It isn't often that anyone outside your family or circle of friends offers to lend you a hand with spring housecleaning.

But if you're willing to do your part, the Pennsylvania Resources Council and the Appliance Warehouse will help you get rid of old, broken or unwanted washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers and other items referred to as "white goods." The offer also includes air conditioners.

Here's the deal: If you take those items to the Appliance Warehouse at 523 Bingham St. on the South Side, it will dispose of them for free.

If you can't get them there, the store will pick them up by appointment. The curb pickup fee is $42.75. The fee increases to $62 if the item has to be removed from the house. But you'll receive a 10 percent discount if you say the magic words "Don't be a litterbug" when you call in -- the PRC, which created the litterbug icon in 1952, developed that slogan.

For every item donated, the Appliance Warehouse will make a donation to support the Pennsylvania Resources Council's efforts to combat litter and graffiti. The council, established in 1939, is a nonprofit environmental organization that says it has "a passion for recycling."

Landlords, businesses, boroughs, townships and other municipalities also may take advantage of the offer. There is no limit to the number of appliances that may be dropped off.

Although the "no limit" promise may appear to be over-the-top, Appliance Warehouse said it is up to the challenge. It has 60,000 square feet of space in which it recycles major appliances from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and more than 50 employees to do the work.

Don't worry about items that contain freon. The compound will be removed at the warehouse by technicians certified by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

PRC's regional director, Dave Mazza, said its partnership with the Appliance Warehouse has two primary benefits: It helps everyone get rid of their unwanted appliances safely and legally, and it supports grass-roots community efforts to eliminate litter and graffiti from their neighborhoods.

"Working with PRC provides us the opportunity to give back to the community while capturing items that pose a challenge for residents to properly dispose of," Appliance Warehouse owner Fred Landay said in a statement.

For more information or to schedule a pickup, call toll-free 1-888-463-7366, or visit www.appliancedisposal.org or www.prc.org.

And if you ever see someone disposing of these items improperly, especially on vacant or wooded property, get a description of their car or truck, their license number, if possible, and call the police.

Getting a lift

Mary Lou Borst, of Carnegie, called to say Lanza Respiratory Services in Green Tree followed through with its promise to replace her defective electric reclining chair with a new one "that is just wonderful."

"It feels so comfortable to finally be able to sit down and put my legs up properly," said Mrs. Borst, 79, a retired customer service representative for Bell Telephone Co. and an active senior volunteer at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Carnegie.

When her doctors prescribed an electric reclining chair so she could rest her aching back and feet, Mrs. Borst knew just where to go -- Lanza, the local medical supply company acquired about a year ago by Rotech Health Care Inc. of Orlando, Fla. She has been a customer for more than 30 years.

She ordered the chair in mid-July. It arrived Aug. 31. Instead of descending and ascending slowly, the back of the chair dropped suddenly when reclining and jolted forward when returning to an upright position. After months of trying to get the chair replaced, Mrs. Borst called me in early January and asked for my help.

After watching the plunge-and-catapult characteristics of the chair, I visited the store and discussed Mrs. Borst's problem with supervisor Ross Mascellino. He said he would take care of it and he did.

She said he also called and apologized.

"I really appreciated that," she said.