What Should I Do With My Old Couch?

What Should You Do With Your Old Furniture?

So, you’ve had enough of staring at that old tatty couch that has been in your house for way too long.

Whilst it has been a great companion for you and your family over the years, and still is as comfy as ever, it just looks like it’s had far better days and “tatty chic” isn’t really in tune with the rest of the room. It’s time for a change. After all, there is a time in every couch’s life when you have to decide whether it still has a place in your family’s favorite room. That time is now.

So, what do you do? It’s a large, cumbersome, heavy item that we’re dealing with. If it was smaller it would be far easier to have a conviction decision on its future. Removing a couch is an effort so it takes a plan. So, let’s work out the options.  There are 2 options broadly speaking but both have many different plays to choose from.

You can either keep the couch or get rid of it. Simples.

In this article we outline the many options that are available to you with regards your next big couch decision. If you keep it, what can you do to spruce it up? If you want the furniture gone from your life, then what method of removal is best for you from either a time, money or soul perspective. We’ll start with the creative/sentimental side of you and look at some ideas if you wanted to keep it

Option 1 – Keep The Couch

 

• Leave It Be

Ok, so this isn’t really what you came here to read but it is worth pointing out that it was ok yesterday so it might well be ok where it is tomorrow.

• Love it to a different room.

Maybe its no longer in the shape it once was and doesn’t deserve the pride of place that it has in your homes show room, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be used elsewhere? If you have a home with multiple living rooms then maybe it can be donated to the kid’s playroom, or your teenage child’s bedroom. To them, it would be a step up!

• UpCycle It

 Upcycle the couch. Giving the couch a makeover is always an option if you happen to be a creative type. This options in itself has countless different tangents. Here are a few:

• Clean it

Sometimes it is amazing what a good deep cleaning can do for a couch.  I was able to get a few more years out of our old microfiber sofa just by giving it a really good deep cleaning every now and then. Maybe even buy a throw for it. What is under the throw is irrelevant.

• Reupholster it

If you’re feeling confident, reupholstering your old sofa is the best way to get a totally new look and feel. Plus it gives you total freedom to decide exactly what color and/or pattern you prefer – so you can rock that jungle print to your heart’s content.

• Re-tuft the couch 

Tufting is a (relatively) simple way to give your couch a makeover, adding a hint of mid-century modern style to any living room. Apparently, there are all kinds of tufting styles you can DIY on a tired old couch. What an age we live in. All you’ll need is some buttons, measuring tape, an upholstery needle, and a steady hand

There really is a never-ending stream of ways that you can get creative if upcycling is your thing. Pinterest would be your best spot for inspiration and tips for this side of the conversation. You could even just use your old denim like the guys at Levi’s did to theirs.Upcycle the couch. Fiving the couch a makeover is always an option if you happen to be a xcreative type. This options in itself has countless different tangents. Here are a few:

Option 2 – Get Rid Of It

Ok, so you’re not the type to spend too long on Pinterest admiring those who turned an old rusty bucket into a brand new Kitchen? We get it. You’ve made the decision its time to go and you’ve perhaps even bought the new replacement. So this has to be gone quick. Now you might expect that the retail store where you bought your new couch from would take it. Nope, not for free. Many, if not most will take it away, but they will typically require a couch disposal fee. Presuming that irritates you slightly, lets now look at the other options available to you.

• Sell It

This might come as a surprise that the one thing you want to get rid of could be the exact item someone else might be looking for. So, don’t be so quick to take your old furniture to the landfill or throw it out. You might find someone that is willing to part with some cold hard cash to take it off your hands. Your old sofa might just be worth something to someone. There are plenty of online sites where you can place an ad at no cost and you might just find someone willing to buy what you want to get rid of. All you need to do is open an account, take a couple of good pictures in good lighting and then publish the ad. Be sure to price it reasonably so that you get it off your hands as quickly as possible.

• Hold a Garage Sale

While it is difficult to sell used upholstered furniture at a garage sale or yard sale, simply because most of the traffic is walk by, it is not impossible. It really all boils down to circumstance and  on the condition of the piece. If you feel your sofa is in good enough shape, get it cleaned professionally before holding your sale. It may not fetch big bucks, but it will sell more easily and if you have the ability to transport the couch for anyone who buys it, it will go a long way to coaxing a buyer into taking it. If you have many items to sell, a garage sale can be a good place to sell your couch, since such sales usually draw a good crowd of people looking for exactly this kind of bargain.

