If you’re clearing the home of someone you’ve lost, we’re sorry; it’s a hard job. A charity may well collect good furniture and electrical items for free, because it can sell them to raise funds, but clearing a whole house, including the things nobody can sell, is usually a paid service, even when a charity does it.
What a charity will usually take for free
Free collections are paid for by what the charity can sell, so the items need to be in good condition. The British Heart Foundation, for example, collects furniture and electrical items from your home for free, and explains that its van crews can’t accept anything it can’t sell. Items should be clean, working and complete, with no missing doors or drawers. Sofas, mattresses and padded chairs need a fire safety label firmly attached, with no rips that show the filling.
When a charity clears the whole house
Some charities also offer a full house clearance, taking household waste as well as saleable things, but that is charged. In October 2026, the British Heart Foundation’s house clearance service starts from £400, priced on things like the size of the job, the location and the cost of disposing of items such as mattresses and white goods. It’s worth asking any charity near you what they offer and what it costs.
Planning the rest
A mix usually works best:
- Take out what the family is keeping, and anything to be valued or sold, first.
- Book a free charity collection for the good furniture.
- For what’s left, your council may collect large items such as sofas and fridges, and you can take waste to your local recycling centre.
- Whoever takes your waste needs to be allowed to. GOV.UK says to check a charity collecting your items is on the register of waste carriers, and to check any clearance company too.
Where storage helps
Collection dates don’t always line up with when a house has to be empty. A household storage unit can hold the furniture you’re giving away, along with the family’s keepers, so the house can be cleared or sold on time. If you arrange a collection from your unit, you, or someone you’ve given access to, just needs to be there to let the collectors in. Please take any rubbish away with you, as we can’t take it on site.
If you’d like to talk it through, call us on 0800 2545585, or get a price online.
Related questions
- Should I put things into storage before a house clearance?
- Should I store furniture, sell it or give it away?
- What should I keep in storage when clearing a parent’s home?
- How does a house clearance work?
- Do house clearance companies pay you for what they take?
Further reading
- British Heart Foundation: Book a free collection
- British Heart Foundation: House clearance
- GOV.UK: Dispose of household waste