How to Dispose of a Couch the Right Way

You've finally decided to upgrade to a new couch—but now you're faced with the dilemma of how to dispose of your old couch. Thankfully, there are many ways to dispose of a couch, all requiring various levels of effort, from selling it online to paying for a junk removal service. Keep reading to find out the advantages and disadvantages of each, and find a new home for your old couch.

Sell Your Sofa

If your couch is in great condition, and it's fairly on-trend, consider selling it. You can use online platforms like Craigslist or Offerup, or you can list it on Facebook Marketplace or another Facebook selling group.

Advantages

By selling your couch, you'll make a bit of money, giving you money to buy your next couch (or pay it off). Most of the time, selling it online means you won't need to transport your bulky sofa Instead, your buyer will pick it up.

Disadvantages

You may have to field lots of messages and emails from interested buyers, negotiate and coordinate with them, and deal with potential no-shows.

It may be tough to sell a high-end sofa, depending on where you live. It will be easier to sell a high-end couch in a dense, high cost of living (HCOL) area, but you'll have a tougher time selling a pricey piece of furniture in a more rural location.

Donate Your Couch

Think your old couch still has some life left in it? Consider donating it to a thrift store or secondhand shop, where they can sell it to raise money for their cause.

Advantages

You're doing good for your community, and this is a fairly hassle-free way to get rid of bulky items like couches, and some thrift stores will even pick up the furniture from you.

Disadvantages

Not all thrift stores take items like sofas. Double check before you take it all the way there. Additionally, not all thrift stores will pick up your sofa, so you may need to figure out how to transport it.

Place It on the Curb

The time-tested method of simply placing your sofa on the curb is one way to get rid of your old couch. But it has some serious potential drawbacks too.

Advantages

This method involves little effort on your part—all you need to do is drag your couch down to your curb.

Disadvantages

Depending where you live, you may not have a curb to place your sofa on. Your city or municipality may prohibit placing large pieces of furniture like couches on the curb, and you could be fined. Plus, your couch could get rained on and exposed to the elements, ensuring that no one will take it.

Upcycle Your Couch

Rather than getting rid of your old sofa, see if you can find a new purpose for it. Consider placing it in a bonus room or a screened porch for some additional seating, or try to revive new life into it with a deep clean, some carefully placed blankets, or a slipcover.

Advantages

This is a great way to put a no-waste lifestyle into practice, and finding a new home for your couch ensures it doesn't end up in a landfill.

You get some free seating wherever you may need it with this method, and you won't have any Facebook messages to manage and or bulky furniture to haul.

Disadvantages

Upcycling may require some other extra work, like buying a blanket or slipcover to make your sofa visually appealing again, or even more if you decide to reupholster it. And you may not have room for your old couch.

Post Your Couch in a Buy Nothing Group

Similarly to donating, posting your sofa in a Buy Nothing group is a great way to give back to your community and give your sofa a new home. Find your local Buy Nothing group here.

Advantages

You won't have to haul or transport your sofa, as the receiver is typically responsible to pickup. This is a great way to get to know some people in your local neighborhood.

Disadvantages

There's a little legwork involved—you'll need to take a few photos, write a description, and pick someone to gift it too.

Use a Junk Removal Service

If you're tight on time and you need your couch gone, or it's in such terrible shape that's not a good candidate for donation, consider using a junk removal service.

Advantages

Using a junk removal service is easy and requires little effort on your end. Junk removal services often work quickly, and can pick your couch up with short notice.

Disadvantages

You'll need to pay to use a junk removal service, and your sofa will most likely end up in a landfill, making this one of the least environmentally friendly options.

Take Your Couch to a Convenience Center or Landfill

If you've got an oversized vehicle (or a friend's you can borrow), and your sofa is in less than tip-top condition, consider taking it to a convenience center or landfill.

Advantages

This is a quick, low-stress way to get rid of an old couch.

Disadvantages

You'll be responsible for hauling your sofa to a convenience center or landfill, so make sure you have a vehicle that can fit your couch. Your couch will reach the end of its life here, so consider donating it if it's still in good condition instead.

Trade It in When You Buy a New Couch

Some retailers offer a trade-in program which allows you to sell them your sofa in exchange for a discount on a new one. Though the list of companies that do this is currently quite small, there are a growing number of retailers that are beginning to offer this program, including Sabai, Couch + Co, and Origin Fine Home Furniture.

Advantages

This is an easy way to get some cash or credit for your couch, and may help you buy a higher-end model.

Disadvantages

Very few retailers offer this program, and the ones that do often have stipulations based upon location and condition. You also most likely won't make as much money trading your couch in as you will selling it online.