You’ve looked around your living room and decided cleaning the old couch and the couch cushions just isn’t enough. The couch’s bright color doesn’t match any of your new home decor. The seat cushions are flattening and have seen better days. The couch is taking up too much space. Or, you’re the executor for a loved one and trying to get an old couch out of the home so you can put the house up for sale. Whatever the reason, you’re ready to get rid of an old couch and trying to figure out what to do with it. You do have a few options.

Donate the Couch to Charity

While charity may be the most obvious answer, donating to organizations like the Salvation Army and Goodwill is a roll of the dice. Goodwill doesn’t directly accept furniture donations outright, but they can be included in scheduled pickups with ReSupply. However, even if the couch is free, pickup starts at $99, which may cost more than just contacting a junk removal company. Additionally, Goodwill will then sort through what they want before passing the rest on to other nonprofits.

The Salvation Army, on the other hand, will allow free furniture pickups. The only catch is that pickups may take as long as two months. If this is an old couch you want to get rid of right away, dropping it off may be the better option. Although donations are tax-deductible, it will be up to you to set a valuation price. Additionally, not all items are accepted at every Salvation Army Thrift Store location. Calling ahead of time will save you a trip.

Post the Couch on Freecycle or Craigslist

While “free” is right in the name for Freecycle, Craigslist has its own free section too. And while some online users are sticklers for arriving on time with helpers, don’t be surprised if you get a barrage of “Is this still available?” from people who half-heartedly want the old couch. Because no-shows are unfortunately very common on Craigslist, you may want to avoid texting or giving out your phone number before you’re sure this is a definite pickup. (Almost all smartphones have Internet capabilities. If someone can text you, they can type that same message via the randomized custom Craigslist email address too. Freecycle has its own messaging platform as well.)

Additionally, if too many people have your cell phone number, you may end up with no-shows repeatedly claiming they’re coming at a later date or not at all, leading to you missing out on someone who is serious about showing up. If a user has your personal information, it’s much more difficult to report spammers and scammers to Craigslist.

Avoid long holds for more than 24 hours, primarily because users can easily lose interest or never show up. Now you’re stuck with a couch you were holding for one person and have turned down five others who were ready to arrive. Stick to same-day “first come, first pickup,” but give the online user a reasonable window of time to arrive after work.

Contact a Junk Removal Company for a Couch Pickup

Some junk removal companies will repurpose your couch to then donate to families in need or other charitable causes. Others will sell the old couch to interested buyers after reupholstering it. Then there are other companies that just haul it off to the nearest landfill. For eco-friendly homeowners, the last option is a no-go, especially if the couch is in decent condition. Research the junk removal company ahead of time to see which of the three they are.

If you don’t care and just want the couch out of your home, be cognizant of pickup rates. While repurposing companies can justify higher rates, landfill dumpers can’t. Some junk removal companies will offer a minimum rate that doesn’t always match the same rate they’ll give someone else. Call a few companies to see who has the best rate. More often than not, if a junk removal company finds out that a competitor will do the pickup for half the price, they’ll take the lower rate too. If you do use a junk removal company, this is a good time to do a Swedish death cleaning to remove anything else that needs to go so you can get the most value for the pickup. (They will charge per item.)

Schedule a Couch Pickup With Your Waste Management Company

Don’t assume you can just dump your old couch next to the dumpster and the waste management company will pick it up. Although waste management companies may not be as strict now as they were during the pandemic, some garbage removal companies still insist that mattresses are put into bags (to avoid the risk of bed bugs) and couches are covered. If you don’t schedule a pickup ahead of time, be prepared for the waste management company to pick up your usual trash bags and ignore the old couch. Unless this is a couch that’s so small that it can fit in the dumpster, there is going to be a special pickup charge. If you’re a member of a condominium association (COA) or homeowners association (HOA), be prepared for the board to charge you for that pickup rate. (You may want to schedule your own pickup to make sure there is no hidden association fee included.)

Leave the Couch Outside for Independent Junk Trucks

Depending on the neighborhood, some do-it-yourselfers make a pretty penny from driving through alleys to find leftover furniture that they can fix. They’re also fairly likely to check out the free section of Craigslist and Freecycle for items that users claim are broken or need replacement parts. Some prefer to skip the online surfing and just drive around to see what’s available.

Unlike the online user who may be more worried about germs or inquire about how clean the couch is or whether it was ever exposed to bed bugs or cockroaches (all are valid questions), the freelance DIYer is more likely to take his chances from checking out the furniture himself. Once you leave furniture outside, it’s open for anyone to take. Avoid curbside pickups with Craigslist or Freecycle users if you know the likelihood is high for the old couch to be taken by someone else.

Additionally, some HOAs and COAs are strict about dumping furniture and may fine your unit for doing so. Make sure to tell the HOA or COA board that the furniture is purposely being left out for pickup to avoid a charge added onto your monthly assessment.

Post the Couch on Social Media

Unless the topic already comes up in a Bluesky, X or Facebook status, you never know who might be interested in buying your couch from social media. Post the couch on Facebook Marketplace or as a status update with your own followers. A friend or family member may be more than willing to take the couch off your hands but had no idea it was even up for grabs. If you’re not giving the couch away for free, make sure to emphasize “for sale” to avoid that awkward moment when a loved one feels entitled to get everything for $0.00. Posting the couch on Facebook Marketplace and then adding a link to it from your personal account is a subtle way of making sure your social circle knows this is not a freebie. If it is a freebie, feel free to link the Freecycle or Craigslist post link too.

Find Creative Ways to Repurpose the Old Couch

Do you really want to get rid of the entire old couch or just parts of it? If you’re just interested in getting rid of the couch frame, let a junk removal company or waste management company take that. If you can use the ottoman as a separate seat, don’t part with both. For pet owners, those old couches can come in handy for other reasons too. Dogs who have trouble climbing on tall couches (ex. Dachshunds, who are prone to Intervertebral Disc Disease from leaping onto furniture) may appreciate the old couch pillows to use as a ladder to get onto the new couch. If your new couch will have a no-pet rule, your dog will happily enjoy sleeping on the dog cushions in her dog room. Those couch cushions will save you a few extra bucks instead of buying a dog bed. (Your pet owner friend or family member may like this idea too.)

With a little negotiating, time scheduling, creative repurposing and/or using your social media, getting rid of an old couch shouldn’t be too hard. As long as you know what platform you want to use and have prioritized how much you’re willing to spend, this process should be able to complete in a fairly short time.