How Can I Get Rid of Furniture for Free? Tips for a Hassle-Free Experience

If you are preparing for a home cleanout or recently bought some new furniture to update your home’s interior, you probably have some unwanted furniture taking up space.

The good news is that you have several ways to get rid of furniture without paying for pricey pickup services. Several organizations offer junk removal, furniture removal, and donation pickup services to help you declutter and get rid of furniture you no longer want or use.

Whether you have an old mattress, gently used home decor, or an old couch, you can clear up space by tossing or donating your unwanted furniture. Before deciding to visit a donation center or put your items on the curb, consider all your options to determine which is the most convenient for you.

What Kinds of Old Furniture Can I Donate?

Essentially, you can donate any of your unwanted furniture, including:

• An old couch
• An old sofa
• Chairs
• Dressers
• Nightstands
• A used desk
• Kitchen items

You can get rid of anything cluttering your home or business by donating it to charity, visiting local thrift stores, or going to a safe disposal location. However, if you want to donate your furniture, it should be in good and usable condition. If your items are broken, filthy, or unusable, you should consider furniture disposal instead.

How Can I Get Rid of My Unwanted Furniture?

Whether you need furniture disposal for broken items or want to donate your old items to charity, there are several free ways to get rid of large and small furniture.

First, you should ask yourself why you are getting rid of your furniture items. If you want to dispose of items that have significant damage, you should rethink donating them to a charitable organization. However, if your old bed frames or desks are in relatively good condition, you can take them to various local charities and homeless shelters.

After deciding why you are getting rid of old furniture, you can explore the different resources available. Some options can help with furniture removal, while others require more effort on your end.

Sell It Online

One way to get rid of old mattresses and other unwanted furniture is by selling or giving them away online. The internet has endless opportunities for selling and buying items, giving you a significant advantage.

For example, many people use Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to advertise their available furniture. If your items are in good condition, you could potentially sell your old furniture for cash.

Using the internet to sell or give away your furniture has several advantages, such as:

• You can reach a significantly wider audience of potential takers.
• People will often come to you to pick up free items.
• It’s completely free to post a listing.

However, like anything else on the internet, some disadvantages exist to posting your items online, such as:

• Strangers will message you and come to your home for the furniture.
• You will get responses from people who are not genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

Overall, the internet can be a convenient way to get rid of old furniture.

Have a Garage Sale

Perhaps the most traditional junk removal method is hosting a garage sale. Garage sales are a great way to meet the local community and get rid of items cluttering your home while making some extra cash.

As with anything, garage sales have various pros and cons. For example, they often require you to move your heavy or bulky items into the yard so you don’t have strangers coming into your home. In addition, you have no guarantee that anyone will take them, even after the heavy lifting.

However, garage sales are a great way to get cash for your unwanted items when you can successfully sell them. Selling items in person also means that you don’t have to schedule a pickup or junk removal service.

Leave It Outside

Although a riskier option, you can always leave your used furniture outside on the curb. Leaving unwanted items outside is a universal sign that they are free to whoever wants them.

This junk removal method is convenient because it doesn’t require you to drive anywhere or schedule a furniture removal service. However, leaving your items outside for too long could potentially damage them, reducing your chances of getting rid of them, and making your home seem even more cluttered.

Donate It

If your old furniture is in relatively good condition, you can donate it to various charities. Donating furniture is one of the best options because it allows you to clear the clutter while giving your unwanted furniture to someone who needs it.

These days, you usually don’t have to drive to the donation center to drop off your items. You can donate furniture without leaving your home by scheduling a furniture removal or donation pickup with a charitable organization.

Whether donating children’s items or wood furniture, it’s important to ensure that the donated items are still usable. There’s no sense in giving donation centers tables with a missing leg or couches cut in half.

Guidelines for Donating Old Furniture

As we previously stated, donating is one of the best ways to get rid of old furniture. Not only is it sustainable, but it allows you to give to those in need.

Since the purpose of donating furniture items is for others to reuse them, you should ensure that they aren’t too severely damaged. For example, donation centers are often hesitant to pick up certain items unless they are in excellent condition because furniture upholstery can host bedbugs, pests, and strong odors.

If you want to donate an old couch, sofa, recliner, loveseat, or any other upholstered furniture, ensure that it is completely clean and free of bedbugs or other pests. If you have an old mattress that won’t do much good for anyone because of stains or odors, it’s best to consider mattress disposal instead of donation.

What About Wooden Furniture?

Wooden furniture, like chairs or dining tables, are classic pieces that nearly every home needs. However, wood is susceptible to rot, termites, and other issues impacting its durability and aesthetics. If you have wooden furniture with termite damage, splinters, or water damage, it may be best to schedule furniture disposal or find a local scrap dealer.

Who Will Take Furniture Donations?

 

If you decide to donate your furniture, the next step is to determine who to give it to. Fortunately, several charitable organizations will gladly pick up your old furniture for free.

