We cover all areas of Middlesbrough and Teesside including Linthorpe, Acklam, Nunthorpe, Berwick Hills, North Ormesby, and surrounding districts.
We were recently called out by a gentleman from Manchester whose mother had passed away, leaving behind a three-bedroom semi in the Linthorpe area of Middlesbrough. He was preparing the house for sale but had no idea where to start — every room was packed to the ceiling with decades’ worth of belongings. He described it as “a lifetime of stuff with nowhere to move.”
Originally, the client contacted an auction house in North Yorkshire to see if anything was worth selling, but after receiving a vague estimate and being told to wait 6–8 weeks for payment, he decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. He contacted us for a free quote and was relieved when we offered a fixed fee with same-week availability and no hidden charges.
What we encountered:
The house was a textbook hoarder’s property — piles of clothing, newspapers, toys, and general household waste had built up over the years. Rooms were inaccessible, some doors couldn’t be opened fully, and there was a strong musty smell throughout the property.
Our Middlesbrough house clearance team arrived promptly at 9 AM with two vans and began the clearance from the top down.
-
The main bedroom was so packed it took nearly two hours to clear. It was filled with plastic bags, stacked magazines, and furniture buried beneath clutter.
-
The second bedroom had been used purely for storage — old electrical items, unopened mail, and four broken hoovers.
-
The loft was packed with old cardboard boxes and bin liners full of clothing, many of which were damp or infested with insects.
-
The bathroom was piled high with newspapers, old toiletries, and rusted fixtures.
Kitchen and living areas:
The kitchen had not been used for some time. Our team removed a rusted gas cooker, a leaking washing machine, and several boxes of out-of-date food. The cupboards were crammed with broken crockery and hundreds of plastic tubs.
The living room was similarly cluttered — furniture, books, VHS tapes, and ornaments stacked high. One large 1980s wall unit had to be carefully dismantled to get it out safely.
Garden and outbuildings:
The rear garden was completely overgrown and full of discarded furniture, bicycles, and black bags of rubbish. A dilapidated shed held rusted tools, broken furniture, and several nests of wasps which we carefully avoided.
Items found and returned to the family:
While clearing the property, we recovered several valuable and sentimental items, including:
-
A 9ct gold St Christopher necklace and bracelet
-
A silver cigarette case engraved with the owner’s initials
-
A full set of WWII medals and cap badge
-
Over 150 family photographs dating back to the 1950s
-
Several handwritten recipe books and family letters
-
A life insurance policy and the original house deeds
The client was especially emotional about the medals and family papers, which he thought had been lost decades ago.
Final results:
In total, we removed just over 6 tons of waste, with two van loads going to a licensed recycling centre and one full van of reusable items donated to a local Middlesbrough charity shop.
The full job — including carpets, white goods, garden waste, and loft clearance — was completed in under 7 hours.
The client left us the following feedback:
“I couldn’t have cleared that house myself in a month, let alone a single day. James’s team were professional, respectful, and just got on with it. They even found and returned family medals and documents I hadn’t seen in years. I’d recommend them in a heartbeat to anyone facing a clearance they can’t handle alone.”