the end of each term. Creve Coeur and Clayton have professional relocations, often on short notice when a job moves. On the Illinois side, O'Fallon is about five miles from Scott Air Force Base, and summer PCS moves leave apartments and rentals that need clearing on a fixed date. Edwardsville apartments turn over with SIUE in May.

The City's three-item monthly pickup does not apply in any of these places. Each County municipality and Illinois town runs or contracts its own service, and apartment complexes often have their own rules on what can go in the dumpster corral. Leaving a mattress beside a complex dumpster usually ends with a charge from management. Our prices are the same on both sides of the river, with no sales tax added.

The building paperwork

Many St. Louis apartment buildings, especially CWE and Clayton high-rises and Downtown lofts, want the hauler on file before move day. Typical requirements:

• Certificate of insurance. We email a COI for your building within one hour.
• Elevator reservation. Book the freight or service elevator with management for your two-hour window.
• Loading dock or move times. Some lofts restrict when moves can happen. Pick a window that fits.

Sort these before booking and the job goes quickly. Without them, a building can turn a crew away at the door.

Walk-up flats: why the stairs do not cost more

A third-floor unit in a four-family flat is the classic St. Louis carry: narrow stairs, a turn at each landing, and an alley at the bottom. We do not charge a stairs fee or a walk-up fee at all. The price for a dresser is $126 whether it comes from the ground floor or the third. What helps the crew is preparation: empty the drawers, take the legs off the sofa if they unscrew, and clear the stair landings of bikes and boxes. If you share the building, a note to the neighbors about the time helps too, since the stair is usually shared and the alley is often where everyone parks.

What to sort before the crew arrives

• Keep pile. Move everything you are keeping into one room or out to your car, so nothing gets taken by mistake.
• Building items. Leave anything that belongs to the landlord: window units the building owns, blinds, the fridge if it came with the unit. Check your lease.
• Donation candidates. Group clean, usable furniture together. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, but it is never guaranteed.
• Trash. Bag loose trash so it can be counted or included in the tier.
• Storage cage or locker. Many CWE and Downtown buildings have basement storage. Include it in the photos so it is on the quote.

A clear split between keep and go makes a one-bedroom job quick and keeps the price exactly where it was quoted.

Timing around the St. Louis lease calendar

The busiest stretches are May, when SLU and WashU students move out, and late July through August, when leases turn and new students and medical residents arrive in the CWE. Cardinals home games and Soulard events like Mardi Gras can complicate parking and access Downtown and in Soulard. Book early in those windows. We are open 8am to midnight, seven days, and same-day works when you book by 4 PM. A late window also helps in buildings that limit daytime elevator use. Price it from a photo at the instant quote page.

Frequently asked questions