Carpet Tear-Out & Haul-Away · Temecula Valley
Carpet Removal in Temecula — Torn Out, Hauled, Recycled
Carpet, padding, tack strips, staples, and the dust that has been living in all of it since the Bush administration. We pull the whole floor, sweep the subfloor bare, and route what we can into California's carpet recycling network.
Licensed & Insured · AB 2398 Recycling Routing · Family-Owned Since 2016 · Same-Day Often Available
Carpet Removal Temecula
Carpet Looks Easy Right Up Until the Corner Comes Up
Almost every carpet removal in Temecula starts the same way. Somebody grabs a corner in the closet, gives it a pull, and it lifts. Encouraging. Two hours later there is a half-rolled slab of nylon jammed in a hallway, a dog barking at it, and a floor full of exposed staples nobody planned for.
Carpet is not one material. It is a layered assembly: face fiber, a primary and secondary backing bonded with latex, a separate pad underneath that is either stapled to plywood or glued to a concrete slab, and a perimeter of tack strip studded with hundreds of angled nails. Each of those layers comes out differently, and each one weighs more than it looks. A single roll of cut broadloom out of a 12-by-14 bedroom runs 60 to 90 pounds and does not bend around a stair landing.
Then there is the disposal problem, which is the part that catches people. Carpet does not go in the curbside bin — the rolls wrap the compactor screw. It is not a green waste item. It has no scrap value. So it sits in the garage next to the other things that need a truck, which is roughly how most of our Temecula junk removal calls begin.
Who Shows Up
Meet Weston — Owner, and Usually on the Truck
Weston Molitor
Founder & Owner · Wild West Junk Removal
Weston started Wild West in 2016 out of one truck and has been pulling floors across the Temecula Valley ever since — Redhawk, Wolf Creek, Paseo Del Sol, Sommers Bend, Old Town, Roripaugh Ranch, and out into De Luz where the housing stock gets older and the surprises get more interesting.
He gives the quote himself, in writing, before anything moves. No hourly clock, no bill that grows once the crew is already inside your house.
The Process
How a Carpet Tear-Out Actually Runs
Five steps, one crew, one day for most homes. Larger tear-outs and commercial floors get their own walk-through first.
Walk-Through & Flat Quote
We look at the rooms, check whether the pad is stapled or glued, count the stairs, and hand you a number in writing. Text photos to (951) 837-8072 and you can skip straight to a quote.
Score & Section
Carpet gets cut into three- to four-foot strips with a utility knife before anything is pulled. Sections roll tight, clear doorways, and don't take the drywall corners with them.
Pad & Staples
Stapled pad over plywood peels up and the staples get pulled. Pad glued to a slab gets scraped. This is the step that separates a 90-minute room from a four-hour room.
Tack Strip — Your Call
If new carpet is going back down, the strip usually stays and gets reused. If you're going to LVP, tile, or hardwood, we pry it with flat bars to spare the subfloor.
Load, Sweep, Sort
Everything goes in the truck, the subfloor gets swept bare for your installer, and the load gets sorted at the yard so recyclable fiber and pad don't ride to a landfill by default.
Scope of Work
What a Wild West Carpet Job Covers
One call, one crew, everything out. If you're clearing more than the floor, we'll take the rest while we're already backed up to the garage — see the full list of what we take.
Scoring & Sectioning
Whole-room broadloom cut into strips and rolled before it moves. Faster, cleaner, no wall damage.
Padding & Staples
Foam, rebond, and fiber pad included in the standard removal. Staples pulled from plywood subfloor.
Tack Strip Removal
Lifted with flat pry bars at the angle that spares the slab or the sheathing underneath.
Glued-Down Installs
Scored, pulled, and scraped. Residual mastic bonded to a slab is a grinding trade — we'll tell you which you have.
Stairs & Hallways
The slowest square footage in the house. Nosings, risers, waterfall wraps, and the staples in all of them.
Commercial Broadloom & Tile
Offices, retail, and multifamily tenant turnovers, scheduled early or after hours.
Water & Pet Damage
Wrapped or bagged at the room so it doesn't track through the house. Tell us up front and we bring sheeting.
Everything Else in the Room
Old furniture, the mattress in the spare bedroom, the garage fridge — same truck, same trip.
