Free and charity furniture collection in Reading
Charities will only take furniture they can sell, and anything upholstered needs a fire safety label. If a charity says no, we carry out the lot in one visit and price it up front from your photos.
- A few quick questions
- A price from your photos
- No obligation
What needs to go?
Tap one to start. You'll get a price from your photos.
Get my priceor call 0118 230 9090
Giving furniture away sounds easy until the first charity turns it down. Here are the realistic ways to shift it around Reading, what each one asks of you, and what to do with whatever is left.
Four ways to get rid of unwanted furniture
Charity collection
Ask a charity whether they will take it. They are choosy about what they accept.
- Good furniture goes to someone who needs it
- Worth a try for items in very good condition
- Only saleable items, and sofas and chairs need fire labels
- Worn, stained or broken pieces get turned down
Selling it
List it online and let a buyer take it away.
- You might make a little money
- Solid, tidy pieces often find a buyer
- Photos, messages and buyers who do not turn up
- Whatever does not sell is still in your home
The council
Reading Borough Council runs a bulky waste collection you book online.
- A set charge for a set number of items
- £60 for 3 items
- No more than 5 items a booking
- Book online and wait for a collection day
Booking us
Send a few photos and we price the whole job before we start.
- We carry everything out from inside, so you don't lift a thing.
- The whole job in one visit, with no limit on items.
- A price up front before we start, from your photos.
Getting a charity to say yes
Do
- Check for fire labels on every upholstered piece
- Wipe it down so it looks ready to sell
- Send clear photos of the item and any marks
- Offer solid wood and good quality pieces first
Don't
- Offer stained, torn or broken furniture
- Pretend a missing label does not matter
- Wait until the last week before a move
- Pile everything into one request
Furniture jobs like yours
Photos customers sent with their quote requests: the kind of jobs we take on.
What to do with the rest
Most clear-outs end up in two piles: the few things a charity will take, and everything else. You can split the job, or hand us the lot and be done in one visit.
We take sofas, wardrobes, beds, tables and more. See furniture and appliance removal, or house clearance for a whole property.
Prefer the council route? Read about the Reading bulky waste collection or the Wokingham bulky waste collection. Tips are covered on our Reading tips page.
Questions about giving furniture away
Will a charity take my old sofa?
Only if it is in good, saleable condition and has a fire safety label. Without the label, most charities cannot resell it. Ask before you plan around it, and have a backup in case they decline.
Do charities take damaged furniture?
Generally not. Charities want items they can sell, so stained, broken or very worn pieces are usually turned down. Send photos first so you know where you stand.
What if the charity says no?
Send us photos instead. We carry everything out from inside, do the whole job in one visit with no limit on items, and give you a price up front before we start.
Can the council collect it instead?
Reading Borough Council charges £60 for 3 items, with no more than 5 items a booking. You book online and wait for a collection day. If you have more than that, we can take it all in one go.
How it works
Start with a photo- 1
Send a few photos
Tap through a few quick questions and add photos of what needs to go.
- 2
Get your price
A price up front before we start, from your photos.
- 3
We clear it
We carry everything out from inside, so you don't lift a thing.
Related
Where we work
Based in Reading, and out to the towns around it. Every postcode listed is in our area.
Boundaries: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2024.
Rather we took it away?
Send a photo and we'll price it before we come.
- A few quick questions
- A price from your photos
- No obligation