Stillorgan's older estates
Stillorgan changed quickly in the 1950s and 60s, when the fields around the old village became estates of semi-detached houses, among them the Stillorgan Park area and the roads towards Kilmacud and Mount Merrion. In 1966 it gained what was Ireland's first shopping centre. Many of the families who moved in then never left, and a lot of the clear-outs we're asked to do here are the last chapter of that story: a house sold after sixty years, or emptied for the next generation.
The houses are solid and roomy. Most have:
- a hall, two reception rooms and a kitchen downstairs, often extended at the back
- three or four bedrooms, with an attic reached by a hatch on the landing
- a garage at the side, more often used as a store than for a car
- a front drive and a long back garden with a shed
Every one of those spaces fills up over the decades, which is why a Stillorgan semi often holds more than a much bigger new house.
The garage is usually the surprise. Over sixty years it collects the bikes the children grew out of, a chest freezer, tins of paint from every room ever decorated, timber offcuts, a workbench and the garden furniture that came in for the winter and never went back out. Some garages were converted into a playroom or a study along the way, and those are cleared like any other room. If you can, open the garage door and take a photo from the drive, then one from the back wall looking out; between them we can see almost everything.
Apartments near the shopping centre
Stillorgan also has a growing number of apartments, from older low-rise blocks to newer schemes near the shopping centre and the village. Clearing one involves fewer belongings but more rules. Before the day, we'll want to know:
- whether the management company needs notice, and when moves are allowed
- whether there's a lift, and if it can be protected or reserved
- where a van may stop, whether that's a set-down bay, the car park or the street
We bring lift blankets, keep the common areas clear and take everything in one trip where possible. More on apartment clearance.
spotless.ieThe N11 and the roads around it
The N11 runs straight through Stillorgan. It's why the area is so easy to reach, and occasionally why it's awkward to work beside. It has bus lanes and few places to pull in, so for houses facing it we load from the service road, a drive or a side road. On the estates it's simpler: most houses have a drive, and the van can usually back right up to the door.
Timing helps too. We avoid arriving at the morning peak, and near the shopping centre a weekday is calmer than a Saturday.
What we clear, and what happens to it
A full Stillorgan clearance takes everything you don't want: furniture, beds, wardrobes and what's in them, kitchen presses, appliances, the attic, the garage, the shed and the garden rubbish. We look in pockets, drawers and envelopes as we go, so paperwork and keepsakes come back to you.
Reusable furniture is kept aside where we can. Metals, electricals, appliances and cardboard are separated for recycling, and the rest goes to licensed facilities. Our waste collection permit is NWCPO-25-13287-01, and Spotless is fully insured for every clearance.
Emptying a house in Stillorgan? Photograph every room, the attic and the garage, then send them on WhatsApp. A fixed price comes back before anything is booked.
Five things to do beforehand
You don't need to empty presses or bag anything before we arrive; that's our job. A little preparation still makes the day smoother:
- Decide what's staying. Put it in one room, or mark it with tape or a sticky note.
- Find the keys. Garage, shed, side gate and any locked presses, so we're not stuck outside a door.
- Clear the drive. If there's a car on it, move it for the day so the van can back in.
- Tell the neighbours if the van might sit outside their house for a while. Most are glad to know.
- Switch off the freezer a day or two ahead so it can defrost before it goes for recycling.
Sale, probate or a fresh start
Who books us in Stillorgan? Mostly families. Sometimes it's the owner, moving to a smaller place nearby. Sometimes it's the children, clearing a parent's home after a death or a move into care; our bereavement clearance page explains how we work gently and at your pace. And sometimes a house has filled up over the years to the point where nobody knows where to start, which is where hoarder clearance comes in.
Close by, we also cover Blackrock, Booterstown and Sandyford. For the wider county, there's house clearance in Dublin, and our house clearance page explains how every job runs.