Easy Donation Pickup

Easy Donation Pickup is a service provided by the National Soldiers Foundation that helps raise money for veterans and their families. We have aided veterans in obtaining tools, equipment, clothing, furniture, and home goods for 34 years. We will take furniture that don’t need repairs and are in good shape.

It’s easy to donate with Easy Donation Pickup:

You can schedule online or over the phone, and choose your ideal pickup time.

Pack your furniture in the best way possible, and label them with “NVF” for the National Veterans Foundation.

Place your donations in a visible location for the pickup driver.

At the appointed time, the driver collects the donation, and you are given a tax receipt.

For the pickup, you are not even required to be at home.

Currently, we only accept small furniture. If you are not sure about the items you are going to donate, you can call us at 1(855) 628 8387 or use our online contact form.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is one of the most well-known charities in the world. Founded in 1865, the organization helps people in need, including those in poverty, victims of natural disasters, and individuals struggling with substance abuse.

The Salvation Army offers pickup for donations to their organization. Although they accept most furniture and donation items, a few things they won’t take include:

• Metal desks
• TV armoires
• Particle board furniture
• High chairs or car seats for babies

They have a more detailed list of what they accept on their website. You can also easily schedule a donation pickup with the Salvation Army online or by calling them, but keep in mind that their pickup services are not available in all areas.

Goodwill

Goodwill is another reputable company that many love to donate to. What makes this organization stand out is its dedication to providing local job training and employment to those who may be struggling.

Goodwill’s 156 community organizations span America, Canada, and 12 other countries, providing a global impact. While most people associate them with their massive drop-off center, they also offer free pickup in many areas.

Like any other organization that takes donations, they won’t take everything. You can view their list of accepted items on their website.

Habitat for Humanity

You can see Habitat for Humanity advocating for the less fortunate in all 50 states in the U.S. as well as in 70 other countries. It is a nonprofit organization best known for building homes for those who can’t otherwise afford them.

Furniture donations go a long way towards helping Habitat for Humanity fulfill its purpose. Instead of opting for furniture disposal, you can give your unwanted items to those without homes.

The organization offers weekly donation pickups for furniture and other items. To schedule a pickup, you must go to their website and look for availability in your ZIP code.

GreenDrop

If you live on the East Coast, GreenDrop is another charitable option. The organization uses donations to raise funds for the American Red Cross, the National Federation of the Blind, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Philadelphia.

GreenDrop works differently than the other charitable organizations listed. When its drivers pick up your furniture donation, they take it to local thrift shops and give the proceeds to charity. In 2019, they raised $3.7 million.

They also offer a unique service called Home Clean-Out, which helps donors go through their items and determine what they want to donate.

Furniture Bank

Donating to the Furniture Bank is another worthwhile way to get rid of your unwanted or used furniture. Furniture banks use donations to help immigrants, unemployed individuals, abused women and children, and others in need.

Furniture and other donations go straight to those in need. If you have a furniture donation in good and usable condition, you can visit the Furniture Bank website to see if this organization is available in your local area for furniture pickup.

AMVETS

AMVETS stands for American Veterans. As the name suggests, this organization helps provide jobs and other services to veterans and their families.

AMVETS works similarly to GreenDrop. When you get rid of furniture, the drivers take your items to local thrift stores and use the proceeds for the organization’s various veterans’ programs.

If you decide to give your gently used furniture to AMVETS, you will need to leave it outside for the drivers by 7:30 a.m. on pickup day. If you donate other items, you must pack them in boxes and mark them. Each AMVETS chapter has a certain process for picking up large items like furniture, so it’s best to contact them first.

You can schedule a pickup with AMVETS by visiting the website and seeing if it is available in your area.

Can I Repurpose My Furniture?

If you’re looking for more creative ways to deal with your old furniture, consider repurposing it!

If you want to recycle furniture in your home, you can give it a new life by repurposing it. Not-quite-antique furniture has a unique, vintage look that can enhance any interior aesthetic.

For instance, you can repaint or stain your old dresser set that no longer suits your home’s interior theme to give it a new look and avoid a trip to the local landfill.

When Should I Donate vs. Dump?

When you start a home cleanout, one of the first and often most difficult decisions you have to make is which items to donate and which ones to throw away.

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should donate your furniture:

• Is this item in good condition, but I just don’t use it?
• Does this item lack sentimental value to me?
• Could someone else benefit more from having this than I do?

Conversely, if your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” it’s time to find the right dumpster:

• Is this item completely broken or unusable?
• Does this furniture have bed bugs or any other pests in it?
• Does this item have bad pet damage?

If you decide to toss your large furniture items, you can schedule a dumpster rental to make the junk removal process easier. However, if you want to donate your items, you can choose one of the many charities listed above. Contact an organization first to see how its pickup process works.

For the easiest free furniture removal service, go to our Easy Donation Pickup site and enter your zip code to schedule a pickup.