The British Heart Foundation offers a free collection of furniture and electrical items from your home, in the areas it covers, and you can check your postcode online. Local reuse charities, such as Emmaus communities, are well worth asking too; each one sets its own rules on what it takes and where it collects.
Whichever you choose, they need furniture they can sell or pass on, so a few minutes’ checking before you book saves a wasted trip. If you are clearing a home before a move, our guide to decluttering before a move covers which items cannot legally be donated or resold.
British Heart Foundation
This is how the service worked in October 2026. You book online: enter your postcode to see whether they collect in your area, then tell them what you’re donating and your preferred date, which depends on availability. If they need more details, or can’t make your date, your local BHF store gets in touch within 3 to 5 working days.
The van crew can only take things the shops can sell, so items should:
- have no obvious stains, rips, marks or smells;
- have all their parts, so no missing drawers or wardrobe doors;
- work, if they’re electrical;
- for sofas, mattresses, padded chairs and other upholstered pieces, have the fire safety label firmly attached, with no rips that expose the inner fabric.
They can’t take some things at all, including children’s items such as cots and prams, and certain washing machines and washer-dryers. Someone over 18 needs to be there for the collection unless they’ve agreed otherwise. If you’re clearing a whole house, the BHF suggests its house clearance service instead.
Emmaus
Emmaus communities support people moving on from homelessness, and they depend on donated furniture and other goods to keep their work going. Each community has its own list of what it can accept, and a piece that’s a little worn can sometimes be given a new lease of life in their upcycling workshops. Find your nearest community on the Emmaus UK website and ask them directly what they take and whether they can collect.
Local reuse charities
Reuse Network supports reuse charities across the UK, which help low-income households and keep good furniture out of landfill. It’s a good place to start looking for one near you.
If a charity can’t take it
Most councils will collect large items such as old sofas for a fee. Our guide to whether to store, sell or give away furniture has more options.
When the dates don’t line up
Collection slots don’t always match a moving or completion date. A household storage unit can hold the furniture safely until the charity can come, so the house can be emptied on time. If you’d like a collector to pick up from your unit, check the charity is happy to collect from there, then give us a call first so we can help you plan it; someone from your side will need to be there to let them in.
To talk it through, call us on 0800 2545585, or get a price online.
Related questions
- Should I store furniture, sell it or give it away?
- Should I put things into storage before a house clearance?
- Can I hold a sale or let buyers collect from my storage unit?
- How does a house clearance work?
Further reading