Appliance Removal in
the DMV

The appliance, disconnected and gone

When the new refrigerator, washer, or dryer arrives, the old one has to go — and in the DMV it's often down in the row-house basement. We take it from there: we disconnect a standard unit, carry it up the stairs and out of the kitchen, laundry room, or basement, and haul it away at one flat price from a photo. The water heater is a common basement job, and on anything with refrigerant in it the unit goes to certified recovery rather than a transfer station. Schedule us around your delivery and the old unit is gone the same day. (DC adds sales tax; MD and VA don't tax the service.)

How appliance removal works in the DMV

How much does appliance removal cost in DC?

Flat per appliance, quoted from a photo. The disconnection, the carry-out, the drive, the disposal and the refrigerant handling are all inside the number — there's no per-flight charge and no "environmental fee" added at the door.

Large appliances

Small & built-in

The ladder is weight and handling, in order: microwave $40 → dishwasher $147 → dryer $172 → washer $179 → chest freezer $196 → refrigerator $221 → large refrigerator $246. The one bundle worth knowing about is the laundry pair — a washer and dryer together is $255 rather than $351 as two separate items, which is why a dead laundry room is almost always booked as a set. $75 minimum, so a lone microwave bills at the minimum. Multiple appliances combine into one flat number on one trip.

For an outside benchmark: HomeGuide's 2026 junk-removal pricing research puts 1-800-GOT-JUNK at roughly a $100–$150 minimum and College HUNKS starting from $150, both priced by truck volume and both confirmed only after an on-site estimate. Our fridge is a published $221 from a photo. DC adds sales tax at checkout; MD and VA don't tax the service.

6 ways to get rid of an old appliance in the DMV

Does Washington DC pick up appliances?

Some, from some addresses, at the curb, on a scheduled date. DC DPW runs a free Bulk Trash Collection program, requested through 311 or at dpw.dc.gov. Before you plan around it:

• Single-family homes and buildings of three units or fewer only.
• Up to seven items per appointment, on DPW's date rather than yours.
• Condos, co-ops and apartment buildings of four or more units are excluded entirely and must have bulk items removed by a private, licensed hauler.

And then there's the part nobody mentions until the truck is gone: the appliance still has to get from the kitchen or the basement laundry room to the curb, and DPW doesn't do that. A French-door refrigerator through a Capitol Hill row-house doorway, or a water heater up a cellar stair, is the actual work — and it's the piece every free program leaves entirely to you.

There's a second reason the free route is slow for appliances specifically: many DMV jurisdictions treat refrigerant units as a separate special-handling stream, because a fridge, freezer or AC unit can't be crushed or landfilled until its refrigerant has been recovered by a certified technician. That's a different truck, a different facility and a different schedule from ordinary bulk trash. Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County each run their own scheduled or on-call bulk programs with their own item caps and exclusions — confirm your jurisdiction's current rules directly, and expect cooling appliances to be handled apart from the rest.

What we take

• Refrigerators & freezers — kitchen fridges, French-door units, the garage beer fridge, mini fridges, chest and upright freezers, wine coolers and ice makers.
• Washers & dryers — front and top loaders, stacked units, and the pair together as one price.
• Ranges, cooktops & dishwashers — gas and electric ranges, drop-in cooktops, wall ovens, range hoods, dishwashers and trash compactors.
• Water heaters — the basement classic, tank or tankless, drained and carried up.
• Cooling & air — window and portable AC units, dehumidifiers, and the summer swap-out pile.
• Small kitchen appliances — microwaves, built-in microwaves, garbage disposals, and whatever's on the counter that stopped working.

What happens to your appliance after pickup — and why freon matters

This is the part that separates a licensed hauler from a guy with a pickup truck. Refrigerant appliances — refrigerators, freezers, window and portable AC units, dehumidifiers and wine coolers — require EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before they can be disposed of or scrapped. The refrigerant has to be evacuated by a certified technician into a recovery system; venting it is illegal, and no legitimate scrap yard or transfer station will take a sealed system that hasn't been evacuated. So we don't drop your fridge at a transfer station. It goes to a recovery facility, gets evacuated properly, and only then moves on to metal recycling. That is precisely why your neighbor with a truck can't legally handle your refrigerator, and why "I'll just take it to the dump myself" isn't a plan for a cooling appliance.

Everything else gets sorted the same careful way. Steel and aluminum go to metal scrap — a washer, a dryer, a water heater and a range are mostly recoverable metal, which is the single best environmental outcome available for them. Working, usable appliances are routed toward donation where a partner will take them, rather than being scrapped by default. Control boards, compressors and electronics go to the appropriate recycling stream — DC, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Fairfax County and Arlington all run e-waste and appliance recycling drop-offs. What's genuinely left over is tipped responsibly at the Fairfax I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 complex, or Montgomery County's Shady Grove facility, where the published Fairfax commercial rate runs about $90 a ton for FY2026. All of it is inside your flat price.

Basements, row houses, and the buildings that need a COI

We disconnect, within reason. On a standard hookup we shut off and disconnect the water line on a washer, dishwasher or ice-maker, and we close a gas range or water heater at the existing shutoff valve. What we don't do is cut gas lines or perform licensed plumbing or gas-fitting work — if a line needs capping or re-piping, that's a licensed plumber, and we'll say so when you send the photo rather than after the crew is standing in your kitchen.

