Take Halloween down the day after: inflatables dried and rolled, props sorted into keep, donate and haul, pumpkins composted. A junk removal pickup for the broken stuff runs $100 to $350 in 2026.
Halloween decorations come down one of two ways. Either in labeled bins by Sunday afternoon, or in March, when the Easter stuff needs the shelf and the skeleton is still on the porch wearing a Santa hat. Tonight is the big night, so this is your Sunday plan, written for the you that wakes up tired, looks out the window at a deflated ghost in the wet grass, and wants it handled before kickoff. What to keep and how to store it so it works next October, what cannot go in the trash, and what it costs in 2026 to have the broken props and sad pumpkins hauled in one trip.
Sunday Morning, in Order
Order matters, because wet decorations rot and dry ones store. Start outside while the sun is up and work toward the garage.
- Plug the inflatables back in for ten minutes in the sun. A damp inflatable folded away is a moldy inflatable in spring.
- Pull every extension cord, coil it, and tape the coil. Check each cord for cracks as you go and retire the bad ones.
- Walk the yard with a trash bag for candy wrappers, broken foam, and the glow sticks the neighborhood kids left in your hedge.
- Carry every prop to one spot on the driveway and sort it into three piles: keep, donate, haul.
- Move pumpkins and hay bales to the curb or the compost pile before they soften any further.
- Bin, label, and shelve the keep pile before lunch, because after lunch it becomes a pile in the corner until Thanksgiving.
How to Store Inflatables So They Inflate Next Year
Inflatables fail in storage, not in the yard. The fan unit gets crushed, the seams crack along a hard fold, or a mouse spends the winter inside a cardboard box full of nylon. Each one has a cheap fix.
- Dry it completely, then unplug and let it collapse on its own. Brush off leaves, dirt and bugs.
- Fold it loosely around the fan unit so the fan is padded by fabric, never crease the seams, and never fold it tight.
- Bag the stakes, tethers and cord together and tuck them inside the fold.
- Store it in a sealed plastic bin, not a cardboard box. Mice chew cardboard and love nylon nests.
- Keep the bin off the garage floor and away from the water heater. Heat and damp are the other two killers.
- Label the bin with the prop and the year you bought it, so you know which ghost is on its last season.
Keep, Donate or Haul: The Three Pile Sort
Be honest on the driveway. The prop you did not put up this year is not going up next year either. Here is how each category usually shakes out.
| Item | Keep if | Otherwise |
| Inflatables | Fan runs, no tears, lights work | Haul, the fan unit is electronic waste |
| Animatronics and motion props | Sensor and motor still trigger | Haul as electronic waste, not trash |
| String lights | Every bulb lights, no cracked sockets | Recycle the strand, do not trash it |
| Foam tombstones and skeletons | Intact and you used them this year | Donate if whole, haul if crumbling |
| Costumes | Someone will wear it again | Donate clean, trash torn |
| Pumpkins and hay bales | Never, they are compost now | Compost, yard waste, or farm pickup |
| Fog machine and fluid | It heats and pumps | Fluid is household hazardous waste |
Donating is easier than you think. Thrift stores, schools, community theaters and church haunted houses all take clean, working decorations, and a working inflatable is a real gift to a family that could not spend $120 on one.
What Cannot Go in the Regular Trash
The haul pile has a surprising amount of stuff your weekly pickup will not take, or should not. Sort these out before the truck comes.
- Light strands, animatronics and inflatable fan units are electronic waste. The EPA guide to electronics donation and recycling lists where they go, and many hardware stores take light strands in November.
- Batteries from props, candles and motion sensors get recycled separately. Pull them before you bag anything.
- Fog machine fluid and leftover spray paint are household hazardous waste, so they go to your city’s drop off, not the bin.
- Carved pumpkins belong in a compost pile or yard waste. The EPA composting at home guide explains why a pumpkin is one of the easiest things you will ever compost. Skip any with candle wax or paint.
