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Whether you’re redecorating, preparing to move, or your family is going through a major change, you might find yourself ready to donate furniture in San Diego. The problem is, furniture is heavy and challenging to get rid of! You’re ready to redesign your space or start packing, but you can’t do that until you get rid of large furniture you no longer want. Donating can help both you and someone else, which is a win-win. Of course, not all thrift stores and charities accept donations, let alone offer free pickup.
How do you know which charities will pick up your items and which ones will accept oversized furniture, like entertainment centers? We have prepared a furniture donation San Diego guide, including organizations offering donation pickup services.
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Tax Information for San Diego Furniture Donation
Furniture donations in San Diego may have tax benefits. If you itemize your deductions, you may be entitled to claim a deduction for donations to qualifying organizations. According to the IRS, taxpayers can deduct the fair market value of furniture, clothing, shoes, and accessories like purses, household goods, electronic devices, books, and more.
Charities are not allowed to tell you the value of your donated items. You should determine a fair value yourself after reviewing IRS guidelines and/or consulting with a tax advisor.
General Tips for Donating Furniture in San Diego
Before we explore where to donate furniture in San Diego, let's first go over some general guidance so you know what to expect.
Review the donation center's guidelines. Some centers only accept small furniture. Others require that you call ahead.
Common prohibited items include anything hazardous, damaged, or unsellable. This includes automotive fluids like radiator fluid, medical sharps, paint remover, pressurized canisters, cleaning products, and electronics with broken or cracked screens.
Donated items should be in good, clean condition. Ask yourself if the furniture you want to donate is good enough that you would give it to a family member or friend. Don't donate items that are stained, torn, worn, chipped, broken, or otherwise past their expected lifespan.
Free donation pick up in San Diego may have a maximum distance or need to be scheduled in advance. Not all thrift stores or charities offer free furniture pick up in San Diego. If they do, note that you may need to schedule a week or two in advance. Some places only offer pickup on a certain day of the week. They may have a limited radius. Some companies ask for a modest donation to offset the cost of pickup.
San Diego Rescue Mission focuses on helping homeless families and individuals in the community. They accept donations of all kinds, including furniture! They use these donations to help those who are on the streets, but they also take in homeless individuals, teach them essential life skills, and get them practical jobs to help them out of their homelessness for the rest of their lives. This is a very popular program, and it has helped thousands of individuals over the years.
You can see the items that they accept for donation here. Their needs do change depending on what kind of donations they get, so it’s important to check their link before setting up a pickup time. There are also some items that they don’t accept.
Drop-off donations should be taken to their facility at 120 Elm Street, San Diego, CA 92101.
The Salvation Army has been in business for over 100 years and works with veterans who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, and other challenges. They use donations and items sold in their thrift stores to fund their programs that support veterans.
Gently used and new furniture is accepted here, so if you have an item that is old, damaged, or no longer works, this isn’t the place to take it. However, there are some furniture items they can’t accept, including large or bulky items like couches and entertainment centers. You can take donations straight to one of their drop-off donation centers. You can find a local drop-off site through SATruck.org.
However, if you do have bulky items, you can schedule San Diego donation pickup. This is something you’ll want to do at least a few days in advance because they can be a bit backed up. To schedule a pick up to donate furniture to The Salvation Army in San Diego, call (858) 694-7000.
For decades, Goodwill has used its thrift stores to help people with disabilities and other employment barriers secure jobs. The location in San Diego secures jobs for over 600 individuals each year, and they help over 6,000 individuals each year with one of their services!
Goodwill of San Diego County accepts furniture in good condition without stains, tears, or other signs of damage. You can see their donation guidelines before you call.
Goodwill pickup in San Diego is done through ReSupply. You can request a priority pickup within 24 to 48 hours. ReSupply can pick up items of any condition, even if they are in your home or a storage unit. However, there is a pick-up fee.
Goodwill of San Diego County operates many stores throughout the area. You can donate goods at most locations, but large furniture donations are only accepted at Goodwill Retail Stores and Donation Storefronts. The following locations can accept large furniture donation in San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, Imperial Beach, and Santee.
Chula Vista East Retail Store
Chula Vista Retail Store
El Cajon Retail Store
Escondido Outlet and Donation Center
Escondido Retail Store and Donation Center
Imperial Beach Retail Store
San Diego Downtown Outlet Center
San Diego Midway Retail Center
Santee Retail Store
Call ahead before donating furniture to make sure there is room. Donations cannot be accepted when the holding capacity is full.
