Donating a catty couch?

Submitted by Dennis_Duffy_Denim t3_10m5x35 in washingtondc

We’re looking to get rid of our old couch and have it go to a home that really needs it. It’s an Ikea Freiheiten (has a pull-out bed and storage) but portions of the upholstery (corners and one of the arms) have been lovingly mangled by a succession of cats. It’s still in good condition structurally, but I don’t think most donation places would take it. Before I put it up in my neighborhood Buy Nothing group, any ideas for nonprofits that might actually take it, such as refugee housing organizations? Thanks in advance.

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pomegranatecloud t1_j61e6i1 wrote

No one wants your garbage. If the couch is mangled throw it out. It’s not right to donate a managled couch, and I think you know that.

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messmaker523 t1_j61fqb9 wrote

They can't throw it out because they are too lazy to carry it outside and pay for it to be disposed of properly

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Dennis_Duffy_Denim OP t1_j61i5xj wrote

Wow, lovely opinion you’ve got there. For the record, we’re perfectly willing to chuck it and got quotes for disposal, but given it’s structurally sound, wanted to see if doing a mitzvah was an option. I see that strains credibility for you and I’m sorry about that.

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Dennis_Duffy_Denim OP t1_j61iieg wrote

I do know that. My thinking was more: if someone could use a couch and doesn’t mind patching it in two places, it’s perfectly fine, especially if you’ve got no place else to sit. But if that’s the general idea - that something is more useful in a landfill - then we are more than ready to chuck it.

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WuPacalypse t1_j61yomq wrote

Throw that shit away, it’s probably covered in cat hair too yeah? Drive it to the dump. Benning road transfer station.

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SSSS_car_go t1_j61p760 wrote

Back in the old days we used to get our couch reupholstered from time to time. In fact, my parents bought a couch—from Goodwill!—in 1945, when they lived in Manhattan, and we had that thing shipped all over the world with us to three countries and multiple states, getting it recovered several times over the years. After both parents had died, and I couldn’t take it with me, I finally put it in the dumpster—in 2003. I still feel guilty about it, though. That couch had good bones and probably had a couple years left in it.

If you can find an upholsterer you could give that info to someone willing to take it and get it completely redone. I appreciate you taking the time to repurpose something that doesn’t belong in the landfill. I googled and multiple local places came up, so it’s doable.

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hexesforurexes t1_j62cm9p wrote

They make slipcovers for Ikea on a site called Bemz. For a couple hundred bucks you can have a new couch.

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Dennis_Duffy_Denim OP t1_j63nudu wrote

Appreciate this! There’s some interest on Buy Nothing, so I’ll give that advice to whoever ends up taking it.

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evolutionista t1_j64av52 wrote

The average cost to reupholster a couch is like $1500 for fabric and professional labor. I think that's more than this Ikea piece retailed for in the first place. If it were an antique piece with a lot of value, sure, I agree more people should be willing to reupholster.

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baudelaireflaneur t1_j66b0qr wrote

Had the same couch with the same cat-mangled corners. Posted it for $25 on the FB marketplace and got a lot of interest buyers. Ultimately went with college hunks because I had other things to get rid of but they gave me an IRS slip for Goodwill donation.

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the5nowman t1_j63no8z wrote

Just carry it to the curb and put a 311 in for bulk pick-up.

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