What You're Pulling Up
Fifteen Years of Floor, Coming Up All at Once
Carpet is a filter that nobody ever changes. Everything that got tracked in, spilled, shed, or settled has been accumulating in the pile and the pad the entire time the floor has been down. Tearing it out releases all of it into the air in about ten minutes. This is why the crew masks up and why we cut and roll instead of dragging.
Asbestos Mastic
Pre-1980 glued installs may sit on cutback adhesive containing asbestos. Test before disturbing — that's licensed Cal/OSHA abatement work, not hauling.
Mold Under the Pad
A slow dishwasher or slab leak grows colonies on the pad's underside that never show on the surface. The smell hits when the pad lifts.
Pet Contamination
Urine passes through the carpet and soaks the pad, then wicks into the slab. Contaminated material is barred from the recycling stream.
Fiberglass in Backing
Some secondary backings carry glass fiber that becomes airborne when the carpet is cut. Gloves and eye protection, not flip-flops.
Settled Dust Load
Years of accumulated dust, dander, and tracked-in outdoor particulate release the moment the pile is disturbed.
Staples & Nails
Hundreds of them, upward-facing, across an exposed subfloor. Every carpet job leaves a puncture hazard until they're pulled.
Of the 3.4 million tons of carpet and rugs Americans threw out in 2018, EPA put recycling at roughly 310,000 tons — about 9.2 percent. The other 73 percent went to landfill. Sorting the load instead of dumping it whole is the entire difference.
California Rules
You Already Paid for the Recycling — AB 2398
When you bought that carpet, a per-square-yard assessment was added at the register. That is AB 2398, California's carpet stewardship law, and it funds the statewide collection network that CalRecycle oversees and CARE administers. The money is already spent. The only question left is whether your old floor reaches a drop-off that can use it.
It usually doesn't, because getting it there requires somebody to sort clean nylon and PET from contaminated mixed fiber and then drive it. That is a haul, not a homeowner errand. Meanwhile Riverside County Waste Resources runs the permitted transfer stations that take what no recycler will accept, and the City of Temecula's franchised hauler won't put rolled carpet in the cart at all.
| Doing It Yourself | Wild West | |
|---|---|---|
| Tear-out labor | A weekend, a rented knife, and a sore back | One crew, most homes in a day |
| Curbside disposal | Not accepted — rolls jam the compactor | Not your problem |
| Hauling | Truck rental, tie-downs, two trips minimum | Included, one load |
| Transfer station fees | Gate fee plus tonnage, paid on arrival | Included in the flat quote |
| Recycling routing | Requires sorting and a drive you won't make | Sorted at the yard, routed where it qualifies |
| Tack strip & staples | Left for you or for the installer to bill you for | Pulled, swept, subfloor bare |
| Price certainty | Found out at the scale | In writing before we lift |
If the tear-out is part of a bigger renovation, a dumpster on the driveway sometimes makes more sense than a single haul. We'll say so if it does.
Before We Arrive
Five Minutes of Prep Saves an Hour of Crew Time
Clear what you easily can. Small furniture, lamps, closet floors. Leave the heavy pieces — we'll move them and put them back.
Tell us if the pad is glued. Slab-on-grade homes across the valley often have it. It changes the timeline, so it changes the quote.
Flag water or pet damage up front. We bring sheeting and bags and route the material separately.
Say whether tack strip stays or goes. New carpet means it stays. Anything else means it goes.
Give us the installer's date. We schedule backward from it so your floor isn't sitting open.
Pre-1980 house? Get the mastic tested. Cheap test, big consequence. We won't disturb suspected asbestos-containing material.
Point out anything else going. Old dressers, the treadmill, the pile in the garage — same truck.
Park the driveway clear. The closer the truck backs in, the less carry time, the faster you're done.
What Neighbors Say
Reviews from Around the Valley
Wow! This is our 3rd time having Wild West help us remove things and once again they did not disappoint! Excellent service and friendly interactions every time! The best part is that they go the extra mile and sweep and hose down the area just to having it looking great. Thanks guys! Until next time! 👍
Jolene M. - Google ReviewWild West Junk Removal did an amazing job at my mother’s house. They were fast, professional, and took care of everything with care. I really appreciated their hard work and how smoothly it all went. Highly recommend them!
