How to Get Rid of an Old Couch

Ways to Get Rid of a Couch

Hire a junk removal company to haul it away. If you need the couch gone, and need it gone quickly, a professional junk removal service is probably your best bet. They charge on average around $200-250, but for that price a team of professionals will come and take the couch off your hands with no elbow grease spent on your part. Not all junk removal services are created equal. Some will only do curbside pickup, and others may go the extra mile and recycle your items. Make sure to ask about the services your local junk removal team provides before you book them. Dumpster rental companies are also a good option if you’ve got other items to dispose of as a batch. Just fill up the delivered dumpster, then have the service haul it away.

Donate the couch to a charity if it’s in decent condition. Charity thrift stores like Goodwill, The Salvation Army, or Vietnam Veterans of America are often quick to accept furniture donations, as long as they’re in working condition. Many also provide complimentary pickup services where employees will come and get your couch for you, saving you a whole lot of work. Plus, many provide tax receipts so that you can write off the donation on your taxes. Or, call up some local good causes like community centers, animal shelters, retirement homes, or furniture donation warehouses to see if they’d take a free couch. You may have to deliver it yourself, but it’s a great way to rehome a sofa.

Sell the couch on Craigslist or eBay to make some money. Selling the couch on eBay, listing it on Craigslist, or using Facebook Marketplace to pawn it off puts some cash in your back pocket. What’s more, the buyer may even agree to come pick it up for you. For the best listing, include plenty of photos and a thorough description of the couch’s condition. Used couches sell for a wide range of prices; it depends on the style, condition, and antique status of your couch. Browse an online marketplace for similar couches and price it appropriately. Be sure to specify that the couch is for local sale or pickup only. Shipping a bulky couch cross-country is probably more work than it’s worth.

Give it away for free to a friend or acquaintance. Ask your friends, family, or coworkers if they’re in the market for a free couch. You never know who might be looking to score some furniture. Or, list it on Craigslist for free, or post it to a local swap site like Freecycle.org. If all else fails, you can always set it up on the curb with a sign that says “free” and wait for someone to haul it away. If you put the couch on the curb, make sure it’s not in the way of any sidewalks or parking. Also, call your municipality to make sure curbside disposal is legal in your area.

Take advantage of your city’s large item pickup service. Many municipalities offer a regularly scheduled large-item pickup day, where you place unwieldy trash on the curb for your city’s waste management organization to haul away free of charge. Look up your city’s large-item pickup schedule and plan accordingly. Some cities may also offer individually scheduled pickups outside of their regular schedule, but these may require purchasing a special tag. Check your local waste management’s website for more information.

Upcycle or refurbish the couch to give it new life. Give your couch a good look and ask yourself if it’s really too far gone. It could be that all it needs is some reupholstering or polishing to give it new life. For example, try stuffing flat or sagging cushions with a foam core to plump them up in a snap. Alternatively, you might take it apart and use the components in other projects—all that fabric might make some nice throw pillows, and the wood frame might be used for carpentry projects, like making a small table. Or, relocate it to a room that might not require high-end furniture, like a basement or a garage, to add some sitting space elsewhere in your home.

Trade your old couch in for a discount when you buy a new one. Just like trading in an old car, some retailers allow you to trade in an old couch for a discount when you purchase new furniture. The number of companies that do is admittedly fairly small, and often they only accept couches they manufactured themselves, but ask your local retailer if they’ve got any similar offers. Companies that offer trade-ins include Ikea and Sabai.

Dismantle it and take it to the dump yourself. No budget, but have some basic tools handy? Take apart your couch to break it up into more manageable pieces, then haul it to your local dump or waste management facility in 1-2 trips (it's even easier if you can recruit a friend with a truck). You might even find some change buried between the cushions!

Dismantling and Discarding Your Couch

Remove all the cushions and other items from your couch. Depending on what kind of couch you have, some cushions will be loose, while others will have to be cut or torn away. Remove any loose cushions and other detachable components to strip the couch down to just the basic frame and upholstery. Then, vacuum up any dust or dirt beneath the cushions to avoid tracking the mess elsewhere. If they're still usable, consider saving the couch cushions while getting rid of the rest of the frame. They may come in handy as makeshift floor pads for guests, for example. Otherwise, feel free to remove the stuffing from the cushions and trash them.

Rip off the fabric that covers the frame of the couch. If the fabric is stapled to the frame, use a flathead screwdriver or a heavy-duty staple remover to pry up the staples and take the fabric off the couch. You don’t need to remove all of the fabric, just the material that is covering the wooden frame of the furniture. Removing the fabric above and below the part of the couch where the cushions go is usually sufficient.

Cut away as many wood frame supports as you can with a hand saw. Now, break the couch down into smaller, more manageable pieces with a hand saw. Wear work gloves and eye protection and, as you saw, stay away from sharp springs, bolts, and nails, as these will dull your blade. Cut each piece multiple times to make each chunk of couch frame smaller and easier to transport. Aim to cut pieces small enough to fit into a half-dozen or so cardboard moving boxes for easy transportation.

Transport the pieces of your couch to a nearby dumpster. Whatever pieces you can fit in your trash at home, dispose of them there. Ultimately, however, you'll most likely have to throw away some of your couch in a separate dumpster. Keeping some of the trash at home simply makes that job a little bit easier. Make sure to take your couch pieces to a designated waste disposal facility, like a dump, landfill, or waste management plant. Flatten the backseat of your car to fit the pieces of your couch. Lay some tarp, a blanket, or a bed sheet down before putting the couch pieces in to protect the seats. If you don't have tarp, use an old blanket or bed sheet instead. If your car is too small, consider renting a trailer or borrowing a pickup truck.