How to Dispose Your Bulky Massage Chair?
After serving you for many years, your aged massage chair has finally conked out on you. So! Out with the old, in with the new ain’t it? But wait, how are you going to get rid of this bulky relic? In this article, we share with you some of the considerations of massage chair disposal.
Types of Residences
Whether you are a HDB flat, condo, or landed home dweller, the property which you dispose your massage chair from may determine the price and complexity of the disposal service. Houses are not built the same, and even more so with the varied interior furnishings that could pose significant challenge to the removal process.
HDB Flat
If you are living at an HDB flat, you can call your town council for bulky item disposal. Each unit is eligible to dispose of up to 3 articles per month for free. Some town councils also provide the service at a small fee for the 4th item onwards. For example, Tampines Town Council charges S$5 per additional piece of item. This service, however, is not inclusive of removal of large or fragile furniture items such as large cabinets, pianos or fish tanks.
As a rule of thumb, you need to check on the following before calling your town council.
1) Can the object fit into the lift?
2) Does it need to be dismantled?
3) Are the items fragile? Will it require more than two persons to remove it?
Because of these limitations, some massage chairs may not be eligible for this service. If the removal is not within the capacity of the estate cleaners, professional removal services will need to be engaged. Another point to note is that town council workers cannot enter your unit for the removal. You will need to find some means to carry out and leave the massage chair at the corridor or outside your unit before the stipulated collection time and date for the disposal.
Apartments & Condominiums
Different apartments or condominiums have different disposal arrangements. For some properties, residents can dispose of their bulky furniture items once every few months. For others, the condo management may not provide such disposal services, so residents will have to engage their own contractors to do the deed. Take note that procedures vary widely according to condo management rules so it will be best to check with the office before disposal.
Some condos or older apartments do not have lifts or lift landings on every level, so that will mean additional elbow grease for disposal service personnel. Be prepared to shell out additional dollars for the service. Some condos even have rules to prevent accidental damage to the fancy lifts or common areas caused by errant movers or disposal service providers. Take heed to bear these in mind for your next massage chair purchase.
Landed Property
Landed property residents are served by an external public waste collector (PWC). Hence, call the PWC assigned to your estate for this purpose.
(Image by NEA. PWC for different estates in Singapore)
Disposal service by PWC cost approximately S$150 and upwards for an average sized massage chair. Note that collectors will not enter the house for the collection – all collection has to be done strictly in the porch area. If your massage chair is not on ground level, you will probably need to engage professional disposal services to navigate the stairs. Check around and read customers’ reviews so that you engage a responsible contractor to assist with the disposal for a reasonable cost.
Types of Massage Chairs
Before scheduling an appointment, do furnish the disposal service provider with the following information to ensure that the job is achievable. This will probably save you a lot of grief over the final bill and prevent misunderstanding.
Width of Massage Chair
Massage chairs come in varying widths. Some of the bulkier models may face issues going through narrow doors or passageways. Some may not even fit into shoebox-sized lifts.
Thankfully, the side panels of most massage chairs can be dismantled to allow for easier removal. However, not all disposal service providers know how to dismantle them, especially for older models of massage chairs.
For some cases, gates may have to be removed to get the chair out. Such professional dismantling service will likely come at additional costs but will save you heartbreak should your polished marble flooring or nicely manicured wallpaper be accidentally damaged during the disposal process.
Case Study 1: Wide massage chair stuck at narrow door frame
This is a classic example of a massage chair being a little wider than the standard door width. Possible actions 1) Dismantle the side panels of massage chairs 2) Dismantle the door. Both will take 30 minutes to an hour depending on the complexity of massage chair assembly or door.
Weight of Massage Chair
Some massage chairs can weigh upwards of 100kg to even 150kgs. These likely may require extra labour for the removal. Therefore, it is good practice to inform your service provider about the brand and model of your massage chair for the weight to be assessed appropriately.
Case Study 2: Rounded staircase needs more manpower to manoeuvre
For round staircase, a minimum of three men will have to lift up the massage chair physically to go around the corner.
Free Disposal with Replacement
Some companies offer free disposal service if you purchase a new massage chair from them. Others may charge a fee depending on the types of residential and the model of the massage chair.
Miuvo offers free disposal service with purchase of our massage chairs. Terms and conditions apply.
