Cleaning Out: Old Furniture

Out With the Old.

When moving, it’s only natural to end up with a pile of outdated furniture, electronics, and storage items that you won’t need anymore. Instead of tossing it all, or renting a storage space, we’ve found a few other solutions to consider.

Donate It.

The easiest way to dispose of office furniture is to give it away to charity. Just call and let them know how much furniture you have and where it’s at. They may even pick it up for you. Not only is this a feel-good way to get rid of your unwanted office furniture, but such donations usually result in generous tax deductions. Goodwill or Salvation Army are great national charities. You probably have a favorite local charity that would be eager to take it as well.

Re-Use It.

Structurally sound but less-than current looking pieces can be stripped down and redone. Reupholster that comfy couch with stains. Refinish that old bookshelf. Adding new cushions, fabric, knobs, and different paint, stain, finish, or other frills to a piece of furniture, will help it take on a second life.

Sell It.

If your items are in good condition, they may still be worth some money. Use sites like Craigslist to post items for free and sell them anywhere (locally or not). FACILITYcycle is the newest online tool for selling, trading, buying, or recycling used furniture. Simply enter your zip code and it populates what’s available in your area to buy and what services or charities are available to donate and recycle. Sometimes the person who may need furniture the most is your next door neighbor. Talk to your landlord about tenants that may need furniture or if someone is moving in after you, they may want to buy some of your stuff (and you won’t have to move it!).

Recycle It.

Damaged or broken furniture could be recycled with a scrap metal company as well. Scrap metal companies vary by location and size. If you’re interested in doing this, you’ll probably want to do a web search to find a company near you.

Dump It.

Still wanting to throw it out, it’s important to be aware what you’re throwing in the dumpster and to keep in mind the economical impacts as well as the law. The following office equipment contains toxic materials and/or sensitive data and should be recycled responsibly and not just tossed into the garbage:

• Computer CPUs
• Copiers, printers and fax machines
• Monitors, keyboards, speakers and mice
• Landline & Mobile Phones
• Computer cables and wires
• TVs, VCRs, DVRs and stereos

Keep in mind, some electronics also contain sensitive business information. Ensure that any data has been wiped before getting rid of the following electronics:

Computers: If you have extremely sensitive information that you don’t want getting into anyone’s hands, the most secure way of destroying the data is to remove and physically destroy the hard drive.

Copiers and printers: Copiers and printers have internal hard drives that save digital copies of the documents it has printed. Consult the manual to find out how to wipe the memory; you can also use third-party software to overwrite the hard drive. The most secure way of erasing data is to physically destroy the hard drive — as long as you don’t lease the product.

Mobile phones: Consult the owner’s manual or search online for directions on how to wipe the phone’s memory.

There are many companies across the country that break down and recycle old electronics for free. To locate a BBB accredited e-cycler visit www.bbb.org/us/bbb-accredited-businesses. Many states also offer e-cycling programs — some of which are mandatory. A list of state programs is available on the EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/live.htm