Specialty removal
Piano Removal & Disposal
A piano is the heaviest piece of furniture most homes ever own, and the hardest to give away. Somebody's grandmother played it, nobody has played it since, and the last tuner who looked at it said something polite about the soundboard. Junk Rhinos provides piano removal and disposal for exactly that piano: we carry it out safely, try to find it a new home if it is still playable, and recycle it properly if it is not.
Uprights, spinets, consoles and baby grands, from living rooms, basements and second floors. You show us the piano, we confirm a firm price, and it is gone the same visit.
- Insured, uniformed crews
- Free on-site estimate
- No deposit, no hidden fees
- Same or next-day in most areas
- We donate & recycle first
Why piano removal needs a real crew
An upright piano weighs several hundred pounds, and most of that weight sits in a cast iron plate inside the case. The weight is also top-heavy and off-center, which is what makes pianos dangerous to tip and miserable on stairs. They have small casters that were designed to roll a few inches across a living room, not across a lawn, and they scratch hardwood floors the moment anyone tries.
Moving one safely takes a crew who has done it before, a dolly or piano board, straps, floor protection, and a plan for every doorway and step between the piano and the truck. It does not take four friends and a pizza, which is how most pianos end up chipping a doorframe.
One thing to know up front: we are a piano removal service, not a piano moving service. We take pianos out for donation, recycling or disposal. If you want your piano moved to your new house and tuned on arrival, you need a piano mover, and we will happily tell you so.
What our piano removal includes
Walk-through and estimate
The crew checks the piano type, the floor it is on, the stairs, doorways and turns, and the route to the truck, then confirms a firm, all-in price before lifting anything.
Protect the floors and doorways
Floor runners and padding go down along the route, and door frames and banisters are covered where the piano will pass close.
Secure and lift
The piano is wrapped, strapped to a dolly or piano board, and moved under control. On stairs, it goes one step at a time with crew above and below.
Load and haul
The piano goes onto our truck, along with anything else you want gone: the bench, the sheet music, the room it was in.
Rehome or recycle
Playable pianos are offered for donation where we can place them. The rest are dismantled and recycled. You do not have to manage any of it.
Piano removal situations we handle
Very few people call us about a piano they love. These are the calls we get.
The inherited upright nobody plays
A parent's or grandparent's piano that came to you because nobody else had room. It holds family photos and has not been tuned since the photos were taken. This is the most common junk piano removal call, and the honest answer about value is usually the hardest part.
Clearing a whole house
Pianos are often the single heaviest item in an estate or house cleanout, and the one families worry about most. Adding the piano to a full house cleanout or estate cleanout on the same visit is usually the most cost-effective way to handle it.
The piano that came with the house
Sellers often leave pianos behind because moving one costs more than the piano is worth. New owners get a living room focal point they never asked for. We take it out so the room can be what you want it to be.
The basement piano
Someone got it down there decades ago, possibly before the stairs were finished. Getting it up is the hard part, and it is where a crew with a piano board earns its keep. Stairs add labor, which the crew prices before starting.
Downsizing or moving into a smaller place
An apartment or assisted-living unit rarely has room for an upright. If the move is happening anyway, the piano can leave with the rest of what is not going, as part of an apartment cleanout or furniture removal.
Churches, schools and studios
Old practice pianos replaced by digital ones, or a baby grand that has reached the end of its life. We remove pianos from commercial and community buildings, working around services, classes and building access rules.
Straight talk
Before we arrive
Tell us the type and location
Spinet, console, studio upright, full upright or baby grand, and which floor it is on. A photo of the piano and the stairs or doorway it must pass through helps more than anything.
Clear the path
Move rugs, small furniture and anything fragile out of the route from the piano to the door. The crew handles the piano; you just give it room.
Take out what is yours
Empty the bench, remove photos and ornaments from the top, and check inside the lid. People leave surprising things in pianos.
Decide if anything stays
Some families keep the bench, a nameplate or the music rack as a keepsake. Tell us before we start.
