How to Dispose of a Couch

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 28, 2022

Getting rid of an old couch can be a difficult task, but there are ways to do it efficiently. Unless your couch has completely outlived its usefulness, it's possible to donate it or give it away for free. If your couch is truly beyond repair, it's most cost-effective to take it apart and transport the pieces to the dumpster. Otherwise, you can enlist a waste management or hauling service to help you dispose of your couch.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Dismantling and Discarding Your Couch

1
Remove all the cushions from your couch. Depending on what kind of couch you have, some cushions will be loose, while others will have to be cut or sawed off. If you have to remove the cushions, you can use a sharp knife or hand saw to cut them out of the furniture. If the cushions are dirty or unusable, throw them out as soon as you can. ^{[1]
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- If they're still usable, you can save the couch cushions while getting rid of the rest of the frame.
2
Check for loose change or any other items in your couch. Before you start breaking down the couch, make sure there's nothing inside it of value. Keep the coins while disposing of all the trash you find.^{[2]
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- When you run your hands through the couch, be careful of metal springs or nails that might be sticking out. You don't want to injure yourself before the hard work begins!
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3
Use a hand vacuum to suck up any loose trash in your couch. You can also attach a tube to a normal-sized vacuum to get into those hard-to-reach areas of the couch. Oftentimes, food residue can get into your couch and can stay there for a long time.
- If you don't have a vacuum handy, use a brush and dustpan to get rid of as much waste as you can.
- Another option is to wear gloves to pick up the trash and put it in a trash bag.
4
Rip off the fabric that covers the frame of the couch. If the fabric is stapled to the frame, use a screwdriver to pry open the staples and take the fabric off the couch. You shouldn'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 should be sufficient.
5
Cut away as many wood frame supports as you can with a hand saw. Now, you will break the couch down into smaller, more manageable pieces. As you saw, stay away from cutting 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.^{[3]
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- You can pick up a hand saw at your local hardware or home improvement store, or even order one online.
6
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 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. ^{[4]
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- Flatten the backseat of your car to fit the pieces of your couch. Lay some tarp, a blanket, or a bedsheet 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.
Tip: Garbage companies will sometimes charge you to throw away full couches in public dumpsters. If you break your couch down to small pieces of wood and fabric, they can't charge you anything because it's just regular trash at that point.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Throwing Away Your Entire Couch

1
Determine whether your old couch can be hauled away if you're replacing it. If you're getting a new piece of furniture delivered, those same people can take your old couch away at little or no cost. Make sure to call the company well in advance of them coming to your home to see if this is possible.^{[5]
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- You might need to pay a little extra to the delivery people for them to take the old couch away, but it would save you a lot of time in trying to figure out how to get rid of the old furniture.
2
Contact your local scrap yard to see if they can take your couch. The scrap yard could want the metal pieces inside the couch, but they'll most likely charge a fee to come pick up the furniture. If you can bring the couch to the scrap yard, you might even get paid for some of the pieces inside of it.^{[6]
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- While transporting the full couch can be a big hassle, if it's possible for you to do this, give it a shot. It might be your best chance to dispose of your couch for free.
3
Call your local waste management company to see if they pick up large items. If you can't break down your couch into smaller pieces because of how it is built, you'll have to dispose of the whole thing at once. Find out if your trash company will pick up large items you leave on your curb. More often than not, they don't, but it never hurts to check! Be aware that companies will charge extra to pick up the couch. ^{[7]
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- You can call your trash company and ask for a “bulk pickup”, but those will cost between 50-75 dollars.
Tip: In some places, you can buy a special tag for a big item and it will get scooped up on your normal collection day. These tags can cost as little as 10 dollars.
4
Reach out to a company that specializes in junk removal. You'll definitely be paying for this service, so treat it as a last resort. The process can run you more than 100 dollars, so get in touch with multiple junk removal companies to see which offers the lowest prices.^{[8]
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- Make sure you exhaust every possible option before trying this method. The goal should be to dispose of your couch for free or as cheaply as possible.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Giving Away Your Couch for Free

1
Post the item on Craigslist in the “free stuff” section. If your couch is still usable, this is a great way to ensure it will get taken off your hands. Once you've posted, get in touch with the people who have contacted you and set up a time for them to come by and pick up the couch.^{[9]
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- Since the item is free, some people may initially say they're coming to pick it up and then not show up.
Tip: If this happens to you multiple times, put a small price on the couch. This way, if someone still wants it, they're more likely to drop by and get the furniture.
2
Label the couch as “free” and put it on your curb. Tape a sign on the couch and let it sit outside until someone comes and picks it up. Check the weather when you do this because a rain storm or other bad weather could ruin the couch and make it impossible to reuse.^{[10]
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- If you live in a more suburban area or have a couch that's too big to fit in most vehicles, post it online first to ensure someone will want to come pick it up.
Warning: In some places, you can get fined for just leaving your couch on the curb. Check with your local public works authority to see if it's okay.
3
Get in touch with a donation company to have them come pick it up. If your couch is free of major stains or tears and is in generally good condition, there's a high chance you can donate it. Places like Goodwill and Salvation Army will come to your home and pick up the couch for free.^{[11]
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- Do not donate a couch that's worn out, unfixable, or has come into contact with lice or bed bugs. If your couch is afflicted by any of these things, you'll need to just throw it out.
4
Contact a local secondhand store to donate the couch. This is a great option if your furniture needs some repair, because these stores will fix the couch and resell it. Smaller companies might not have the resources to come pick up your couch, but ask anyway.^{[12]
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- If your couch is too big to fit in your car and the secondhand store cannot come pick it up, you might be better off contacting a donation company instead.