If you've started getting quotes to clean out your garage, you've probably noticed the same thing every South Florida homeowner notices: nobody wants to give you a number. "We have to see it first." "It depends on volume." "Starting at $139…" Here's what things actually cost in 2026, so you can compare like-for-like.
Option 1: Junk Removal Companies ($150–$800+)
National haulers price by how much of their truck you fill. In the Miami–Fort Lauderdale market, typical 2026 pricing runs roughly:
- Minimum pickup (a few items): $120–$180
- 1/4 truck: $200–$300
- 1/2 truck: $350–$450
- Full truck: $600–$800+
Two catches. First, the real price is decided in your driveway, after you've emptied your Saturday for the appointment — and full garages have a way of becoming "a little more than we estimated." Second, junk removal only removes. The stuff you keep stays exactly where it was, which for most garages means the problem is half solved.
Option 2: Professional Organizers ($300–$1,200)
South Florida organizers typically charge $60–$150 per hour, often with 3–4 hour minimums, and most work solo. A garage project usually takes 4–8 hours across sessions: call it $300–$1,200. Organizers are excellent at systems — but they don't haul. Your discard pile lands on the driveway, and now you're hiring a junk company anyway (see Option 1) or making dump runs yourself.
Option 3: DIY ($100–$400 and your whole weekend)
Truck rental runs $20–$40 plus mileage and fuel. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach transfer stations charge disposal fees by weight for non-residents of certain areas, and even "free" resident drop-offs cost you the loading, the driving, and — let's be honest — the marriage-testing argument about whose treadmill it is. Most DIY garage cleanouts take a full weekend and end at 70% done.
Option 4: The Flat-Rate Combined Model ($699)
This is the category we built Sort Squad around: two pros, a truck, two hours — junk hauled away and the keepers organized into zones, for a flat $699 paid online before we arrive. No driveway renegotiation, no second company to hire, no weekend lost.
The Real Comparison
To match what a Sort Squad garage day includes, you'd hire a half-truck junk pickup (~$400) plus 3–4 organizer hours (~$400+) across two separate appointments — roughly $800+, two Saturdays, and two sets of strangers. Or one appointment at $699. That math is the business model.
What Actually Determines Your Cost
- Volume of discards: the single biggest driver in any pricing model.
- Heavy items: pianos, safes and commercial appliances cost extra almost everywhere — with us they're covered by the flat rate; just flag them at booking so the crew brings the right equipment.
- Hazardous materials: no legitimate company hauls paint and chemicals; budget a free county drop-off trip.
- Timing: hurricane-season prep (May–June) and pre-holiday weeks book out fastest across all providers.
Bottom line: in 2026, expect $400–$1,200 to fully solve a garage in South Florida using separate services — or a flat $699 to solve it in one two-hour visit. Check availability in your city here.
About Sort Squad: garage cleaning and organization — two pros, one truck, two hours, $699 flat, everywhere in South Florida. Doors up. Junk gone. Book online here.