What to do with a dead refrigerator or washer

An appliance is one of the few things in a house you can't just walk to the curb. It's heavy, it has a cord and sometimes refrigerant, and where it goes depends on whether it still works.

Find out whether it works before you call anyone

A washer that fills and drains but won't spin is a repair, not junk, and somebody will buy it cheap to fix or strip. A fridge that never gets cold is scrap. Plug it in somewhere it can run for a while and see what actually happens.

If it works, call a charity or a reuse store that takes appliances before you call a hauler. Ask whether they'll take it from a basement, whether it has to be at the door, and whether they want the doors left on.

If you're buying a new one, ask the store first

• Whether haul-away is included in the price or added on.
• Whether they'll disconnect the old unit and take it from where it sits.
• Whether they'll take it if it's already in the garage or on the porch.
• Whether they'll take a second appliance on the same trip.
• What they do if the old unit doesn't fit through the door.

Utility pickups and scrap are different routes

Many utilities run a pickup program for old refrigerators and freezers because the unit gets recycled properly instead of leaking. Call yours and ask whether they have one and what they need — usually the unit is empty and two people can move it.

Scrap yards take appliances for the metal, but a refrigerator has refrigerant in a sealed system, and a yard may want proof it was recovered before they'll accept it. Ask that question before you load it in a borrowed truck.

Prep it before it leaves the house

• Empty it completely, including the freezer, the crisper and the door shelves.
• Unplug it, tape the cord to the back, and pull the racks out.
• Take the doors off a refrigerator before it sits anywhere a kid can reach it.
• Drain the washer hoses into a bucket and tape them up.
• Clean the lint out of the dryer and the vent behind it.

Bulk pickup and the curb

Most towns will take an appliance on a bulky-item day, but you usually have to call ahead, and some won't take anything with refrigerant unless it's tagged. Ask what day, what they want on the item, and whether they'll only take it from the curb.

Don't set it out the night before and hope. In plenty of places an appliance at the curb is a code problem, and it attracts people who take the motor and leave the doors and insulation in the street.

The thing people get wrong is leaving the doors on. A refrigerator sitting at a curb or in a garage with the doors attached is a hazard, and every hauler and every town will tell you the same. Take them off before it leaves the kitchen, not after it's outside.