How to get rid of appliances in Baltimore

The short answer

Every appliance has a published flat price:

Visit minimum $75. Disposal included. No stair fee, no long-carry fee, and no refrigerant surcharge, because there is no such thing in our pricing.

Step one: disconnect it properly

A removal crew moves appliances. It does not perform plumbing, gas or electrical work, and you do not want it to.

• Refrigerator. Unplug it. If it has an ice maker or a water dispenser, shut the supply valve and disconnect the line. Do that a day ahead so it drains and the compartment is not full of meltwater when the crew tips it.
• Washer. Shut both hot and cold taps, disconnect the hoses, and pull the drain hose out of the standpipe. Expect water in the hoses regardless.
• Dryer. Unplug it, and for a gas dryer have the line professionally disconnected and capped first. Detach the vent duct.
• Dishwasher. Shut the supply, disconnect it, and unbolt it from the counter. Dishwashers are usually screwed to the underside of the countertop, which is why they will not simply slide out.
• Gas range. Professionally disconnected and capped. Not negotiable and not a DIY step.
• Water heater. Drained and disconnected, gas or electric supply off and capped. A drained tank is manageable. A full one is not moving anywhere.

Step two: the Baltimore cellar

This is the part that decides how the day goes. In the city's rowhouse stock the laundry and the water heater are almost always in the basement, and those basements are frequently dug-out cellars: narrow stairs, a tight turn at the bottom, low overhead pipes and ductwork, and a headroom figure that a tall person feels immediately.

What the crew does about it: straps, an appliance dolly, two people, and a decision about route. Some rowhomes in Canton, Highlandtown and Federal Hill have a rear hatch or bulkhead to the yard, which is often the better exit if the unit fits. Others have nothing but the interior stairs and the front door.

Either way it is the same price. A washer from a third-floor apartment, a ground-floor laundry room in Towson, or the bottom of a Patterson Park cellar is $133.

Step three: refrigerant, handled

Anything that cools has refrigerant in it: refrigerators, freezers, window and portable air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and outdoor condenser units. Federal rules require that refrigerant be recovered by someone qualified rather than vented, and that is exactly why you cannot treat a fridge like any other piece of scrap metal.

We route those units so the refrigerant is recovered properly and the metal is recycled after. You do not arrange anything, you do not pay anything extra, and there is no separate line item. A standard refrigerator is $164 and that is the entire cost.

Same for the rest of the cooling family: window AC is $87 under 8k BTU and $109 at 8k and above, portable AC is $85, a dehumidifier is $77, and an outdoor condenser or heat pump unit is $115.

Retailer haul-away: only on delivery day

If you are buying a replacement, the delivery haul-away is usually the cheapest route and often free. But it is a same-visit offer. It does not exist the following week, and it does not exist for the second old appliance you found in the basement after they left.

Ask these before you sign the delivery order:

• Does haul-away include bringing the old unit up from a basement, or only taking one from the room the new one goes in?
• Does the crew disconnect, or must it be disconnected and pulled out before arrival?
• Can the delivery truck reach your block? On a permit-parking street in Federal Hill or a one-way in Fells Point, that is a real question.

If any answer makes the delivery not work, book the removal separately and let the delivery crew just deliver.

Real Baltimore appliance jobs

Laundry swap in a Canton cellar. Washer and dryer: $133 + $128 = $261.

Kitchen gut in Hampden. Refrigerator, electric range, dishwasher: $164 + $134 + $109 = $407.

Utility room clear in Locust Point before a sale. Water heater, washer, dryer: $131 + $133 + $128 = $392.

Landlord turnover in Waverly. Stacked combo and a countertop microwave: $189 + $30 = $219.

Basement freezer and beer fridge in Hamilton. Chest freezer and mini fridge: $146 + $115 = $261.

If the appliances are part of a bigger clear-out, the volume ladder may be cheaper: a quarter truck is $241, a half truck is $431.

Empty the freezer first

Boring, and it is the single most common reason an appliance removal goes badly in August. A chest freezer in a humid Baltimore basement that has been unplugged for two days and is still full is not a removal job, it is a biohazard.

Unplug it, empty it, prop the lid, and let it dry. Same for the fridge. A clean, empty, dry unit goes out the door in ten minutes.

Booking it

Pick the appliances, see the total, pick a window. Tell us which floor, whether there is a rear hatch or bulkhead, and whether the block has somewhere a truck can stop. In dense rowhouse neighborhoods a morning window is usually the easier one.

Frequently asked questions