What should we do with appliances after kitchen renovation

June 22, 2016 8:19 AM

I'm about to kick off a kitchen renovation in Brooklyn and trying to figure out what the best thing to do with the appliances is.

I'm replacing all the appliances with new ones and I'm not totally clear on what the best thing to do with my perfectly functioning but 5-10 year old oven, fridge, and IKEA pantry that's built in (I think the 70 year old built in cabinets are lost causes :-( ). I suppose I can just throw them out but that seems dumb. Is there a market to sell these? Or should just I just forget about that and donate to the habitat for humanity store or let Coned pick them up?

Other ideas? I guess you usually get rid of things when they don't work anymore, which is why I'm little unclear

posted by jourman2 to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

The market is called Craigslist, but once the age of the appliances is into the double digits you're at or close to giving them away, at least in my area. Still, worth taking a look and seeing what prices people are trying to get for their stuff local to you. Ignore the highest numbers you see and take the middle 50% of prices as "real", plus the usual onsite haggling by buyers.
posted by deludingmyself at 8:40 AM on June 22, 2016

Will the store(s) from which you're purchasing appliances take the old ones away?
posted by thomas j wise at 8:51 AM on June 22, 2016

Freecycle's a decent option.
posted by kmennie at 8:55 AM on June 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Seconding deludingmyself; my practice here is to list stuff on Craigslist with the stipulation that it's free to anyone willing to come pick it up. Lots of donation places won't if you have stairs or can't pull the truck right to the door.
posted by backwards compatible at 9:09 AM on June 22, 2016

Habitat won't take them unfortunately - I've been told they'll only take appliances that are less than a couple years old.

One alternative that we used our old neighbourhood was simply to leave everyone in your front yard and people just show up and take the stuff. Appliances have scrap metal value and you'd be surprised who wants old cabinets. Do you have enough yard/curb space to put stuff out there without blocking the sidewalk and/or street?
posted by GuyZero at 9:21 AM on June 22, 2016

Call an organization helping to set up newly-arrived refugee families. They're not trying to sell them and don't always have time to wait for newer models to come along, so they're probably less likely to demand reject working appliances that aren't the newest models.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:25 AM on June 22, 2016

The main problem with selling old appliances in NYC is that most people rent, and apartments come with fridges, ranges, etc. And if there's an appliance that is less typical, like a dishwasher or washer/dryer, most apartments don't have space or hookups for them.

Homeowners doing renovations usually spring for new, just like you have.

On the other hand, you might luck into a shady landlord who's looking to replace his tenant's broken fridge with a second-hand one. So check Craigslist? But IDK I think you're just not going to have the kind of luck with this that you would in other cities where housing stock varies more.

Have you called Build It Green and Big Reuse?
posted by Sara C. at 9:34 AM on June 22, 2016

Many appliance dealers will remove the old appliances for a small fee when they deliver the new ones.
posted by rachelpapers at 12:05 PM on June 22, 2016

As someone who has purchased all her appliances off of Craigslist..... Craigslist. I also managed to sell our portable dishwasher on Craigslist for a pittance but, hey, out of my hair forever! The stove and wall oven were advertised as free and were set outside in a location out of the weather where someone could just come get them without me having to be involved. The fridge was picked up by the electric company and $50 was credited to our bill. They had a rebate program for old fridges. Check with your area gov't and utilities/hazardous waste to see if any of your appliances qualify for such a program. Also, as mentioned above, many appliance dealers will cart away your old appliance for you, although some charge a fee for this. Check it out as an option. They will often have a nice appliance dolly to get stuff up and down stairs easily. When I lived on the 3rd floor and was replacing a fridge, the small fee to take the old one away was worth every penny.
posted by Foam Pants at 12:16 PM on June 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Check your local electrical utility company for rebates. If your new appliance is EnergyStar qualified and if the vendor recycles your old appliance, you might get money back from the city/county.
posted by matildaben at 12:20 PM on June 22, 2016

Another vote to give Craigslist a shot, and/or search Facebook for local buy-sell groups.

When I renovated our kitchen, I sold the fridge (about 3 years old) through Facebook, and a dishwasher, sink, wall oven, and stovetop (all about 15 years old, but in great shape) through Craigslist. I got $300 for the fridge, and $150 for all the rest.

However, this is all very geographically dependent, and you should be ready and willing to take any offer, or even give them away. I was ready to give away the 15 year old stuff, but someone just happened to need a wall oven exactly the size of mine. Theirs gave up the ghost the week before Thanksgiving, and they were supposed to cook and host the family dinner. It worked out great for both of us; they were thrilled to find the oven, and I was thrilled to get something for the whole stack.
posted by The Deej at 1:12 PM on June 22, 2016 [1 favorite]