The interior styles of furniture continue to evolve, and with this, there is a need to change the old furniture. So, to answer this question of what to do with old furniture, we have some solutions.
Most people struggle with their outdated and worn-out pieces of furniture. Our today’s guide will tell you the creative and sustainable solutions to deal with old furniture.
Why Throwing Away Old Furniture Is A Bad Practice?
We will then proceed to our main topic of repurposing old furniture. However, first, we will see why it is not in the best interest of you or the environment to throw away old furniture.
Furniture waste is among one of the wastes that contribute to a lot of waste in landfills. This leads to many environmental issues. Many furniture pieces are made of wood, metal, or plastic, which you can either reuse or recycle.
The best way would be to repurpose the old furniture rather than throw it away. This way, you will actually be conserving the natural resources. When you do this, you also limit the demand for raw materials.
You might think of it as old furniture, but it can often be worth a lot of money. Whether you wish to sell it to repurpose it, you will still save money by simply not throwing it away.
5 Tips On What To Do With Old Furniture
We have told you the reason why should you not throw away your old furniture. With this in mind, here are the top 5 tips on what to do with old furniture.
You Should Sell Your Furniture
Among the many options, the simplest one is to sell it to someone else if it’s in particularly good condition. For this;
- Go to an online marketplace like Facebook, craigslist, or others. These platforms let you list items for free and ensure your post reaches the relevant audience.
- There are some shops and stores that specifically deal in 2nd hand furniture. These shops will buy your old furniture directly or sell it to someone else after taking a small percentage.
A tip here is to ensure that the furniture is clean before you list or post the pictures for sale online. This makes it appealing to prospective buyers.
Make Donation Of The Old Furniture To Charity
If you do not wish to sell your old furniture, there is another great way to deal with it. You should donate the old furniture as a way of giving back to your community. Each city has many charitable organizations that happen to accept old furniture as donations. They are responsible for donating it to the needy and less unfortunate folks. Popular charitable organizations include the Red Crescent, the Salvation Army, and religious institutional charities.
We recommend contacting these organizations beforehand to check if they want your furniture or not. Also, confirm if they will offer a pick-up service for the larger pieces of furniture.
You Should Repurpose Your Old Furniture
Your old furniture often requires a little bit of creativity to have a new lease on life. Doing the furniture renovation or upcycling will save you quite a bit of money compared to buying a new one. Also, during renovation, you can customize it as per your design preferences to get a unique piece for your home or office. Some tips for old furniture renovation are as follows.
- To complete wooden furniture, apply a fresh coat of paint or do simple furniture refinishing. The best example of this would be to add a bold color to a coffee table for a more customized look.
- If your furniture has a solid wooden structure, you can try furniture upholstery. This works best for furniture used for seating like sofas and chairs. Other furniture pieces like bed headboards can also be upholstered.
Upcycling or renovating the furniture requires the know-how of materials and tools. There are very easy-to-follow video tutorials on furniture renovation and upcycling.
You Should Recycle The Furniture In The Right Way
If the furniture is in a particularly bad condition where you can’t sell, donate, or repurpose it, the best course of action would be to recycle it. Furniture comes in many different materials, including wood, metal, and plastic. Each one can be individually recycled. This will lessen the load on the waste landfills.
The majority of big and small cities have recycling centers that accept the disposal of large items such as furniture. They will disassemble any furniture piece and arrange each material for spate recycling. These companies also specialize in the popular processing of non-recyclable parts, disposing of these parts responsibly.
Before sending the furniture to the recycling center, check if some materials can be broken down by you. Common examples are the legs or hardware that are easily detachable.
Give Your Old Furniture To Friends & Family
If your furniture is old but in good condition and you also have no plans to donate it, there is a good way to use it. You can give it away to your immediate family members or friends. There is often someone in your circle who needs a chair, sofa, or table.
Another amazing idea is hosting furniture swap parties with your friends, family, or neighbors. You can exchange your furniture to refresh the way your home looks, and it will not cost you a dime.
If you plan to offer your furniture to others for free, be sure to mention the existing conditions. This will avoid any misunderstandings.
Final Say
You might think the question of ‘’what to do with old furniture’’ is a massive headache. However, it is just a simple matter of choosing between selling, donating, renovating, recycling, or gifting it. All the tips we have listed above on dealing with old furniture will be of help to you.
