Wardrobe Removal

A wardrobe almost never leaves a flat in one piece. Most wardrobes were assembled in the room from flat panels, and they only come back out dismantled. That is the part of the job that takes the most time — the carrying out and the loading are quick.

Which wardrobes we remove

• Wardrobes — including three-door ones and ones with mirrors;
• Sliding-door wardrobes — often fixed to the wall, the floor or the ceiling;
• Chests of drawers and dressers;
• Bookshelves and display cabinets;
• Kitchen units and sections;
• Pantry and basement shelving.

Sliding-door wardrobe removal

On a sliding-door wardrobe the doors don't hang on hinges but run along tracks screwed into the floor and the ceiling. While the tracks are in place the carcass can't be moved at all, so the first step is always to lift the door panels out of the tracks and only then unscrew the tracks. If the wardrobe is built into an alcove, the side and top panels are often screwed straight to the wall — we release those fixings too before dismantling.

Mirrored doors come off separately and are wrapped before being carried out. A full-length mirrored panel is heavy and easily knocks against the wall at a stairwell turn, and a broken mirror in a stairwell is a far bigger problem than the wardrobe itself. If your wardrobe has mirrored doors, say so in your request.

Wardrobes, chests of drawers and shelving

We dismantle wardrobes in a set order: first the doors off their hinges, then the hanging rails and the shelves, then the back panel, and only last the sides and the top. If the back panel comes off too early, the carcass loses its rigidity and starts to flex while the screws are still holding it together.

On chests of drawers we take the drawers out before moving anything. If they're left in, they slide out while the piece is being carried, force their way off the runners and can land on someone's feet or slam into a door jamb.

Shelves and wall units usually hang on wall plugs or corner brackets. We unscrew them from the wall — the holes left behind afterwards are normal and can be filled.

Older wardrobe panels are chipboard, and during dismantling they often crack or crumble around the screws. That isn't damage that changes anything — the piece is going to the landfill either way, and a broken panel actually takes up less space in the load. If you're planning to reassemble the wardrobe elsewhere, tell us in advance.

What to do before we arrive

The wardrobe has to be emptied. Clothes, bedding, crockery and whatever has accumulated on basement shelving must be left empty for us, because a full wardrobe can neither be dismantled nor safely carried, and we don't take responsibility for anything left inside. If there's nowhere to put your things, that needs solving before the visit.

While we work we cover the floor and the door jambs under the work area, because that is exactly where screwing and lifting cause scratches. Afterwards we pick up the screws and panel crumbs — nothing is left in the room.

Price

Wardrobe removal starts at €40, excluding VAT. If dismantling is needed, it is added from €15.

If it's a whole flat's worth of furniture rather than one wardrobe, see apartment clearance.

See also: furniture dismantling, price list.