• Trade It. 

Another option is to trade it in for another item. There are many options online that allow you to trade what you want to dispose for something else you might want. Be sure to act with caution when it comes to online selling. You can choose to meet the person at a central location and bring a friend along. Remember to take the cash first before handing over your furniture to prevent getting fleeced and its important that safety is important, don’t share too much personal information with strangers. Some stores will take your old couch if you are buying a new one from them. It’s always worth asking. It’s possible they will give you a dollar credit against the cost of your new furniture, or they may simply agree to remove the old couch as an incentive to buy new furniture. A used couch that is well-constructed and in decent shape is more likely to be of interest to the store, as they may be able to resell it. Some stores may recycle the materials used in the couch, while others will simply send it to the landfill.

• Donate to Charity.

You can typically donate gently used furniture to any number of local non-profits such as Goodwill, the Salvation Army or other charities in your area. Depending on your location, you can find many organizations that accept donations and some that will even pick up the furniture for you. If you’re looking for a place to get rid of furniture charitably and conveniently just Google “local charity furniture collection”.  If your items are too horrendous in their current state for charity to work with, some animal shelters accept worn-out recliners, loveseats or couch cushions for their furry residents to curl up in. Just phone. Few local rescue shelters and enquire.

• Craigslist ‘free stuff’ Section.

OK, this is a surefire way to get rid of unwanted furniture fast. Once your item is posted in the free section, it’s as good as gone. Craigslist is the King of the online garage sale. You could of course try to sell your couch n Craigslist, if you’re short on time before the new couch arrives then the fastest way to get rid of unwanted furniture is to take advantage of the “free stuff” or “curb alert” feature, which allows you to put an item outside your house and list it on the site as a free pickup. Now that we have resigned ourselves to not getting anything back on the couch then we are at the point now of trying to get rid as quickly as possible as cheaply and conveniently as possible.

• Leave It at the Curb

If you have only a few smaller items, disposing of furniture may be as easy as dragging it out to your curb. But you should always touch base with your local service provider before doing so. It depends on where you are located and the type of living space you have. Some city guidelines do offer furniture pick up, while others do not allow residents to haul their furniture to the curb and will fine you for doing so. If your building has a strata manager, check on whether this is allowed. Some municipal and private trash collection services will charge extra to get rid of furniture in addition to your regular trash.

• Haul it to a Dumpster

Now, we’ve run out of the free options and we’re pivoting sharply towards the paid options. That’s not all bad though as convenience becomes a stronger motivator bnow especially if you are short on time or help. As one paid alternative, you can haul the couch to the dump yourself. In Phoenix, the average cost to haul a couch to the dump is $11-16. Now, if you’re going to make the trip to the dump, it’s best to get as much as done in one go as you can. Declutter your house by filling up the truck with stuff you no longer need and take the lot with you. The average cost to dump a full truck load at the transfer station in Phoenix is about $35.00. Of course you may need to hire a truck to do this and then the costs go up whilst the inconvenience is a real pain as well.

• Call a Junk Removal Company.

Of all of the options available to you, this is the by far the most convenient. No hassle at all. Whilst junk removal may be the quickest, safest and easiest way to get rid of the couch, of course it doesn’t come for free. What’s the cost? Well, single items usually cost about $60-100 in Phoenix However, if you have more than just one or two items, junk removal companies charge a flat rate based on the size of the load. You can see our price list by clicking here. Just think about how much more sleep you’ll get knowing that the couch shaped elephant in the room problem is all taken cared of.

The benefits of using someone like Busy Bees Junk as a couch removal company is not just the speed, but you don’t have to worry about damaging the walls when you move the couch anywhere outside of the room it’s in. Sell it, donate it, give it away, doesn’t matter, at some point, an amateur will be lifting it and if it’s you then your risk injury and if it’s not then you risk damage. With our removal service, you don’t even need to move your items to the curb; just leave it where it is, and we’ll do all the work. We are fully insured in case of damage but also are highly trained at what we do and so that even is unlikely anyway.  Once we pick it up that old couch, we’ll either deliver it to a donation center or take it to a recycling plant. You don’t have to worry that it will slowly waste away in the landfill.