English basements and cellars. The old water heater, washer and dryer live at the bottom of a narrow row-house stair in Capitol Hill, Petworth and Brookland, and in the utility rooms of Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Vienna. We bring an appliance dolly down, strap the unit, and walk it up. No stair fee, no basement surcharge.

Floors and narrow stairs. Georgetown, Capitol Hill and Old Town Alexandria row houses have historic finishes and tight vintage stair turns. We lay floor protection, pad the turns, and pull doors off hinges when that's the difference between fitting and gouging a jamb.

High-rise kitchens. For Navy Yard, NoMa, West End, The Wharf, Rosslyn, Ballston and Tysons buildings we file a certificate of insurance 48–72 hours ahead naming the management company or association as additional insured and reserve the freight-elevator and loading-dock window. No high-rise surcharge. In DC that paperwork isn't optional politeness — condo, co-op and 4+ unit buildings are required to use a private licensed hauler for bulk items, and your building is entitled to see the COI before we come up.

When people call us for appliance removal

• Kitchen renovation — the range, the dishwasher, the wall oven and the old fridge all leave in one trip before the cabinets arrive.
• The appliance died — a dead washer or a fridge that stopped cooling, out today so the replacement can be delivered tomorrow.
• Landlord and condo turnover — a unit being flipped between tenants, in a building that requires a licensed hauler anyway.
• PCS and federal relocation — Permanent Change of Station moves peak in summer across Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax, and the garage fridge and window units don't travel.
• Estate cleanouts — Bethesda, Chevy Chase and McLean homes being cleared, often with a second fridge and a chest freezer nobody knew was still running.
• The basement chest-freezer purge — the one that's been humming since 2009 and costing more in electricity than it holds in food.
• The summer window-AC swap — old units out when central air goes in, or at the end of a rental.

Why the DMV chooses JunkRabbit for appliances

• A flat price from a photo — $221 for the fridge, $179 for the washer, known before anyone drives out. No volume math, no re-quote at the door.
• Refrigerant handled properly — fridges, freezers, AC units and dehumidifiers routed to EPA-certified recovery, not the curb and not a transfer-station drop.
• We disconnect and we carry — up from the English basement, out of the high-rise kitchen, with floor protection on historic row-house finishes. No stair fee.
• Licensed, insured, COI-ready — which matters twice in DC, where 4+ unit buildings are required to use a private licensed hauler.
• Scrap and e-waste first — steel and aluminum recycled, electronics to the DC / MoCo / PG / Fairfax / Arlington drop-offs, landfill last.

What appliance-removal customers say

Appliance removal questions, answered

How much does appliance removal cost in DC?

Flat by appliance: microwave $40, garbage disposal $63, range hood $71, cooktop $95, dehumidifier $104, portable AC $114, window AC $117–$147, tankless water heater $121, dishwasher $147, mini fridge $155, dryer $172, electric range $172, gas range $176, tank water heater $176, washer $179, chest freezer $196, upright freezer $201, refrigerator $221, large refrigerator $246, washer + dryer pair $255. $75 minimum. Disconnection, carry-out and disposal included. DC adds sales tax; MD and VA don't tax the service.

Why can't I just put the refrigerator at the curb?

Because refrigerant appliances — fridges, freezers, window and portable ACs, dehumidifiers, wine coolers — require EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before disposal. We route them to a recovery facility instead of a transfer station. It's also why a neighbor with a pickup truck can't legally handle your fridge.

Will DC bulk trash pick up an appliance?

Only from single-family homes and buildings of three units or fewer, up to seven items per appointment, requested via 311 or dpw.dc.gov. Condos, co-ops and 4+ unit buildings are excluded and must use a private licensed hauler. It's curbside — the fridge still has to get out of the kitchen. MD and VA counties run their own capped programs, and several handle refrigerant units separately.

Do you disconnect it?

Yes, for a standard hookup — water line off on a washer, dishwasher or ice-maker; a gas range or water heater closed at the existing shutoff valve. We don't cut gas lines or do licensed plumbing work; if a line needs capping, that's a plumber and we'll tell you up front.

Can you get a water heater or washer up from the basement?

Yes — appliance dolly down the English-basement stairs, floor protection on the row-house finishes, up and out. No stair fee.

Can you take the old one when the new one is delivered?

Yes — schedule us around the delivery window. Retailer haul-away usually only applies when you're buying a replacement of the same type, so the second fridge in the basement is on you either way.

Is it cheaper than 1-800-GOT-JUNK or College HUNKS?

For one or two appliances, generally — and always more predictable. HomeGuide's 2026 research puts 1-800-GOT-JUNK at about a $100–$150 minimum and College HUNKS from $150, both volume-priced after an on-site estimate. Ours is a published $221 fridge, from a photo, refrigerant handling included.

Can you do a high-rise appliance swap?

Yes — COI filed 48–72 hours ahead naming building management as additional insured, freight elevator and dock reserved, no high-rise surcharge.

Appliance removal across the DMV

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