Certain items cannot be accepted due to recycling guidelines, safety concerns, and federal and state laws. This includes mattresses and stained, ripped, or otherwise unsellable furniture. You can contact byebyemattress.com to dispose of mattresses in the area. The Miramar Recycling Center can assist with disposing of damaged or stained furniture. To donate video game consoles, computers, computer accessories, and TVs, you must visit one of Goodwill's electronic recycling locations.
San Diego Habitat for Humanity has made the decision to close all area ReStore locations. San Diego Habitat for Humanity furniture pickup was ended effective July 27, 2024, and drop-off donations ended on July 31, 2024. You can learn more about the closure of San Diego ReStore locations in their FAQs section.
Father Joe’s Villages is a charity that works with those who are less fortunate and homeless. They are a non-profit that has been around for many years in the San Diego area, and it’s a very popular place for people to shop and donate. Father Joe's Village can accept furniture that is small and light enough to be carried by two men.
You can drop off donations at one of two San Diego locations or a donation center in El Cajon, Imperial Beach, or Chula Vista. Note that each location has specific hours for donations (until capacity is reached) and a number to call before going to the store to donate goods.
Father Joe's Villages is one of the few organizations that offers free donation pick up in San Diego. You can request standard or priority pickup. Standard pickup is done between 8 am and 4 pm. You can fill out the standard furniture pickup request form or call 1-619-HOMELESS (466-4122). Priority furniture pickup is done through ReSupply, which charges a modest fee, but offers pickup within 72 hours. The priority service allows you to get rid of items in any condition, including junk that cannot be donated.
Humble Design San Diego – Custom Design & Home Furnishing for Families and Veterans Emerging from Homelessness
Humble Design is a unique charity that helps members of the community who are emerging from homelessness by creating a home that is comfortable, safe, warm, and inviting. They provide custom designing and interior home furnishing services for veterans, individuals, and families who have recently secured housing after a period of homelessness.
You can see the list of acceptable items before you call. The charity accepts gently used household items and furniture in very good condition, such as love seats, bed frames and mattresses, dressers, small desks, window treatments, and rugs. They are one of the only charities in Southern California that accepts mattress donations, although only twin and queen are accepted.
Drop-offs are accepted by appointment only on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 am to 1 pm. San Diego furniture donation pickup is offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Humble Design requests a donation to help cover their expenses with a suggested amount of $100 to $200. They will send a payment link based on the distance and number of items after scheduling a pickup.
Fill out the donation form to get started by providing information about your donation, including whether it's a pickup or drop-off, and photos of the items.
Amvets Thrift Store – Donated Furniture Benefits San Diego Veterans
Amvets is passionate about helping veterans, and selling their donations is how they provide care for veterans for free. They will pick up your furniture so you don’t have to lug it down to their drop-off centers. However, they do require that the donations be less than five years old. They accept exercise machines, couches, bed frames, nightstands, dressers, and more. There are many things that they won’t be able to accept, like entertainment centers, any furniture needing repair, wooden lawn furniture, sleeper sofas, metal desks, and more.
It’s always best to check with them before scheduling a pick up or drop off because they sometimes pause donations on furniture or large items if they are stocked up at their store. You can schedule a pick up here.
Are you looking up furniture donations in San Diego because you’re moving? If so, don’t do it alone! Republic Moving & Storage is standing by to give you a seamless, worry-free moving experience. Get started by calling our team today at (619) 591-0079 for a free, personalized quote.
If you're looking for furniture donation pickup, please contact one of the organizations above.
Bill Lovejoy
Bill Lovejoy is the president of Republic Moving and Storage. Purchasing the assets of Republic Relocations in May 2008. In 2008, Republic did $700K of business and today is over $15 Million. Republic was named AMSA’s 2010 Agent of the Year for Service Excellence after only two years in business.
Bill is proud that he grew up doing every facet of the business from a local mover, over the road driver, salesperson, operations manager, and general manager. (and just about everything else in between) Before purchasing Republic, Bill was with Bekins Moving and Storage where he served as a Senior Vice President and was a partner. He was responsible for three HHG companies as well as two logistics companies.
A proud Father of six children, and a lovely wife, Carol, Bill constantly works to keep a balance between work and family Life. Bills “stress relieving” hobbies include racket ball, basketball, tennis, and golf.
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