Most people who call us are not calling about their own house. They are calling about a parent's house in Fountain City or Halls, a brother's place out in Karns, or a grandmother's home in Lenoir City that nobody has been inside for a while. If that is you, take a breath. You do not have to have the answers before you pick up the phone.
Which parts of East Tennessee do you cover?
A local project manager covers Knox County and Loudon County, including:
- Knoxville: North Knoxville, South Knoxville, Fountain City, Bearden, West Hills, Sequoyah Hills, Holston Hills, Old North Knoxville, Fourth and Gill
- Knox County: Farragut, Powell, Halls, Karns, Hardin Valley, Corryton, Mascot, Strawberry Plains
- Loudon County: Lenoir City, Loudon, Greenback, Tellico Village
If your town is close by but not on this list, call and ask.
Why does the house smell worse in summer?
East Tennessee summers are hot and humid. In a home packed with paper, clothing and old food, that humidity has nowhere to go. Mildew sets in. Cardboard softens and sags. The smell soaks into carpet, drywall and furniture.
A lot of homes here sit over a crawlspace, and hillside homes often have a partial basement. Both trap moisture. When a crawlspace door is blocked or the vents are covered, damp air comes up into the house. When we clear these homes, we pay close attention to the lowest level. We pull out wet, ruined material, clean and sanitize hard surfaces and work on the odor. If the floor, subfloor or crawlspace itself needs repair, that is outside what we do, but your project manager can connect you with trusted local professionals.
Homes with pet waste, human waste, mouse droppings and heavy odor are normal work for us. Nobody on the crew will judge the house or the person who lives there.
What if codes enforcement already sent a letter?
That happens a lot, and it is fixable.
Inside the city, the City of Knoxville Neighborhood Codes Enforcement office takes complaints through 311 (or 865-215-4311) and looks at things like dilapidated buildings, dirty lots, illegal dumping and broken doors, windows, plumbing and wiring. If an inspector finds a violation, the owner gets a Notice of Violation that lists what needs fixing and a deadline. Cases that are not resolved can go before the city's Better Building Board.
Outside the city limits, in places like Powell, Karns and Halls, dirty lot complaints go to Knox County Codes at 865-215-2325.
If you have one of these notices, send a photo with your first call. Your project manager will look at exactly what the letter asks for. Often the first goal is the outside of the house and the entry: clear the yard and porch, open a path to the door, get garbage out. That shows good faith and buys time while the rest of the home gets done at a pace your family can handle.
Who do I call if I am worried about Mom's safety?
If you think your mom cannot take care of herself safely in the home, Tennessee Adult Protective Services can look into it. Self-neglect is part of what they handle.
- By phone: 1-888-277-8366 (1-888-APS-TENN), open 24 hours a day
- Online: reportadultabuse.dhs.tn.gov, which can take up to a business day to process, so call instead if it is urgent
- Emergency: call 911
Reports are confidential. More information is on the Tennessee Department of Human Services APS page.
Calling APS does not mean you are turning on your mother. It means you want someone with the right training to check on her. We are not social workers, and we do not diagnose or treat anything. Our part is the house.
We did not find a hoarding task force in Knox County. If you want to read about hoarding disorder, the International OCD Foundation has material written for families. It is a recognized condition in the DSM-5 and affects an estimated 2 to 6 percent of adults.
What does the crew actually do on day one?
Day one is slower than most families expect, and that is on purpose.
The crew starts by walking the house with your mom or dad, if they are able, and asking what they want to keep and what they are worried about losing. Then they open a safe path from the front door through the main rooms. In many homes the kitchen goes first, because it is where spoiled food and pests cause the most trouble and where a person needs to be able to cook.
Every room gets three zones: keep, donate and discard. Photos, letters, cash, jewelry, deeds, old checks and anything with a name on it go into a box for the family. Money often turns up in odd places, like inside books, under mattresses and in coat pockets. All of it goes back to you.
Read more about the process on our hoarding cleanup page.
What happens to everything we take out?
Good furniture, tools, appliances and building materials can go to the Knoxville Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which resells donated goods to fund home building, and to local thrift stores and church closets. Metal and cardboard get recycled.
Trash goes to permitted landfills. Knox County runs free convenience centers for household drop-off, but they limit bulky loads to about one pickup truck per day, which is not enough for a full house. That is why most of our jobs use roll-off dumpsters instead. The City of Knoxville's Solid Waste Management Facility on Elm Street also takes household hazardous waste like old paint and chemicals. In Loudon County, waste goes to the Matlock Bend Landfill, run by the county's Solid Waste Disposal Commission.
You will not need to load a truck or drive anything anywhere.
How does an estate cleanout work here?
When a parent has passed, the family usually needs someone officially appointed before the home can be emptied or sold. In Knox County, estates are handled by the Probate Division of Knox County Chancery Court, in the City-County Building at 400 Main Street. In Loudon County, the County Clerk's office in Loudon is a good first stop to learn where to file.
We do not give legal advice. What we do is work around your attorney's timeline and set aside every important paper we find: wills, titles, insurance policies, tax records and bank statements.
What will it cost?
We do not publish prices. A two-bedroom house in South Knoxville with a cluttered basement and a big home in Farragut with every room full are very different jobs. Price depends on how much is there, how much sorting your family wants, how much cleaning and odor work is needed, and how easy it is to get things out to the truck. Our cost page explains each of those. Financing is available.
If you are not sure how to even bring this up with your parent, read our page on helping a family member first.
Common questions
Do you work in Loudon County and Tellico Village?
Yes. Our Knoxville-area project manager covers Loudon County, including Lenoir City, Loudon, Greenback and Tellico Village. If the community has HOA rules about dumpsters or work hours, we plan around them.
Will my neighbors know what is happening?
We keep it low-key and private. Crews do not discuss the home with neighbors, and we stage the work so it does not draw a crowd. A dumpster in the driveway may be noticed, but the details stay with your family.
Can you help if Knox County or city codes is involved?
Yes. Send us a photo of the notice when you call. Your project manager will plan the first visit around what the letter asks for and the deadline on it.
Who do I call if my dad cannot safely live there?
Call Tennessee Adult Protective Services at 1-888-277-8366, any time of day, or report online at reportadultabuse.dhs.tn.gov. If he is in danger right now, call 911.
Does the person who lives there get a say?
Yes. Your project manager will talk with them about what matters most, and nothing personal is thrown away without a plan they were part of. We go at a pace they can handle.
Do you handle mold smell and musty crawlspaces?
We remove wet and ruined belongings, clean and sanitize surfaces, and work on the odor. If the crawlspace or floor needs structural repair, your project manager can connect you with trusted local professionals.