A crew arrives to clear a garage and finds four bags of rubble, a fridge, two paint tins, a gas bottle and something the customer describes as "old insulation from the loft". Some of it goes on the van. Some of it does not. The conversation on the driveway is uncomfortable for everybody.
An accepted and excluded list, published, prevents almost all of it.
1. What goes without question
Furniture, general household items, garden waste, cardboard, electricals, carpets, bicycles, toys and the ordinary contents of a shed or loft. Listing the obvious items reassures customers who assume there is a catch.
2. What carries a specific charge
Fridges and freezers, mattresses, tyres, televisions and monitors, and sometimes upholstered furniture. These carry disposal costs, and publishing the charge per item stops it appearing as an unexpected addition at the end.
3. What is charged by weight
Soil, rubble, tiles, concrete and plasterboard. Explaining that heavy materials are priced differently from volume-based loads prevents the assumption that half a van of rubble costs the same as half a van of furniture.
4. What cannot be taken at all
Asbestos and materials suspected of containing it, chemicals, solvents, fuels, gas bottles, medical waste, ammunition and anything requiring licensed specialist handling. State plainly that the crew cannot take these, and suggest that the local authority or a specialist contractor can advise on the correct route.
5. Paint and liquids
Almost every clearance includes half-used paint tins. Publishing whether dried paint is acceptable, whether liquids are refused and what customers can do instead answers one of the most common questions in the trade.
6. Suspected asbestos
Older garages, sheds, ceilings and floor tiles may contain asbestos. The correct response is never to guess, never to move it and to direct the customer to a licensed specialist for assessment. A website should say this plainly, because the risk is to the customer as well as the crew.
7. Items of value
Customers sometimes ask whether anything can be sold or donated rather than disposed of. Explaining your donation and recycling arrangements is both good practice and frequently what decides the booking.
8. Confidential material
Documents, old computers and anything containing personal data need proper handling. Explaining what you do, including whether drives are destroyed, matters particularly for office clearances.
Customer: Will you take a fridge and some old paint tins? Assistant: The accepted items page confirms fridges are taken, with the disposal charge listed separately. Paint is covered on the same page, including which types can be taken and what to do with liquid paint. If anything in the garage might contain asbestos, please do not move it, and the page explains who to contact.
Sensitive clearances
House clearances after a bereavement need particular care, as described in house clearance enquiries from families after a loss and how to handle sensitive questions in your chatbot.
Pricing follows
Once the items are known, pricing works as described in junk removal quotes based on photos and volume.
Service rules elsewhere
Businesses everywhere avoid wasted appointments by publishing what is and is not included, as in nail appointment questions about gels, removals and timing.
Getting started
Publish accepted items, charged items, excluded items and your asbestos guidance, then answer at any hour. SpideyChat for home service businesses answers from your published lists. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about answers on the features page.