If you ’re quick to part mode with your couch , use our guide on how to do it responsibly .
With a bit of inquiry , you could decide how to get free of a couch in a path that work for you . Sometimes , it ’s not easy to let go of a couch that has been all-important for pic night , dearie , and quick naps . You ’ll spot the obvious signs that it ’s time to move on — the exposed stuffing , rickety leg , stainsthat wo n’t come out .
Moving to a Healthier Couch
There are health considerations , too . When consumers swap an one-time couch fora new onethat does n’t have fire retardants , the levels of toxic chemicals in family dust deteriorate significantly , researcher have observe . The drop is also apparent if just the foam cushion are replaced.(you could still buy a lounge that meet fire - repellent standards without the use of toxic flame - retardant chemical substance . )
Here are options on how to get rid of your lounge , such asselling it online , or trading , recycling , or donating it .
What to Know Before Getting Rid of a Sofa
Before considering your options , the first thing to do is study the circumstance of the sofa . mark off for upholstery brand , tears , morphological problem , mold , or pest infestation . Sofas that have mould or mould , are infested with seam bugs or termites , or are waterlogged should n’t be sold , donate , or recycle . The best choice would be a landfill , but you might consider repurposing parts of the couch — can the cushions be deeply cleaned and used as a pet bottom , for case ?
Environmentally Friendly Options
If there are no major problem , reupholstering , fix , or updating with new shock absorber or fresh paint might attract to a new proprietor . By trading , merchandising , or giving away a sofa , you ’ll keep slow - to - decompose furniture out of landfills . You ’ll also help protect rude imagination , such as wood and metal , need in manufacture . In addition , you ’ll subdue nursery gas emissions required for the manufacturing and transport of Modern furniture .
How to Get Rid of a Couch
1. Call a Junk Removal Service
For a fee , rubble removal service will amount to your home and remove large items . They typically institutionalize by volume or weight , but other cistron may tempt the price , such as the company you choose , the distance from your house to the recycling meat or dump land site , and local dumping or recycling fees . Consumer Affairs aver that the cost of the minimum volume accepted , some one - one-eighth of a truck ( the size of it of a queen mattress ) , goes between $ 100 and $ 850.This might be a small price to pay if the remotion includes moving grueling items up or down stairs , or if you do n’t have a vehicle large enough to channel the item aside yourself . Search topically to find out the most free-enterprise prices in your area .
2. Go to a Recycling Center or Local Scrap Yard
Before taking this road , you ’ll need to reach the receiving web site first to bang how they take item . You may have to cave in down the lounge for easy transport or furcate the different parts of the sofa by textile . In that pillowcase , you will ask to remove the cushion and designate them to the trash . Then , dismantle the anatomy . Make trusted you know the hours of surgical procedure so that you drop it off at a prison term when the site can receive your sofa .
3. Trade or Sell Your Used Sofa
As the famous quote choke , “ One man ’s trash is another man ’s treasure . ” Many people are looking to salve used items , and secondhand resale website abound . Try local Buy Nothing groups in your sphere . Or check out The Freecycle internet , a world-wide , grassroots not-for-profit consecrate to reusing items and keeping them out of landfills .
If that does n’t work , hear sell your sofa on online market place like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist . Just be careful of scammers , and make trusted that the tone arm terms are safe . If you prefer doing it the traditional way , set up a garage saleand promote it on social media to sell your couch .
4. Donate a Couch
Before sending a mildly used sofa to the landfill , try house or friends first . You might be surprise who can make use of a used sofa — college pupil on the move , neighbors who just finished their cellar , or friend who lately go into town . If you chance upon out with people you know , consider donating to charity that admit furniture . Try local shelter , thrift depot , and philanthropic charity like these :
Furniture Bank internet saves 1000 of furniture particular from pass into landfills by giving them a second life-time in the home of people in pauperization . They either donate or sell the used piece of furniture at a lowly monetary value . Locate the one nearest to you through their internet site .
Goodwill accepts new and gently used items . Some even have an after - hours dump site that accepts bulky items on nights and weekends when the stores might be closed .

Credit: Marty Baldwin
Habitat for Humanity ReStore keep particular out of landfills by selling gently used furniture at abject terms to help family in motivation of housing .
The Salvation Army has parsimoniousness stores that accept piece of furniture item . Check out their site to see if they offer gratuitous pickup in your area or drop it off yourself .
Some charity may be able to beak up the sofa , but others might ask you to transport it to them . Remember , your contribution is tax - deductible .
5. Try a Curbside Giveaway
Just because you put a lounge on the curb does n’t mean it has to end up in a landfill . you could put it out with a “ For Free ” preindication and desire a passerby picks it up . A lot of city now have curbside programs to help citizen discard of items in an eco - favorable way . If one exists in your area , make all appropriate arranging , and play by the rules — or else you could be fined . Respect city ordinances on curbside administration and honor the designated times or days when this is permitted .
6. Trade It for an Upgrade
Some stores offer the choice of trading in an former sofa when you buy a new one . This can be through buy - back programs or discounts on new purchases . Some stores will only trade in brand they channel or on sofas that you bought from their store . So initiate your new sofa search where you bought the old one , in case you may take vantage of such an offer .
Other memory board may allow you to switch in any sofa and get a discount on the new one . Some even agree to remove your old couch for free when you buy a new lounge from their store . Either way , enquire around about swap programs that will make disposing of your unwanted sofa hassle - free .
Frequently Asked Questions
Although there are exceptions to the rule — say , you endure in a community with private dumpsters — doing so may get you fined for littering or even trespassing . However , you might be able to take a dumpster ( they add up in many sizing and budgets , though the average would be around $ 400 ) if you ’re turn over a majorhome renovationor design to get rid of several large items at once .
or else , you’re able to cut up a couch for proper garbage disposal . Simply gather the tools to dispatch brackets , zippers , and frames . Unless you ’re planning to reuse or upcycle the upholstery fabric , you could rip or cut off the fabric as well to well dismantle the sofa .
Rodgers , Kathryn M. et al . “ Do flaming retardent concentration switch in dust after older upholstered furniture is replaced?”Environment International , vol . 153 , 2021,https://doi.org/10.1016 / j.envint.2021.106513
“ The Fight Against Flame Retardants . ” Natural Resources Defense Council .
“ Where to Recycle Furniture ? ” Enviroliteracy .
" How Much Does Junk Removal Cost ? " Consumer Affairs .