How to Get Rid Of a Couch For Free

As a landlord, especially if you cater to a low-income tenant base, you will no doubt have to get rid of many stuffed chairs, love seats, hide-a-beds, futons, mattresses, box springs and couches.  And more.  If you know how to get rid of a couch for free, it will save you a lot of money.

This posting is somewhat of a companion article to one of my previous articles about how to get rid of a mattress for free.  This couch was left over from when I asked my Section 8 tenant to leave.

My tenant obviously did not have the money to pay someone to get rid of the couch, so it was my job (how that job got transferred from her to me, I am not sure…).  Her deposit was more than used up, and I knew I was not getting any extra money from her.  She could have thrown in a ditch somewhere, and I would have been fine with that. Or bring it to a park and drop it off.  Or just dropped it off at a shopping center.  Instead, she left it for me.

Tip:  The above suggestions are probably illegal, but they are free options.

Never let an opportunity go to waste that will let you save some fast and easy money.  If you call “Two Men and a Truck”, 800-got-junk, or any of the other popular services, you may very well spend $150 for them to come out and get rid of the couch.  I do not blame them, it costs money and they need to get paid and dispose of it too.

When I bought my fifth four-plex, I had to get rid of several couches.  I believe there were four in the unit and one in the woods alongside the building.  The outside one was full of mud and bugs and was a mess.  The city even sent me a letter about a week after I bought the building demanding I get rid of the couch that was outside.  The previous owner was in foreclosure and was ignoring their letters.  No worries, I got rid of all of the couches for free.  Getting rid of a couch is a bit more work than a mattress, but still not a bad workout.

The pictures of the couch I am posting here, was actually a 4-piece sectional couch.  The same process applies to all four pieces, but only two of them have arms.  I could have called a charity, but no charities pick up couches that no one wants.

Craig’s list is a great place to get rid of items you no longer want.  Just advertise them for free and you might get some takers.  Take the ad down and post in again in another day, if it does not get taken away with the first try.  It is amazing how fast some items go.  Within minutes pf posting I have had calls and texts for some items.  But some items and not worthy to give away.

The Actual Disposal

The first thing you should do is get rid of all of the cushions.  Some will be loose, some you may have to cut off.  Cut off any padding that you can just to expose any frame members and so you can see what you need to cut with your saw better.

I use my Makita reciprocating saw.  It’s 15 amps of cutting power that will saw a car in half in just a few minutes, if you have a sharp blade.  You do not need one that tough, and can get by with a sharp knife and a circular saw or even a hand saw.

I would recommend the saw though, it is definitely a beast.

 

Throw the padding and cushions in the garbage or a dumpster as soon as you can.  Get that stuff out of your way.  That is the easy part.  The cushions take up more space that you might realize.  Do not cram them in a garbage barrel, or it will be still stuck in the barrel after the garbage man leaves.

Cut off any fabric that you can.  Once you have taken the bottom covering off, you should start to see wood frame members that can be cut.  Cut as many of the wood frame supports as you can, staying away from cutting springs, bolts and nails which will dull your blade.  This picture is looking at the bottom of the couch, with the fabric removed.  You can see the springs and a few pieces of wood I cut off.

As you take away the frame pieces, you will start to see that you can crush the angles pieces easily by hand.

Once you get the couch down to small pieces, toss the pieces into your garbage barrel or truck to haul to a dumpster.  I have a 2-yard dumpster at one of my commercial properties that I use for jobs like this.  It helps to get rid of things and even when I have a remodeling project or an apartment turn.

 

 

Some of the wood in my truck was from other trash I was getting rid of.  I believe some of the wood is from the old kitchen cabinets and other demolition that was done.

 

 

It was a good thing I took pictures of this project.  The garbage company attempted to charge me $35 for the couch disposal, even though it was in the dumpster all crushed up.  I called and was reimbursed.  At some point, the couch is just fabric and wood, not a couch.  Then it is just plain old garbage which is included in the monthly price I pay.

Bonus Money!

As with any couch, you will like get some change out of it.  I have found as much as ~$2.25, all in quarters and smaller change.  I have never found a dollar bill.  Add that to your savings and you will be rich in no time!

 

 

Do you think your own couch has money in it?  Have you ever paid for a couch to be hauled away?  Have you ever broke down a couch on your own?