What we take and what we do not
We take:
- Spinet, console and studio upright pianos
- Full-size upright pianos, including old heavy uprights
- Baby grand pianos, assessed on-site
- Player pianos and old reed organs
- Piano benches, stools and sheet music
- Digital pianos and keyboards, routed to e-waste recycling
- The rest of the room or the house, on the same truck
We do not move pianos to a new address, and we do not tune or restore them. Paints, solvents, polishes and chemicals stay behind; take these to your household hazardous waste program. A piano built into a structure needs an on-site assessment before we agree to take it.
What does piano removal cost?
Piano removal is priced by the truck space it fills plus the labor it takes, which with a piano is the part that matters. A spinet or console on a ground floor with a short path to the door takes about an eighth of the truck and is a straightforward job. A full upright takes about a quarter, and if it is coming up basement stairs or around tight turns, it takes more crew time and more care on top of that. Baby grands take a quarter to half the truck and may need specialized equipment, so they are assessed on-site.
A piano on its own usually takes a small share of the truck, so many customers add it to a larger job, like a house cleanout or estate cleanout, where it rides on the same truck and the same visit and the whole load runs from half a truck to a full one. Either way, the crew confirms the firm, all-in price free before anything is lifted, and our pricing page explains how the truck-space tiers work.
- Priced by the truck space your load fills
- Firm, all-in price confirmed free on-site
- No deposit, and nothing owed until it is done
- Labor, hauling and disposal fees all included
How long does it take?
Most ground-floor uprights are out of the house in under an hour. Stairs, tight turns and baby grands take longer, but still usually fit within a single visit. If the piano is part of a bigger cleanout, the crew works it into the day's plan and gives you a realistic timeline at the walk-through.
What happens to the piano
Here is the honest part. Most old pianos have little or no resale value. Older uprights in particular often have cracked soundboards, loose tuning pins or worn actions that would cost more to repair than the piano is worth, and the market for used acoustic pianos is small. When a piano is still playable, we try to place it with a local charity, school, church or new owner who will take it, but we cannot promise that someone will.
Pianos that cannot be rehomed are dismantled and recycled. The wooden case and keys, the cast iron plate and the steel strings each go to the right stream where local facilities accept them. Very little of a piano has to go to a landfill.
Frequently asked questions
How much does piano removal cost?
It depends on the type of piano, how much truck space it takes and how hard the route out is. Stairs, tight turns, long carries and the extra equipment a baby grand may need all add labor. The crew confirms a firm, all-in price free on-site before starting.
Is there free piano removal near me?
Free removal is rare, because moving a piano safely takes a crew and a truck either way. If your piano is in good playing condition, a local school, church or buyer may collect it at no cost, so it is worth asking around first. If nobody will, we remove it for a fixed price.
Is my old piano worth anything?
Usually less than people hope. Most older uprights have little resale value, especially if they no longer hold a tune. A piano technician can tell you for certain before you decide.
Can you donate my piano?
We try to rehome playable pianos when a local charity, school or new owner will accept them, but many organizations no longer take acoustic pianos. When donation is not possible, we recycle it.
Do you move pianos to a new home?
No. We remove pianos for donation, recycling or disposal. For a move to a new address, you need a dedicated piano mover.
Can you remove a piano from upstairs or a basement?
Yes. Stairs add labor, which the crew prices before starting, and we protect the steps, walls and banisters along the way.
Do you remove baby grand pianos?
Yes, in most cases. Grands are assessed on-site because they may need extra crew or specialized equipment, and the price reflects that.
What happens to a piano when it is recycled?
It is taken apart, and the wood, cast iron plate and steel strings are separated and sent to the right recycling or disposal streams.
Can you take the piano along with the rest of the house?
Yes, and it is usually the better deal. A piano added to a house or estate cleanout rides on the same truck and visit.
How quickly can you remove a piano?
Same-day or next-day appointments are available in most areas. Baby grands and difficult access may need a scheduled walk-through first.
Do you take digital pianos and organs?
Yes. Digital pianos and keyboards go to e-waste recycling, and old reed organs are handled like any other piece of heavy furniture.
Ready when you are
Get back the corner of the room the old upright has been holding for twenty years. Call (877) 283-1595 or request a free estimate online, and the piano leaves without a scratch on the doorframe.