Why is it so difficult to give furniture away?

Another thumbs up for British Heart Foundation. They've been twice to our house since we downsized and I'm about to contact them again. I usually book an appointment online stating what items I want collecting. I get a phone call the day before saying what time they will be there. Not let me down yet.

Upholstered furniture needs a fire safety certificate but some wooden furniture is just not wanted, according to charity shops and upcycling centres.

"Young people don't want it" is what we are told.
They'd rather have cheap chipboard veneered with laminate.

Callistemon21

It was easier to get rid of furniture 15+ years ago than now.
So what happened?

More regulation about fire safety etc, more expensive van hire, easier availability of cheap new stuff, and fewer young people able to afford to buy houses (low wages and high house prices) so stay renting longer and buy things of their own?

It was easier to get rid of furniture 15+ years ago than now.
So what happened?

Oh, I've just been sorting clothes and put some back in a spare wardrobe "just in case", Calendargirl.
However, I did throw out some 'mistakes' still with labels or worn just once 🙂

Blondiescot

Calendargirl

Gosh paddyann, all my furniture is far older than four years.

I would think of four year old stuff as practically brand new, and wouldn’t dream of replacing it.

(This isn’t intended as a criticism, just an observation how we all have different ideas, the same applies to clothes, I have stuff years old that I still wear and think is ok, but others would have ditched yonks ago).

Same here. There's nothing in our house which is less than about 20 years ago. I'm currently sitting on the sofa of our three-piece suite, which we 'inherited' from my inlaws nearly 30 years ago. We had it recovered, but they bought it when they got married - 69 years ago!

Ours is quite old too, apart from the bed, sofas and chairs.

Our old G plan 3 piece suite went to the Red Cross charity as it had a fire certificate; the sofa was hardly worn but I was sick of the colour (it was never right in the first place) and they got £75 for it so a good result someone had use out of it and money went to charity.

Still have our Tapley SL furniture which we bought for our first house, it is relegated to the office now but very useful.

Same thing here - younger family members do NOT want their folk’s stuff! They have their own style preferences…
• IKEA, mid-century but want NEW, not old
• simple lines are easier cleaned & cared for
• big box stores are inexpensive - easy to replace on a whim
• not as heavy as solid wood
• don’t want to reupholster or refinish.

I get it. They have a chance to start their own homes, style. Maybe they can afford to do so.

I have two pieces left over from previous marriage. Not even mid-century, but OLDER… think Victorian era, mahogany. Very ornate, a “beach” to clean the curly-cues 😆 But, it is impressive. After asking around and being rebuffed, I’m using them again in my newly refurbished and furnished condo. The dressing table with a mirror is very functional for me. Somehow, it’s working again 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’d have to pay someone to just come a bring it all downstairs to the garbage truck. I’ll let my family deal with it when I’m gone.
Problem solved!
USA Gundy

I used house clearance company in my dads area. Came when they said they would and took everything I asked them to.

I dont buy cheap anything and when I want a change it all goes to a good home .My children are the same .What none of us do is travel on planes or cruise ships or have new fuel guzzling cars .Easy to think everyone should be the same ,but look to the things YOU could do to "save the planet Saggi I'm 70 next birthday ,is there a rule I need to live with G plan ,which I detested when it WAS fashionable instead of spending MY money on things I like and enjoy.
Evertime I change a room someone else benefits ...that is surely what most people do ?

We have used Freecycle with mixed results. You have to insist they give you a mobile number and state a time for collection. Make it clear that you don’t hold it. Usually it works out ok if you are firm from the start. Also used British Heart Foundation and some hospice charity shops who collect. Usually seems a 2 weeks wait time for that.

I bought an old washing machine on Gumtree (not too old!) It cost about £50 went to collect it and found it was in a huge warehouse filled floor to ceiling with donated items for a homeless charity.

As we left the guy asked us if we didn't want some of the other items!
He said that when people are set up in flats, they want new goods.
The machine is still going strong after about 10years.

When we were in our first house in 1970, we felt obliged to fill our home with old furniture gifted from relatives. I still have most of it!
A new bed but that was the only thing we bought.

