The old fridge in the laundry in Mermaid Beach

I found Clear Out by searching on my phone while standing in the middle of the mess in Mermaid Beach. We replaced our washing machine, dryer and dishwasher in one go after a kitchen update. The retailer wouldn't take the old ones.

It was a big side-by-side with a plumbed-in ice maker, and the laundry door was only just wide enough.

Mermaid Beach is beachfront cottages, duplexes and knock-down-rebuild sites, and getting things out isn't always simple. Narrow lanes off the Gold Coast Highway need careful truck placement.

I sent a couple of photos and got a call back within the hour. They gave me a rough idea on the phone but said they'd confirm a fixed price when they saw it in person.

They parked so the back of the truck lined up with the side gate, put a drop sheet down at the door and asked me to show them anything that was staying.

They took the dryer off the wall bracket without cracking the tiles, which I'd been worried about. All three went to a metals recycler.

By the time I'd made them a coffee, it was nearly finished. The price didn't change, and they even took a couple of extra bits I'd forgotten about without charging more.

I'd tried to do it myself twice before. Next time I'm just ringing straight away.