- Hay bales that stayed dry are free mulch for your garden beds. Wet, moldy bales go in yard waste.
- Dry ice from the punch bowl sits outside in open air until it is gone. Never in the sink or a closed container.
What Junk Removal Costs in 2026
Once the haul pile is sorted, you have a choice: three trips to three drop off sites in your own car, or one crew that loads it all and knows where each piece goes. Junk removal is priced by how much of the truck you fill.
| Load size | Typical 2026 price | What fits |
| Minimum pickup | $100 to $150 | A few broken props, one hay bale, a dead inflatable |
| Quarter truck | $150 to $250 | A full yard display plus the rotted pumpkins |
| Half truck | $300 to $450 | The display, the old patio set, the broken grill |
| Full truck | $500 to $700 | A garage clean out with the Halloween pile on top |
| Single bulky item | $75 to $150 | A 12 foot skeleton frame or a collapsed prop arch |
On House Fly you search junk removal, pick your load size, see the junk removal price upfront, and book in a few taps with secure payment to confirm. The crew sorts donations, recycling and electronic waste out of the pile, the part most people never get to. Since you pay by volume anyway, add the broken patio chairs and the dead leaf blower. Our fall garage clean out guide has the full keep, donate, haul method if you want to clear the whole garage in the same trip.
Haul It Yourself or Book It
Haul it yourself when
- The pile fits in your trunk in one trip and nothing in it is electronic.
- Your city has curbside yard waste for the pumpkins and hay this week.
- You know where the electronics drop off is and it is open Sunday.
Book it when
- The display was big enough that neighbors took photos of it.
- There is a broken 12 foot frame, a prop arch, or anything that will not fit in a car.
- You want the garage back before Thanksgiving guests arrive in four weeks, not after.
House Fly books junk removal anywhere in the US, and in neighborhoods that go all out, like a lot of Dallas, the first week of November fills up fast. If the house itself also took a beating last night, our guide to the last minute Halloween party cleanup covers the inside while the crew handles the yard.
The November Bonus
Here is the quiet payoff of doing this on Sunday instead of in March. The bins are labeled, the garage floor is visible, and the broken half of your display is gone instead of leaning on the wall all winter. When the Thanksgiving guests pull in, the car is in the garage, and when the holiday lights come out in three weeks, the shelf they live on is already clear. One Sunday morning buys you a clean start to the whole holiday season. The ghost would want it that way.
Decorations down by lunch, haul pile gone by dinner. See the junk removal price upfront, pick your load size, and book in a few taps. Book it on House Fly and let the crew sort the skeleton from the recycling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does junk removal cost after Halloween in 2026?
A minimum pickup for a few broken props, a rotted hay bale and a dead inflatable runs $100 to $150 in 2026. A quarter truck is $150 to $250, a half truck $300 to $450, and a full truck $500 to $700. Pricing is by volume, so stack everything in one spot before the crew arrives.
How do I store Halloween inflatables so they last?
Run the inflatable for ten minutes in the sun to dry it completely, then unplug it, let it collapse, and brush off leaves and dirt. Fold it loosely around the fan unit, never crease the seams, and bag it with its stakes inside a sealed plastic bin stored off the garage floor so mice cannot nest in it.
Can I throw away old Halloween lights and animatronics?
Light strands, animatronics and anything with a motor, a circuit board or a plug count as electronic waste in most places and should not go in the regular trash. Many hardware stores and city drop off sites take them, and a junk removal crew can sort them out of your pile. Remove the batteries first and recycle those separately.
What do I do with carved pumpkins and hay bales after Halloween?
Carved pumpkins without candle wax or paint can go in a compost pile, a yard waste bin, or a local pumpkin collection, and many farms take them for animal feed. Dry hay bales make good mulch for garden beds, while wet or moldy bales go in yard waste. Neither belongs in the disposal or the trash bag.