I would never pay £500 for a chair when I can get one for next to nothing.
So please keep selling things or giving them away.

Saggi

Younger People don’t want good quality …. they want modern ….and modern changes every 5-8 years or so. So they buy new …cheaper furniture , and don’t lose much sleep when they get rid in time for the next modern trend Simples!

Yet they are the ones who bang on to the rest of us about recycling and saving the planet...

If its old fashioned no matter what the quality people don't want it. A friend of mine's parents died and he tried to get Emmaus to take it. It was a no. The wardrobes were bought in the 50's! Old fashioned furniture just clogs up space in recycling shop . I think Marketplace is an option but again people are fussy.

Gumtree has worked for me. I got £30 for a nearly new IKEA single bed, also had a taker for some free basic office furniture.
And Emmaus took a huge modern oak wardrobe.

Younger People don’t want good quality …. they want modern ….and modern changes every 5-8 years or so. So they buy new …cheaper furniture , and don’t lose much sleep when they get rid in time for the next modern trend Simples!

Where I live there are areas of extreme social deprivation. When I had the horrible task of clearing my mother's house the Red Cross and several local charities were all very happy to take any furniture, plus kitchen equipment, household linen, curtains, etc. One charity trained unemployed people to refurbish old and damaged furniture. There are so many homeless people and domestic abuse victims setting up home that desperately need everything they can get.

Have you tried offering on trashnothing.com ? Similar to Freecycle and people offer everything from furniture to magazines.

Calendargirl

Gosh paddyann, all my furniture is far older than four years.

I would think of four year old stuff as practically brand new, and wouldn’t dream of replacing it.

(This isn’t intended as a criticism, just an observation how we all have different ideas, the same applies to clothes, I have stuff years old that I still wear and think is ok, but others would have ditched yonks ago).

Same here. There's nothing in our house which is less than about 20 years ago. I'm currently sitting on the sofa of our three-piece suite, which we 'inherited' from my inlaws nearly 30 years ago. We had it recovered, but they bought it when they got married - 69 years ago!

I bet the good quality furniture comes back into fashion in the future- there won’t be the skilled people to make it though- the IKEA tat looks nice enough but not good quality. Had to give away a beautiful neutral coloured sofa which cost thousands and hadn’t been used - perhaps people aren’t as stretched as they claim to be.

In an army family and without money, I had bought most of my furniture and carpets at £2 an item at auction after our marriage. It was functional ( and some of it better than the orange nylon army carpets which we had had in an army quarter

20 years later, a posting required letting the house. The estate agent wanted to know how I could bear to leave the beautiful antiques in a house for rental

That's the way the roundabout moves

I noticed the size issue also in relation to china-my wedding set (52 years old) has smaller plates and bowls than those sold today

Probably another reason that fuels the obesity crisis nowadays, we have bigger portions to accommodate the bigger pieces of china.

When we bought new light oak furniture to replace our dark oak we struggled to get anyone to take it, despite the fact it was immaculate. Eventually a charity took the bookcase. But we had lovely display units which could be split up and a table and chairs which noone would take. Charities said they weren't suitable for small houses or flats. We ended up breaking them up and paying the council to collect them. Broke my heart.

When clearing my brother's flat it took 7 attempts to get rid of a rug. so many time wasters. I have some vintage items which could go on show at a museum but i can't even get a reply to the messages I've sent. I've tried ebay and the buyer did not read that items were for collection, facebook marketplace is only about 10% success. Charities are extremely picky - would not take a virtually new bed as it had a tiny mark (less than the size of a 5p piece) underside of the mattress.

Gosh paddyann, all my furniture is far older than four years.

I would think of four year old stuff as practically brand new, and wouldn’t dream of replacing it.

(This isn’t intended as a criticism, just an observation how we all have different ideas, the same applies to clothes, I have stuff years old that I still wear and think is ok, but others would have ditched yonks ago).

www.dunelm.com/info/about/mattress-and-furniture-recycling

www.dunelm.com/info/about/take-back-scheme