The sofa that will not make the turn on the stairs, the mattress from the spare room, the freezer in the basement that quit: the everyday work in Chattanooga. Two people and a truck, carried out from wherever it sits, including the basements and split levels the hills produce, hauled the same day when the schedule allows.
Fridges and freezers have the refrigerant recovered as the law requires, anything still working goes to donation where a partner takes it, the metal is scrapped for recycling, and the number is settled before the first piece moves.
What a furniture and appliance removal job involves
- Send a picture or describe the piece; fixed price comes back
- Two people on the carry, with floors and door frames covered
- On the truck and off to donation, recycling or disposal, usually the same day
- Pay by card at the door, or later from a photo of the empty spot
What's included
- Two-person carry-out from any floor, basement or outbuilding
- Floor and door-frame protection on the way out
- Refrigerant pulled from fridges, freezers and window units before scrapping
- Donation drop-off for pieces in usable condition
- Metal recycling for appliances and frames
What the crew cannot do
- Disconnecting gas appliances, which a plumber or the gas company does first
- Items still in use by a tenant or a family member who has not agreed to the removal
Furniture pickup from St. Elmo to Soddy-Daisy
The hills make this job different from a flat city. A basement freezer in Highland Park or Ridgedale usually comes up an outside stair; a sectional in a split-level off Hixson Pike goes out through the garage; a piano in a St. Elmo foursquare goes down a porch with a turn in it. The crew brings two people, straps and a dolly, and the quote already counts the carry, so the number does not move when they see the stairs.
Apartment turnover keeps the mattress and sofa work steady all year, from the buildings near the university and downtown to the newer complexes along Gunbarrel Road and in Ooltewah. Estate sales and downsizing in Brainerd, East Ridge and Red Bank produce the heavier pieces: dressers, sleeper sofas, chest freezers and the upright piano nobody in the family has room for.
The city does collect furniture, mattresses and heavy appliances at the curb for single-family residents, on the property's scheduled collection week and with a cap of twelve bulky pickups per address in a year. Apartment complexes, landlords and businesses are not covered. If your pickup fits that program and can wait for the route, use it; the crew is for the pieces that cannot wait, the ones upstairs or in the basement, and everything the program excludes.
Furniture and Appliance Removal pricing in Chattanooga
A single item is the smallest job: a mattress and box spring runs about $100 to $175, a couch or sectional $135 to $250, a refrigerator or freezer $130 to $200, and a washer, dryer or water heater $100 to $175. Several pieces together are priced by the share of the truck they fill, which works out cheaper per item than separate trips.
What moves the price is the carry and the timing. A third-floor walk-up or a basement reached by an outside stair adds labor; a same-day or weekend slot carries a premium. Items left in the driveway or garage on a weekday sit at the bottom of the range.
Full price list and what moves the price →
Related: Bulk Trash Pickup in Chattanooga: What the City Takes and What It Won't, Junk removal in Hixson, Junk removal in Ooltewah. Official page: City of Chattanooga.
Furniture and Appliance Removal questions, answered
What is the minimum charge for junk removal in Chattanooga?
About $99 to $175, which covers one item: a mattress, a couch or an appliance, carried out from wherever it sits and hauled. Labor, hauling and the disposal fee are all inside that number. The low end applies to a light item in a driveway or garage on a weekday; a fridge coming up a basement stair on a Saturday sits at the top.
Will you take a refrigerator that still has refrigerant in it?
Yes. Refrigerators, freezers, window units and dehumidifiers are handled the legal way, with the refrigerant recovered before the unit is scrapped, and the metal goes to recycling. That is one reason the city landfill on Birchwood Pike does not take appliances from residents and why a curbside program may refuse them.
Do you donate furniture that is still usable?
Where a donation partner will accept it, yes. A clean couch, a working washer or a dresser without damage goes to donation instead of the landfill, which is better for everyone and sometimes lowers the disposal part of the price. Stained mattresses, broken pieces and anything wet go to disposal.
Will the city of Chattanooga pick up a mattress?
For single-family homes inside the city, mattresses are on the accepted list for the scheduled bulky collection, within the twelve bulky pickups each address gets in a year. Apartments, rentals run by a landlord and anyone who cannot wait for their collection week book a crew instead: a mattress and box spring runs about $100 to $175.