Your old carpet has finally gone from simply worn to ragged and it’s well past time to replace it. So, you have to figure out not only how to pull it up but how to dispose of it once it’s removed.
Sure, you can jump on your phone and search for “carpet disposal near me” and hope you find a quick and easy way to do that. But that’s probably going to only bring up quite a few carpet stores, installers, and not-so-helpful websites.
And besides simply needing to dispose of all the old carpeting from your home, being a responsible Contra Costa resident, you’ll want to dispose of your carpet in an eco-friendly way, as well.
But how do you go about doing that?
Benefits of Carpet Disposal
A popular flooring option today is to choose hardwood, vinyl, or laminate flooring materials as an alternative to new carpeting. For those who prefer not to have to steam clean carpets or are put off by the constant upkeep like vacuuming, a real or faux wood floor has great appeal.
However, if you install your new flooring yourself or even have it done for you, there is still the issue of all the old carpeting that’s been removed.
What do you do with it?
While vinyl or laminate flooring installation can easily be a “do it yourself” project, rolling, strapping, loading, and hauling hundreds of square feet of dirty old carpeting is not. Sure, you may be able to handle that job yourself, but it’s certainly not easy!
Which is why one of the benefits of carpet disposal is not having to do all the hard work like lifting and loading it. In addition, having a professional removal and disposal service take care of it for you means your old carpet will be properly disposed of. Not to mention you won’t have to rent or borrow a truck to do the job yourself.
How to Prepare for Carpet Disposal
Although the actual loading, transporting, and disposal of your old carpet is best left to a professional firm, removing your carpet from your floors can be a fairly easy project. In fact, it can even be done by one person and often completed in a day.
Doing this part of the job yourself will not only save you money, but also allows you to inspect the condition of your home’s subfloor. If you’re handy with basic tools and repair skills, you can also take care of any minor subfloor issues before you have your new carpet or flooring installed.
First, make sure you have the following tools and gear before attempting to remove your carpet:
- Gloves
- Knee pads
- Dust mask
- Pliers
- Utility knife
- Duct tape
- Sharp-bladed floor scraper
- Flat pry bar
Here are basic directions for carpet removal adapted from an article at This Old House:
Steps for Removing Carpet
- Clear the Space and Put on Your Protective Gear
Remove all the furniture from the room and take down any doors that open into the room. Put on a pair of safety gloves and knee pads as well as a face mask if you’re sensitive to dust particles.
- Detach the Carpet from the Tack Strip
Carpet is held in place by tack strips on the subfloor along the walls of the room. Pick a corner, pull up the carpet with a pair of pliers. If the carpet comes up easily continue pulling it up. Otherwise,
use a utility knife to cut out a 6-inch square in the corner then pull up the carpet by hand.
- Cut the Carpet into Strips
Pull back about 3 feet of carpet and cut along the back of the carpet so you have a long, 3-foot wide strip. Roll up all the pieces and secure them with duct tape. Metal transitions separate the carpet from other flooring or carpeting. Cut the carpet and leave the transitions. For closets, cut the carpet at the closet door and pull up the piece in the closet separately.
- Remove the Carpet Pad
If there’s carpet padding, follow the same steps as for removing the carpet. If the floor is made of concrete, the pad will be glued down. Use a sharp-bladed floor scraper to remove it. If the floor is made of particleboard or plywood, the pad will be held down by staples.
- Remove the Tack Strips if Necessary
If the tack strips are in good shape, leave them in place for the installation of the new carpet. If you are installing new flooring, such as wood, tile, or laminate, remove all the tack strips.
Where to Store Your Carpets Before Disposing of Them?
Once you’ve successfully removed all the old carpeting from your home, you’ll need to store them temporarily until it can all be disposed of.
While it’s fairly obvious that you can’t simply stack your ragged rolls of old carpet in another room of the house – that would be far too inconvenient – they have to go somewhere. And if you’re planning to replace all the flooring throughout the entire house, that doesn’t leave anywhere indoors for storing the old carpet pieces.
Typically, the garage is a great place to temporarily stage your old carpeting.
If you have the space, this room allows for keeping the materials out of the weather while keeping them out of the way, as well. In addition, when you’re ready to have the old carpeting loaded up and hauled away, it can be a relatively simple task to remove it all from the garage and directly into a truck.
Carpet Removal Tips and Techniques: Wearing Protective Gear and Staying Safe
Sometimes the most innocuous and seemingly harmless things in a home can be some of the most hazardous. For example, most of us take our carpets for granted. They are just what we walk on and, on occasion, lie on, and they simply sit there.
However, carpets are often harboring dangerous particles, which is why a dust mask is recommended when pulling up carpet.
For example, as one article points out,
“Did you know that the average American household contains up to 7,000 types of dust-related bacteria and 2,000 species of fungi? Your carpet alone can contain up to 200,000 bacteria per square inch.”
In addition to the risk of dust inhalation, carpet removal usually requires a substantial amount of time being on your hands and knees. Not only is the pressure on your knees potentially harmful and even painful, but there is also the risk of kneeling on nail heads, staples, carpet tack strips, and even a few loose screws.
Handling carpeting with your bare hands is never a good idea as the backing is rough and can even scrape or cut the skin. And sturdy work gloves not only protect your hands but provide a much better grip for all the carpet pulling that is required.
And if there is a great deal of tack strip removal or scraping involved, eye protection in the from of safety goggles is always a good idea, as well.
Goodbye, Old Friend! How to Dispose of a Soiled or Used Carpet
Yes, you can probably dispose of your old, dirty carpet yourself. If…
If you have some help and if you have a suitable vehicle such as a full size pickup truck or, better yet, a flat-bed trailer being towed by a pickup truck. And if you know where and how to dispose of waste material like old carpeting.
And, yes, that’s quite a few if’s…
Better to call on a professional debris and junk removal firm like Junk King Contra Costa for all of your old carpeting removal needs.
Not only are we experienced and fully equipped for that type of debris removal, but we are a green and recycling-based junk removal company. That means that we not only know how and where to dispose of old carpets, but we also ensure that your old flooring will be properly disposed of in the most eco-friendly manner possible.
For example, according to Greenwaste.com,
“Used carpet is among the top ten materials in California landfills, with more than 350 million pounds discarded each year. However, petroleum-based carpet can be recycled into useful products, including new carpet, carpet padding, and insulation.”
So, for easy and green old carpet disposal, Junk King Contra Costa is really your best option.
Eco-Friendly Methods and Recycling for Old Carpet Removal with Junk King Contra Costa
Just one call to Junk King Contra Costa and you will get the absolute best in residential junk removal services in the greater Contra Costa area. And we’re your best choice for “carpet removal near me.”
In addition, we offer all types of expert junk and equipment removal for the entire Contra Costa area including Alamo, Antioch, Brentwood, and Fremont. For residential and commercial junk removal services that are efficient, affordable, and eco-friendly, look to Junk King Contra Costa.
Call us today and let us know what commercial junk items you want us to remove from your workplace or property.
Our professional and insured carpet and junk removal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home (or office). Once there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your carpeting and other junk takes up in our truck. Then you simply point, and we’ll haul your items away – and with no hidden fees.
So, ready to dispose of your old carpet? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.
You can make an appointment by booking online or by calling us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).
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