Taking collections this week Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland and County Durham Confidential, careful handling
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Total ClearoutsData recovery and house clearance
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Data recovery and house clearance in Darlington and County Durham Recover the photos.Wipe the drives.Clear the house.

Data recovery and secure drive wiping from one experienced local specialist, collected from your door. House clearances are coming in 2027, with discounted data recovery for any laptops, phones and drives found along the way.

Request free local collection See services and prices
Experienced specialistHands-on data recovery, handled privately
No data, no feeNothing to pay if files aren't recovered
Signed wipe recordsA dated record for every drive we wipe
Free local pickupDoor to door within 15 miles

Data recovery now. House clearances from 2027.

We recover and wipe data today. House clearances start in 2027. You'll be able to book either on its own, or both together with discounted data recovery when we clear the house.

House clearance, coming 2027

House and estate clearances

Full or part clearances for families, executors, landlords and solicitors. Handled with care, particularly when you're clearing the home of someone you've lost.

Coming 2027Register your interest and we'll contact you when booking opens
See what's included
  • Whole properties or single rooms, including lofts, garages and sheds
  • Probate and bereavement clearances carried out respectfully
  • Laptops, phones, cameras and drives set aside for you, never binned unchecked or wiped without your say-so
  • An itemised handover when the job is finished
Data service

Data recovery and drive extraction

Lost files, a laptop that won't start, or a drive wiped by mistake. Recovered locally, without posting your drive to a national lab. No clearance needed.

£80 – £140Flat fee. No data, no fee.
See what's included
  • Deleted files and photos
  • Laptops and PCs that won't boot
  • Corrupted or formatted USB sticks, SD cards and drives
  • Photos gathered from several devices onto one USB
Data service

Secure data wiping

For small businesses, landlords and solicitors who need proof that old drives were wiped properly.

£25 – £40Per drive, signed record included
See what's included
  • Every drive fully overwritten, not just formatted
  • Nothing is ever wiped unless you ask
  • A signed wipe record for your files

Why careful data recovery matters

This is the data side of what we do. Switching on a failing laptop "to have a look" can overwrite the very files you want back. Here is how our approach differs.

What to compareTotal ClearoutsHigh-street shops and general clearers
Data handling and privacyWe take a full image of your drive before doing anything else, then work from the image.Often boot into Windows first, risking overwrites of lost files.
Old tech found in clearancesSet aside for you. Checked for family memories if you ask, and never wiped unless you say so.Scrapped or resold, sometimes with personal data still on it.
Turnaround and logisticsCollected in person, usually within 24–48 hours.Posted to third-party labs charging £350–£600 or more.
Proof of data destructionA signed, dated record of every drive wiped.A verbal assurance.

How it works

  1. Confidential consultation

    Call, message or use the estimator. Tell us what you have and what you're hoping for. You get a clear price before anything is collected.

  2. Free door-to-door collection

    We collect from your door and leave a signed receipt listing every item, so you always know where your devices are.

  3. Recovery or wiping

    Your files come back on a new USB, or your drives are wiped and you get a signed record. No recovery, no charge.

Get a data recovery estimate

Choose a service and enter your postcode. The price updates as you go.

  • Nothing to pay up frontIf we can't recover your files, there's no fee.
  • Your details stay privateUsed only to arrange your collection.
  • A real person repliesYou'll speak to the specialist who handles your devices.
Prefer to talk it through?
Enter your postcode to check free collection
How soon?

Free collection across Darlington and County Durham

Free door-to-door collection across these postcodes. A little further out? We still come to you, with a small mileage charge agreed first.

  • DarlingtonDL1–DL3
  • Hurworth and CroftDL2
  • Middleton St GeorgeDL2
  • Newton AycliffeDL5
  • ShildonDL4
  • Bishop AucklandDL14
  • Spennymoor and FerryhillDL16–DL17
  • EaglescliffeTS16
  • Stockton-on-TeesTS18–TS20
  • SedgefieldTS21
  • Yarmmileage quote
  • Barnard Castle and Richmondmileage quote

Common questions

Do you do house clearances and data recovery separately?

Yes. Data recovery and drive wiping are available now. House clearances start in 2027 and will be bookable on their own, or together with discounted data recovery for any laptops, phones or drives we find.

How much does data recovery cost in Darlington?

Data recovery is a flat fee of £80 to £140. If we cannot recover your files, you pay nothing.

What does a house clearance cost?

House clearances start in 2027. Every property is different, so we will visit for free and give you a written quote. You can register your interest now.

Which areas do you cover?

We collect for free across Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, Shildon, Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor, Ferryhill, Sedgefield, Eaglescliffe and Stockton-on-Tees. Further afield, including Yarm, Barnard Castle and Richmond, a small mileage charge is agreed first.

How do I know a drive has been wiped properly?

Each drive is fully overwritten rather than just formatted, and you receive a signed, dated wipe record. Nothing is wiped unless you ask. Wiping costs £25 to £40 per drive.

What happens to old laptops and phones found during a clearance?

They will be set aside for you rather than thrown away. You decide whether we check them for family photos and documents, wipe them, or hand them back.

Privacy notice

Total Clearouts is a sole-trader business based in Darlington, County Durham. This notice explains what personal information we handle and why. Last updated November 2026.

What we collect

  • Your name, phone number, postcode and anything you tell us about the job, when you message, call or send an enquiry.
  • The files on any device you hand to us, only as far as needed to do the work you asked for.

This website

The quote form does not store or send what you type. It prepares a message that you choose to send us by WhatsApp or discuss by phone. The site uses no cookies and no analytics. Fonts and one script are loaded from Google Fonts and cdnjs, which see your IP address when the page loads, as with any website.

How we use it

We use your contact details to reply, arrange collection and return, and keep the business records the law requires. We rely on taking steps towards, and carrying out, our agreement with you, and on our legal obligations for tax records.

Data on your devices

  • We take an image of a drive before working on it. The image is kept securely and used only for your recovery.
  • We do not browse, copy or share your files beyond what the job needs.
  • Images and recovered copies are deleted within 30 days of the job finishing, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.
  • We never wipe a device unless you ask us to.

Sharing

We do not sell your information or pass it to anyone else, unless the law requires it.

Your rights

You can ask to see the information we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, or object to how we use it. Call or message . If you are unhappy with our answer, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

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