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Post-Holiday Purge: A Dumpster-Sized Ode to Motherhood

The Ultimate Post-Holiday Clean-Up Guide in Harrisburg: Declutter Your Home with Ease

By Rachael Benion, publisher, Macaroni KID Harrisburg and West Shore January 10, 2025

It’s a universal truth: the holidays giveth, and then they taketh…your sanity, your storage space, and every shred of order you thought you had left. By January 1st, my home looks like Santa’s workshop and a flea market had a yard sale, and everything they didn’t sell got dumped in my living room.

The junk doesn’t come from the holidays alone, though. Oh no. It’s been building all year like a slow-moving trash avalanche. The detritus of everyday life hides in every corner, silently multiplying. By December, the junk has achieved critical mass, and suddenly, I’m one suspicious noise away from starring in an episode of Hoarders: The Mom Edition.

The Year of the Great Dumpster Incident

Let me take you back to what we now lovingly refer to in our family as The Year of the Great Dumpster Incident.

Picture it: Christmas morning had come and gone, leaving in its wake a glittering sea of wrapping paper, unboxed toys, and what I can only describe as the contents of Santa’s entire workshop. But as the days passed, something horrifying became clear: my kids had no intention of cleaning up.

I tried everything—pleading, bribing, even threatening to cancel Christmas next year. Nothing worked. The playroom became a wasteland of discarded treasures, and I was teetering on the edge of insanity. That’s when inspiration (or maybe desperation) struck.

I called Junk Tank.

They showed up in a flash. Owen backed the dumpster into my driveway like an absolute pro, expertly maneuvering it into place while I stood there, wild-eyed and grateful. (And let’s be honest, I couldn’t have backed my macVAN into that spot without taking out at least two trash cans and a decorative bush.)

The kids? Chaos. The sight of their toys sailing through the playroom window into the waiting dumpster below was apparently a step too far. Suddenly, they scrambled into action, saving what they could, stuffing toys into bins, and pretending they’d been tidying up all along.

Now, years later, when the clutter starts to creep back, I simply utter the words, “Think it's time for another dumpster?” Works like a charm. Who knew a little trauma could go such a long way?

What IS All This Stuff?!

Every year, I wonder how it happens. How do we manage to accumulate the most random things that regular trash day just can’t handle?

  • The Broken Bike: Out of commission since summer, but my youngest swore glue would fix it. (Spoiler: it didn’t.) Into the dumpster it goes.
  • The Glitter Castle of Doom: River’s cardboard-and-glitter creation didn’t survive gravity, let alone a year of “being cherished.” Farewell, glitter kingdom.
  • Mystery Foam: What started as a beanbag chair has now become…? Honestly, I’m afraid to touch it. Dumpster-bound.
  • Defunct Bouncy House: A two-week wonder that turned into a leaky nightmare. Why did I keep it? Hope? Denial? Whatever. It’s gone now.





When Regular Trash Won’t Cut It

By this year’s post-holiday season, we were at “full-blown disaster zone” status. I didn’t need a few trash bags; I needed a miracle. And once again, Junk Tank came through.

CJ expertly positioned the dumpster with the finesse of a symphony conductor, ensuring it was perfectly placed for maximum junk-hurling efficiency. Kim and Owen were kind, professional, and completely unfazed by the chaos they were about to witness. Truly, these people are heroes.

The Great Purge: A Family Affair

When the dumpster was ready, the kids turned cleaning into a full-blown Olympic event. Points were awarded for distance, creativity, and the sheer ridiculousness of what they tossed in:

  • A scooter missing its handlebars.
  • A “priceless” stuffed unicorn that had been chewed by the dog (and possibly a squirrel).
  • An entire drawer’s worth of single socks.

Every thud of junk hitting the metal dumpster was like a cleansing symphony for my soul.

A Fresh Start (and Empty Closets)

By the end of the week, my house felt lighter. Junk Tank didn’t just haul away the clutter—they brought peace of mind. And let’s face it, nothing screams “New Year, New Me” quite like being able to walk into your basement without fear of being attacked by a rogue bouncy house.

So here’s to Kim, Owen, CJ, and the entire Junk Tank team, who rescued me from my post-holiday nightmare. They do it all—delivering, parking, hauling—and all with a smile. They’ve saved my sanity, my marriage, and probably my homeowner’s insurance.

Thinking of your own post-holiday purge? Don’t let the junk win. Call Junk Tank for dumpster service that’s professional, efficient, and dare I say, life-changing. (And yes, you can thank me later.)


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