The old fridge or washer is dead, the new one is already in the house, and the old one is sitting in the garage or the driveway where it can't stay. We get it off the floor, out the door and onto the truck, and it goes to a recycling facility, not the curb. Call when the new unit is ordered, when the old one has quit, or when that second fridge has been unplugged out in the garage since spring.
The calls we get
Most start with a fridge that stopped cooling. The delivery crew sets the new one in place, and the old one ends up in the driveway or pushed against the garage wall because there's nowhere else for it.
Washers go the same way. A new set arrives and the old washer is still hooked to the water lines in the laundry room. Others call because the unit leaks, because it runs all day and the milk is still warm, or because it works fine and the kitchen is being redone.
Any of those is a reason to call. A dead appliance doesn't get easier to move the longer it sits.
Often paired with mattress removal. Need junk removal in Athens-Clarke County? Start on our home page.
Helpful next: Junk Removal Cost Breakdown: Materials, Labor and Extras
How the pickup goes
First we check the way out, whether the unit is in a garage, kitchen, basement or at the top of a staircase. Then we deal with anything that has to be disconnected. On a washer, that means the water lines come off before the machine moves. We don't drag a washer with the supply lines still attached.
After that the unit goes on an appliance dolly and gets strapped down with moving straps. The dolly takes the weight so the unit rolls instead of scraping your floor, and the straps hold it to the dolly and again on the truck. We load it, secure it and haul it to a recycling facility.
A fridge in the garage with a clear run to the driveway is a short visit. A washer in a basement laundry room with a half-open door and a turn at the bottom of the stairs takes longer, so tell us about the path when you call. If you need the old unit gone before a delivery truck shows up, tell us that too.
Why it doesn't go out with the trash
A fridge or freezer has refrigerant in it, and that refrigerant has to be recovered before final disposal. That's why we take these to a recycling facility. It's also why a fridge isn't something you can set at the curb and forget.
If you're replacing several things at once, give us the whole list: the fridge, the washer, whatever else is going. We can plan one trip and the right load-out for all of it.
What fridge removal costs
Fridge removal usually falls between $45 and $125 and you can get that range when you call. We set the final price after we have seen the unit and the route out. Where the unit sits and how far it has to travel are what move it within that range.
If what we find on arrival differs from what we heard on the phone, we say so before anything is moved.
Demolition jobs and summer heat
If the appliance is in a structure that's coming down, the order of work matters. In Athens-Clarke County, demolition can't begin until the demolition permit is secured and utilities are cut off and capped at the street, and a designated historic property also needs a certificate of appropriateness. Tell us where you are in that process so we aren't scheduled before the building is ready.
The climate here is warm and mixed (zone 3A), and a dead fridge with food still inside sitting in a closed garage through a Georgia summer gets ugly fast. If that's your situation, call sooner.
What the Work Covers
In plain terms, these are part of it:
- Check the appliance’s route out, including tight spaces, stairs, and doorways.
- Have the appliance emptied and unplugged before pickup.