Jayne A. - Google ReviewWild West Junk Removal is AMAZING! From start to finish, they were fast, efficient, and incredibly friendly. They showed up on time, got right to work, and made the whole process completely stress-free. Their professionalism and great attitudes made such a difference. If you need anything hauled away, don’t even hesitate!! Wild West Junk Removal is the best in the business. Highly recommend! 🙌
Melissa H. - Google ReviewI had an amazing experience with Nick and his crew- Wild West Junk Removal from start to finish, the team was professional, punctual, and incredibly efficient. They arrived right on time, were friendly and respectful, and made the entire junk removal process quick and stress-free. They handled everything with care and left the area spotless. Pricing was fair and transparent, with no surprises. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable and hassle-free service — I’ll definitely be using them again in the future!
Jessica S. - Google ReviewQuestions
Carpet Removal FAQ
Does Wild West remove carpet padding and tack strips too?
Yes. Padding comes out with the carpet as part of the standard job — it either rolls up with it or gets scraped off the slab when it was glued down. Tack strips can come out too; just confirm it when the crew arrives, and they will lift them with flat pry bars to keep subfloor damage to a minimum. If new carpet is going back in the same week, the strips can often stay put and be reused.
Can you remove carpet that has been glued down?
Yes, though glued installations take longer than tacked carpet and call for different tools. The carpet gets scored into strips and pulled, then the crew scrapes off what lifts cleanly. Residual adhesive left bonded to a concrete slab is a grinding job, which is a separate specialty trade that follows our haul. We will tell you on the walk-through which of the two you are looking at.
How much does carpet removal cost in Temecula?
Wild West prices by the volume the load takes up in the truck, not by the square foot, and you get the number in writing before anything moves. Carpet compresses well, so a typical three-bedroom tear-out lands smaller than most people expect. Text a photo of the rooms to (951) 837-8072 and you can have a flat quote back the same day. Current load pricing is listed on our junk removal price page.
Do I have to move the furniture before you arrive?
It helps, but it is not a requirement. If a room is cleared, the crew goes straight to work. If it is not, we can move furniture out of the way and back, or haul off anything you are done with while we are already there. Just mention it when you book so we bring the right crew size.
Can I put old carpet in my curbside trash bin?
No. The franchised hauler that services Temecula will not take rolled carpet in a standard cart, because the rolls wrap around the truck's compaction screw. Some bulky item pickups will accept small cut sections, but a whole-house tear-out is well past that limit. That gap is exactly why carpet ends up in hauling jobs.
What happens to the carpet after you haul it away?
It gets sorted first. Recyclable nylon and PET backing is routed into California's carpet stewardship network, funded by the AB 2398 assessment you already paid at purchase. Padding is frequently rebonded into new carpet cushion. Contaminated or mixed-fiber material that no recycler will accept goes to a permitted transfer station.
My house was built before 1980 — is there an asbestos risk?
Possibly, and it is worth a phone call before anyone starts pulling. Some older carpet adhesives and the cutback mastic under glued installs contained asbestos. Most Temecula housing stock is newer than that, but if you are working on an older De Luz or Old Town property, get the mastic tested first. Wild West does not disturb suspected asbestos-containing material, because that is licensed abatement work.
Do you handle commercial carpet removal?
Yes. Offices, retail spaces, and multifamily turnovers are regular work for us. Commercial carpet is usually glued straight to the slab and covers a lot more square footage than a house, so we schedule early morning or after hours to keep your business open. Larger jobs get their own walk-through and quote.
How fast can you get here?
Same-day is often available if you call early enough in the day. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. Scheduling ahead is smart during renovation season, when installers are booking tight and a delayed haul pushes the whole job back.
What about carpet soaked from a leak or ruined by pets?
That is one of the most common calls we get. Water-damaged and pet-contaminated carpet gets bagged or wrapped at the room instead of dragged through the house, so the mess and the odor do not travel. Tell us up front so the crew brings sheeting and the right disposal routing, because contaminated material cannot go into the recycling stream.
Get the Floor Out This Week
Text a photo of the rooms and Weston will send back a flat, written quote. No hourly clock, no surprises at the scale.
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