As if moving in just a few days isn’t hard enough, you also have to figure out what to do with all the furniture you’ve accumulated. You don’t think about how much is in your home until you have to move your bed, couch, dining table, TV console, desk, etc. Even worse? You may not be able to fit them all in your new place or your moving truck.
The good news is that you have options. Whether you need same-day removal or can wait a few weeks to get a decent return on furniture that’s in good condition, there are multiple ways to get rid of furniture when moving. Find them out here!
Why Do People Dispose of Furniture When Moving?
Leaving your home is like hitting the reset button on your life. When moving, some people turn move-day into an opportunity to get rid of furniture.
For some, it’s all about starting fresh. Their decoration style might have changed since the last time they moved.
In other cases, their life circumstances changed, and the addition of a new baby means larger furnishings are in order. Or the kids have grown up, and they no longer need that baby crib.
Some people also capitalize on their move. They might want extra cash for the move, knowing that selling furniture is a great way to make a quick buck.
People get rid of furniture for various reasons, and you might have your own. If you’re finding yourself with a mountain of outsized furniture, here are some ideas for getting rid of it for your big move.
How Do I Get Rid of Unwanted Items When I Move?
1. Sell Your Furniture
Selling your furniture is one of the best things you can do with pieces that no longer serve you or your home. You’ll give a piece of furniture a second chance to improve someone else’s home, and you also come away with a little more cash: it’s a win-win!
What Is the Best Way to Sell Furniture When Moving?
You can sell your furniture in several ways:
- Word of mouth (telling friends of friends)
- Posting it on social media sites
- Listing it in a furniture selling group
- Posting what you have on group chats
- Selling it on furniture-selling apps and websites
If you want to go retro, you can print pictures of what you’re selling on the elevator walls of your apartment complex.
Be careful when selling things online: you may have to meet up in person with the buyer. Make sure you meet somewhere public and only take cash!
Before agreeing to sell something to someone you met online, ensure that the buyer is willing to transport it or that you can transport it to them. If you’re selling on a website, confirm that the shipping costs won’t cost you more than what you make from the sale.
If your landlord allows it, you can also try an old-fashioned garage sale! Nothing is more fun than perusing once-loved trinkets a family leaves behind. One man’s trash is another man’s DIY video, so make someone’s day by laying all your items on the lawn!
2. Donate Your Furniture
If you don’t have the brain space to worry about where that hunk of wood will go, the easiest thing to do is donate it to your local thrift store. They will surely be glad to have the donation; you can even write it off on your taxes.
Some thrift stores will even pick up your donation from your house, so you don’t have to worry about transportation. Donating is a great way to get rid of furniture sustainably and give it a second life in someone else’s home.
3. Ask Your Friends
People are always in need of some sort of furniture. Before you get rid of something, make sure to ask around in case somebody in your inner circle needs it.
Is one of your friends moving too? Great! See if they need a table or a lamp. Did someone just move in down the street? Pop over and see if they need that crib you’ve had stored in your attic for years.
Someone out there is looking for exactly what you have; the only trick is finding out who they are.
4. Contact Your Local University
If you can find the contact information of the registrar’s office of your local college, you can see if they’ll share what you’re selling to the incoming students via email.
Incoming students don’t have much, so they’ll be eager to snatch up things like organizational bins, lamps, small desks, chairs, tables, etc. If you’re in contact with an old professor, you can ask if they’ll also send an email to their class about what you’re selling.
You can even try the poster trick: post pictures of what you’re selling around billboards on campus with your contact information.
5. DIY Flip It! (And Sell It)
Flipping furniture has taken the social media world by storm with endless DIY ideas and tips. If your furniture is still intact, there is no excuse for not giving it a refresh with new paint or hardware.
You can’t imagine what a simple coat of paint can do to a piece until you do it! There are many ideas to try when considering how to flip a piece. You can add wooden dowels, rattan, gold hardware, and matte paint in your favorite color. Suddenly, your 1980s church lobby aesthetic has had a makeover and looks like a modern-day statement piece!
If you’re worried about where to start or how to complete a project, don’t be. There’s a video online for everything. You can even search social media for ideas on how to style or decorate an older piece of furniture!
With a pretty small investment (it can be as much or as little as you want it to be), you can convert a dusty outdated piece into something you’re glad to be taking with you to your next chapter.
If you’re proud of your DIY work, you should try to sell it. Flipping and reselling furniture has become a huge side hustle in the last few years, and with the advent of platforms like TikTok, you can share your work with a bigger audience than ever! Your small investment could turn into a lifelong hobby and creative outlet.
6. Recycle It Yourself
If you have the transportation available and you’re dead-set on tossing the furniture, you can always take it to a local recycling center yourself. First, determine the base material of your furniture. Patio furniture is usually made of metal, whereas desks and bookcases are often wood. Different cities have different fees for dropping larger things off and only accept certain items and or material.. Make sure you check your local recycling center before showing up with your furniture.
If you don’t have a large vehicle to transport the items, you might be better off using one of the other options outlined here; renting vehicles can get pricey.
7. Choose Nixxit Junk Removal
Another option for getting rid of furniture is to get it hauled away, so you don’t have to worry about it! Nixxit Junk Removal is the #1 Rated Furniture Removal Company in the Bay Area. We remove everything from sofas to bookcases. Big or small, we move it all.
When moving, you have so many other things to worry about: how many boxes you’ll need, how everything will fit in the vehicle, how you’ll keep everything organized, how to make sure the glasses don’t break in the box…The last thing you should be worrying about is how to get rid of furniture you don’t want anymore.
Moving & Need Furniture Disposal? Get in Touch!
Call Nixxit and let us “nix” your junk! It’s super easy. Just give us a call and book a window of availability for our junk furniture removal service. Once one of our technicians arrives, we’ll give you an estimate based on how much stuff you have. If you agree with the price, say your goodbyes to your stuff because it’s out of there!
