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Home improvement projects can get messy, and many people are caught off-guard by the sheer bulk of stripped wallpaper or ripped-up carpet and floorboards – and that’s even before you knock any walls or plasterboard out.

So how do you choose the right skip for a home improvement project? Obviously it depends on the scale of the project, the size of any rooms being renovated, the number of rooms, and so on.

There are a few general rules of thumb to follow though. Our walk-in skip hire is popular with householders as you generally don’t need any special lifting equipment to load waste into the skip – you can just walk it in using a wheelbarrow or on foot.

If you’re on the cusp between two skip sizes, it’s often a good idea to hire a skip of the next size up. You may pay a little more but it’s better to have the extra room for any waste you haven’t taken into account, rather than face the extra cost and delay of waiting for a whole new skip to be delivered when your too-small skip is full.

And if you’re planning something on a grand scale, our 8 cubic yard skips still give you a walk-in ramp but have the option of a lockable lid, so you won’t wake up to a mattress or a Mini dumped in your skip overnight.

What size skip do I need for my DIY project?

Our walk-in skips start from 2 cubic yards and are often referred to as ‘mini skips’ in the trades – although if you’re sure it’s the size you need, then there’s no reason to go larger.

Mini skips are suited to fairly small DIY projects, such as clearing a garden or renovating a single room, and especially if the waste you produce will be fairly contained or compacted.

For bulkier waste, you can start to consider larger sizes. We have 3 cubic yard skips if you just want a little extra space – for example if you’re not sure 2 cubic yards will be enough, or you know your project is slightly bigger than the typical household home improvement.

Medium or ‘midi skips’ come in at around 4 cubic yards. We still offer walk-in midi skips, but you’ll start to see the sides take on that familiar bucket skip shape rather than just a low enclosure.

‘Maxi skips’ are at the upper end of the range for domestic DIY projects, starting from 6 cubic yards up to our biggest domestic skips at 8 cubic yards.

You have a few options here – choose a vertically sided walk-in enclosure or a traditional bucket skip shape with a low entry ramp, both of which are suitable for wheelbarrow entry.

As mentioned above, you can also specify a lockable lid on 8 cubic yard bucket skips, giving you extra peace of mind and making this an excellent option if you will need to leave your skip out by the public roadside overnight.

Spring cleaning has a different meaning for different people, from a quick dust and polish around the house, to more ambitious redecorating and refurbishing – so what skip do you need for spring cleaning in your household?

Our residential skip hire covers all the bases so however ambitious your spring cleaning might be this year, we’ve got the skip you need to dispose of any waste.

Paint and polish

Spring cleaning is a time when you’ll often get through more materials – some of which can be quite bulky – than you do at other times of year.

That might mean empty containers that once held hazardous cleaning fluids, and are not suitable for disposal in household recycling bins, as well as things like dust sheets and empty paint tubs that just take up a lot of space.

Remember you don’t have to fill a skip for it to be worth hiring a domestic skip – our smaller sizes are ideal for small quantities of waste such as those involved with regular spring cleaning activities.

Rubble and renovations

For more extensive refurbishments and renovations, including house extensions, there’s likely to be all manner of rubble, plasterboard, spare bricks and other building materials to dispose of.

Again, it’s unlikely the bin men will take too kindly to a domestic wheelie bin full of bricks and plaster, so hire a domestic skip and make sure it’s got the capacity to handle all the waste you generate.

Unlike many other companies that provide skip hire in Bolton and the north-west, most of our residential skip hire only supplies walk-in containers – that means you don’t have to wheel a wheelbarrow up a steep ramp to dump waste inside.

Instead, you just have a low, convenient point of entry so it should be easy to get your waste materials into the skip, even if you don’t have any specialist equipment (or even a wheelbarrow) in your home.

Gardens and greenhouses

If your idea of spring cleaning involves getting the garden back to its best, then our skips are an eco-friendly skip hire option too.

Remember, even if you have a garden waste recycling bin, it usually won’t accept soil and might not allow woody growth like hardy shrub branches.

Likewise, your domestic glass recycling bin typically will not accept window glass, which includes the panes of a greenhouse if you are replacing or repairing those.

With domestic skip hire, you get a single convenient place to dispose of all your garden waste including soil, glass and rocks, without having to worry about which is the right bin, or even if you can put it in the bin at all.

Parking and permits

Finally, don’t worry if you don’t have a driveway, as we can deliver your skip to the roadside and arrange the necessary permit for it to stay there until collection.

We can provide you with all the paperwork you need to show that your waste has been removed for recycling and disposal – and we aim for 100% recycling or reuse, so that in most cases, nothing at all goes to land fill.