Where to Donate an Old Couch

Once in a while, everyone either moves or decides to update their residence. For many, it is difficult to throw out the comfortable, old couch that has been the central seat for family TV nights, for taking afternoon naps and for children who were recovering from the sniffles. While you may be no longer fond of the olive green or rust color, there is always someone in your area looking for just such a couch or a family or college student who cannot afford a brand new sofa, but would treasure your old one. In addition to helping others, you can claim a tax write-off for your donations. There are several options for donating an old couch, some of which do not require you to lift a finger to remove it from your home.

Instructions

1. Contact Goodwill Industries by dialing [phone], or via the website (see Resources), or the Salvation Army at [phone] or via the website (see Resources), or St. Vincent DePaul, an organization that has thrift stores in various cities and provides housing for the homeless.

2. Call your local church and social service organizations to see if they know of a family or halfway house that might need a couch.

3. Contact local schools and universities to see if they could use an old couch for a student lounge or drama production.

4. Find out if the organization can schedule a time to pick up your couch with no charge to you. Most organizations have trucks for this purpose and will do it for free.

5. Ask for a receipt and note the date you donated the item, name of the item and price of the item, taking depreciation into consideration. File the receipt with your tax papers for the year so that you can claim the donations on your taxes.

Tips & Warnings

• Vacuum your old couch and clean off any evident stains so that you can be proud to pass it on to another family to enjoy.

• Some organizations will not pick up furniture if it is on the second floor or in the basement of a building, so make certain the couch is on the main floor before the charity truck arrives.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Goodwill
• Salvation Army