How to get rid of old appliances in Cleveland

The short answer

City of Cleveland bulk week takes appliances during the first full week of each month, up to three bulk items per home, if they are drained of coolants and fluids. In most Cleveland houses the appliances live in the basement, so the hard part is getting them up the stairs. A flat pickup is $133 for a washer, $128 for a dryer, $131 for a tank water heater and $77 for a dehumidifier.

The basement is where appliances go to retire

Cleveland's housing is old. The city's median home was built in 1941, and basements are the norm, from Slavic Village to Old Brooklyn to the postwar bungalows of Parma and Euclid. The basement is where the washer, dryer, water heater, furnace and dehumidifier all live.

When they die, they have to come up a staircase that was often built steep and narrow, with a low beam halfway down. That is the main reason people book appliance removal here instead of waiting for bulk week.

The style of basement depends on where you are. In the pre-war core, from Ohio City to Collinwood, it's often a steep wooden stair off the kitchen with a low beam halfway down. In the doubles of Old Brooklyn and Slavic Village, the basement may be shared, with two sets of laundry machines and two water heaters side by side. In Parma, Brook Park and Euclid, the postwar bungalows usually have a straighter stair but a finished rec room in the way. Measure the narrowest point against the appliance before anyone starts lifting, and send that number with your photos. A side-by-side fridge that went down before a doorway was framed in may not come back up the same way.

City and suburb rules

• City of Cleveland: appliances drained of coolants and fluids; up to three bulk items; first full week of the month.
• Lakewood: appliances with refrigerant, call first.
• Cleveland Heights: refrigerator doors removed.
• Euclid: appliance doors removed.

A washer has water in its pump and hoses. A water heater holds a full tank. A dehumidifier and a fridge hold refrigerant. Draining each is a real task, and refrigerant has to be recovered under federal rules.

The free routes, and what they take

• Bulk week. Free for City residents if the appliance is drained, carried to the tree lawn, and it's the first full week of the month. Three items, so a washer, a dryer and a water heater use up the month.
• Resident drop-off. City residents can drive appliances to the Ridge Road Transfer Station, 3727 Ridge Rd, Monday to Saturday 9 to 3, or the Carr Center at 5600 Carnegie Ave. You still need a truck, a dolly and a second person.
• Scrap. Washers, dryers, water heaters and ranges are mostly steel. A scrap yard will usually take them, though you do the hauling.
• Retailer haul-away. When you buy a new appliance, ask whether the store takes the old one on delivery. It works best when the new one goes exactly where the old one was.

Flat appliance prices

Order minimum is $100. No stairs fee. No sales tax line.

Typical Cleveland appliance jobs, added up

• Laundry swap: washer + dryer from the basement: $133 + $128 = $261.
• Furnace replacement leftovers: furnace + tank water heater: $131 + $131 = $262.
• Basement clear: chest freezer + dehumidifier + old washer: $146 + $77 + $133 = $356.
• Kitchen remodel: fridge + electric range + dishwasher: $164 + $134 + $109 = $407.
• Two dehumidifiers that both quit: $77 + $77 = $154.

A double means two of everything

A landlord in Slavic Village or Old Brooklyn replacing laundry and hot water in both units of a double: two washers, two dryers and two tank water heaters. $133 + $133 + $128 + $128 + $131 + $131 = $784. Bulk week would take three of those six, one month at a time.

Old-house extras

Cleveland's older houses come with appliances and fixtures newer suburbs never had.

• Cast iron radiators left after a heating conversion: $123 each. Four of them: $123 + $123 + $123 + $123 = $492.
• Old oil tanks from before a house switched to gas: $461 empty, $847 still full.
• Kitchen leftovers: range hood $53, garbage disposal $47, trash compactor $61.

Radiators are the heaviest thing most people ever try to move out of a house. Don't attempt one down a basement stair without the right equipment.

Gas and water: who disconnects

Disconnecting a gas range or a gas dryer, and draining and disconnecting a water heater, should be done by you or a plumber or HVAC tech before pickup. If an installer is putting in the replacement, ask them to disconnect the old one and leave it in place.

Once it is disconnected, our crew carries it out from wherever it sits. Clear the path from the appliance to the door: laundry baskets, shelving, the bikes by the side entrance.

Timing and booking

Spring thaw, roughly April to June, is when Cleveland basements get cleared. It is also when sump pumps and dehumidifiers fail, and when people find out the chest freezer stopped working over the winter.

Late fall is furnace and water heater season, before lake-effect snow starts in mid-November. If you are replacing either, book the haul-away for the same day the installer finishes.

Pick the appliances on the instant quote or send a photo. You see the price before booking. Choose a 2-hour window, any day, 8am to midnight. Book by 4 PM for same-day pickup. We recycle whatever we can, and most appliances are mostly metal.

Frequently asked questions