When you're getting anew armchair or a new set of wardrobes, figuring out how you'll remove your unwanted furniture can be tricky, which is why there are now some charities that collect furniture from your home.
Similar to donating your charity clothes collections, donating your unwanted furniture to charity not only takes the hassle out of selling it, but many charities will also come and collect it for you from your home, often for free, meaning you won't have to worry how you're going to fit that three-piece suite in the car!
You'll also be donating to a really good cause, and your furniture could go on to a family less fortunate or be sold to make funds for the charity's vital work.
If this sounds like the perfect swift and easy solution for you, we've rounded up some of the best charities that collect furniture from your home in the UK, plus how you can find one near you.
Charities that collect furniture from your home
Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder supports people who are living with a terminal illness or a neurological condition and also provides bereavement care and support to those who have lost someone.
They offer a free collection service for sofas, tables, wardrobes, beds, small electrical items and much more. One thing they won't collect however is white goods.
They just ask that all items must be in good enough condition to be sold on. If you're not sure whether or not they'll take your furniture and want to find out if it's in good enough condition, you can call their National Furniture Line on call 0333 0031883.
You can book your collection over the phone on the number above, or you can book online by popping in your postcode to find a local collection near you.
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation also offers a free and easy collection service for unwanted furniture, electricals, homewares and more.
It's a totally contact-free and fast service where a team will either collect from your doorstep or the room you ask for the goods to be collected from. There's no signature required so really it couldn't be easier!
You can also amend your allocated collection slot up to 24 hours before your collection time, making it a really flexible service.
Book online by entering your postcodeand explaining more about the items you wish to be collected.
Emmaus
Emmaus is a charity working to end homelessness by supporting people to work their way out of homelessness, providing meaningful work, training, support and a stable home for as long as someone needs it.
If your items are a little worn, and may not be able to be sold on in their current condition, Emmaus may be the right collection charity for you. Although they like items they can sell on, they also have an upcycling workshop, where they take any furniture or goods that aren't in good enough condition to be sold, and they up-cycle them, ready to be sold.
In order to book your collection, you need to find your local Emmaus and contact your local shop to find out about their collection services.
DEBRA
DEBRA is a national charity supporting individuals and the families of those affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), which is a genetic skin condition that causes the skin to blister and tear at the slightest touch.
DEBRA offers a free collection of furniture and electrical items 15 minutes from their furniture and electrical shops only. You can find a list of all DEBRA's furniture and electrical shops here.
If you do have a shop within a 15-mile radius of your home or collection point, you can book your free collection.
Red Cross
The British Red Cross provides a collection service for donations. Although they prefer you to bring in your donations to the shop, they will collect items that you can't bring in yourself.
You'll need to contact your local shop which you can find here to see if they provide a collection service in your local area.
Shelter
Homeless charity Shelter offers a number of furniture collections services from your home. They primarily offer home clearing services and partial home clearing services which are ideal if you're getting rid of quite a lot of goods, or if you're clearing out a house completely when someone has moved and no longer needs their belongings or has sadly passed away.
Their full home clearance service comes with a fee, but the partial service is free. They're also only available for people within a 25-mile radius of their eight furniture shops across the country. You can find your local furniture shop here. Just get in touch with your local shop to organise a collection and discuss exactly what needs clearing.
What kind of furniture will charities collect?
We'd always recommend doing your research before you arrange a collection and calling the charity to discuss any furniture you want collecting along with details about the furniture, the condition, size and where it's located in your home.
In most cases, you'll find that many charities are simply grateful for any donations as long as they're in good working condition. They'll most likely take everything from cutlery and kitchen supplies to larger items like wardrobes, reading chairs and sofas. The most in-demand items however are often mattresses and beds.
You should always be honest about the condition of any items and if they are in any way damaged and can't be reused or resold then it's unlikely a charity will be able to take this and you may have to take it to your local waste and recycling centre.
What about fire labels?
All upholstered furniture must have the fire label intact and attached in order for a charity to accept it as a donation. This includes all sofas, upholstered chairs and some beds and headboards. If the fire label isn't firmly attached or if it's too damaged to read or missing then it's highly unlikely a charity will accept it.
Is donating furniture good for the environment?
If you're looking for ways to be more eco-friendly then donating unwanted furniture is a brilliant step to take. Not only does it provide a much needed helping hand for those less fortunate in times of need, but it also stops a huge amount of furniture from going to landfill each year.
The British Heart Foundation alone has been able to save 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere by making sure 71,000 tonnes of donated items are not sent to landfill each year.
Lorna White is a Senior Digital Writer at Yours.co.uk. She was previously a writer at Yours Magazine writing features and news stories before joining the digital team. Lorna loves the great British countryside and likes to spend her spare time out and about in her home of Nottinghamshire walking her dog, Pippin.