A House of Klaus community initiative

A second life for old machines.

Old computers don't have to end up in a drawer or a landfill. We rescue them, give them a fresh start, and pass them on — free — to neighbours who need one.

Donate a machine Request a computer

Working or broken — we'll take a look either way.

How it started

It began with one machine
headed for the bin.

A neighbour offered to throw away an all-in-one PC. Instead, we took it in. A missing power supply was tracked down, the machine was cleaned and diagnosed — and everything worked. The only problem was its age: a 7th-generation Intel processor, no longer eligible for modern Windows updates, left stranded without a safe path forward.

So we changed its path. In went ChromeOS Flex — an operating system built for exactly this kind of hardware. What came out the other side felt fast, modern, and secure. A computer written off as obsolete, quietly made useful again.

“We posted it to a local group and offered it to whoever had the most genuine need. The response was overwhelming.”

Homeschooling families without a computer at home. Small-business owners whose machines had died. An apprentice electrician doing evening coursework. Families caring for ageing parents who just needed something simple and reliable. Choosing a single recipient was genuinely hard.

Then something unexpected happened. People who saw the post started offering their old machines — laptops and desktops they'd been meaning to get rid of. Each one was accepted, cleaned, wiped, refurbished, and matched with someone who needed it.

What started as one salvaged computer has become an ongoing pipeline — a small, steady stream of refurbished machines reaching people who otherwise wouldn't have one.

How it works

From cast-off to second life

Four simple steps. No jargon, no cost.

  1. 01

    Donate

    A neighbour offers an old laptop or desktop — working or not. Nothing is too old or too tired to look at.

  2. 02

    Diagnose & repair

    A full hardware check, a proper clean, a secure wipe of any old data, and small repairs where they're needed.

  3. 03

    Fresh install

    ChromeOS Flex or a lightweight Linux — set up for the everyday: browsing, email, video calls and documents.

  4. 04

    Give away

    The machine is matched with someone in the community who has a real, demonstrated need — at no cost, ever.

And if it can't be saved?

Nothing goes to landfill.

Some machines are past rescuing. They're still handled with the same care.

  • Every drive securely wiped

    All storage is fully erased (DBAN or equivalent) so no personal data ever leaves with the hardware.

  • Certified e-recycling

    What's left is delivered to a certified e-waste facility — recovered responsibly, not dumped.

  • Zero to landfill

    The whole point: keep old hardware — and the materials inside it — out of the ground for good.

Why it matters

A small idea with
three big returns

Digital equity

A working computer at home is no longer a given. This puts one within reach of people who'd otherwise go without.

Less e-waste

Older hardware is often perfectly capable. Keeping it in use is the greenest computer of all — the one that already exists.

Built by neighbours

Donors and recipients are part of the same community. It's not charity from far away — it's people helping people next door.

Get involved

Two ways to help a machine
find its next home

Donate hardware

Have an old laptop or desktop gathering dust? Working or broken, we'd love to take a look. We can arrange a drop-off or a pickup.

Offer a machine

Request a computer

If you — or someone you know — could really use a computer at home, tell us a little about the need. There's no cost.

Ask for a machine