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CNET
20-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
7 Charities That Pick Up Furniture for Free
As we've found in a recent CNET survey, only 4% of US adults are considering purchasing at a 6% mortgage rate. Those moving during this time of high home buying costs and rates may be looking to save money during the process wherever possible. This may include choosing to donate furniture instead of paying to move it. While it may be tempting to sell it on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, it may be easier (and safer) to donate it to charity. Fortunately, many charities will handle the pickup for furniture donations for free. Everybody wins: You get to declutter your home before your move, and charities can pass along the furniture to people who need it. Learn which organizations will pick up your old stuff and what you need to know before donating. For more moving tips, check out the best moving companies of 2025 and how plastic moving boxes compare with cardboard. 7 charities that offer free furniture donation pickup Habitat for Humanity Working in more than 70 countries, Habitat for Humanity helps homebuyers with home construction and mortgage costs. At Habitat ReStore locations, furniture donations are sold to help fund the work. The list of accepted items is a little different at each store, but sofas, chairs and bed frames are usually fine. To schedule a pickup, enter your ZIP code to find your local ReStore. Some stores have an online scheduler, but you can also call them directly. Goodwill Goodwill is virtually synonymous with donations, but whether it'll make house calls is up to each individual location. You can use the store locator tool to find stores in your area that you can ask about pickups. Furniture Bank Network The Furniture Bank Network isn't a charity, but a directory of furniture banks across North America. You can use its map to find a local furniture bank in your area that's accepting donations. Almost all of them offer furniture pickups, but you may have to pay a fee. Salvation Army One of the oldest charities offering free donation pickup, the Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Donated items are sold in its thrift stores to fund a variety of services, including food and shelter assistance, disaster relief, and counseling. You can schedule a pickup with the Salvation Army by entering your ZIP code on its website and creating a list of everything you want to donate. Pick Up Please Pick Up Please is a for-profit company that pays the Vietnam Veterans of America for your donated items. The VVA then uses these funds to help veterans of all conflicts with claims assistance, outreach programs and legislative advocacy. One of the advantages of donating to Pick Up Please is the quick turnaround: It can generally pick up your donation within 24 hours. However, Pick Up Please accepts only smaller donations, like exercise equipment, bikes, office chairs and nightstands. The Arc Dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, The Arc has more than 600 local chapters around the US, many of which offer free furniture pickup. You can find your local chapter here, and call or email to ask about donations. Each chapter has its own list of items it'll take, but clothing and furniture in good condition are generally accepted. Amvets Amvets, or American Veterans, is a volunteer-led nonprofit that supports veterans with claims assistance, health care and employment opportunities. Through its network of thrift stores, it sells donations to fund its programs. You can currently schedule an Amvets furniture donation pickup in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Texas, Oklahoma and in Washington, DC. What you need to know about donating your furniture Schedule your pickup early For most organizations, the earliest available pickup date is two or more weeks out -- especially during peak summer moving months. Make sure to schedule your pickup date as soon as you know your move date and the items you'll be donating. Donations are tax deductible Your furniture donations are entitled to a tax deduction, but they'll have to meet a few requirements: The charity you're donating to must be certified as a 501(c)(3) organization. You can look these up using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool. According to the IRS, you can take a deduction on your furniture donations only if the items are in "good used condition or better." After you've confirmed that your donations are eligible for a tax deduction, you'll need to determine the fair market value. (The IRS has a helpful guide here.) If you determine that an item is valued at over $500, you'll need to fill out Form 8283 with your tax return. You can also use Goodwill's estimated donation values for more information. Make sure your donations are accepted Don't assume that a charity will automatically take everything off your hands. Most organizations have detailed lists of the types of furniture they'll accept. For example, many places won't take mattresses or box springs. In general, everything you donate should be clean and in good working condition. As Goodwill explains, "Every truckload of unacceptable goods we take to the landfill is equal to three days of classroom instruction for someone whose goal is to get and keep a job." Donating your furniture before you move is a great way to cut down on moving costs and help out someone in need. For more tips on how to save money during your move, check out the best places to get moving boxes for free.
CNET
16-05-2025
- CNET
Need to Update Your Home Address? Steps for iPhone and Android
Moving can come with its own complications and obstacles, but updating your home address on your iPhone or Android doesn't have to be one of them. May is the busiest moving month, and one thing you'll want to add to your to-do list is making sure all of your devices are updated with your new address. Whether or not you update your address the day you sign your paperwork or after you move in, the earlier the better. This can help with navigation, especially if you're moving to a new city or state. It'll also prevent Google Maps or Apple Maps from sending you to your old address or even sending packages you order to the wrong location. With a couple of taps, you can update your information. It's fairly simple and easy to do, and it's another thing you can check off. For more moving tips, here's how to pick the right size moving truck, where to find free moving boxes and 4 Tips to Avoid Moving Company Scams. Updating your address on the iPhone For iPhone users, the fastest and most convenient way to update your home address on your iPhone is in the Maps app. Once you add your new address in Maps, your phone automatically updates your Contacts app too. This method allows you to either add a home address for the first time, in case you've never done that before, or update your previous address. 1. On your iPhone, navigate to the Maps app. 2. Swipe up, scroll to Favorites and tap Add. 3. Next, type in your address and tap on it when it appears in the list. 4. Choose My home from the options below and tap Update. 5. Select Done when the information looks correct. There are several ways to change your address within Maps, depending on whether you're adding a new address or updating an old one. Nelson Aguilar/CNET This will add your new address to your phone, so you'll have the correct information any time you want to navigate home or autofill your address in Safari. If you use Apple Pay, you'll need to update your shipping address there as well. Go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Shipping Address and enter your new address. Updating your address on an Android It's just as easy to add or update your new home address on your Android phone. However, you'll need to be signed in to your Google account on your Android device for this to work. 1. First, go to Settings and then tap Google > Manage your Google Account > Personal info. 2. Next, scroll down to the Addresses section, tap Home and enter your new address. 3. When done, hit Save. Depending on which Android version you're running, the settings menus may look slightly different. Nelson Aguilar/CNET These steps will update your address on all your Google apps, including Google Maps, so you can easily navigate home. However, this method won't update your address if you're trying to use the autofill feature in Chrome. To update your address in Chrome, read on to the next section. Steps to update your address in Chrome Finally, if you use the Chrome web browser on your iPhone or Android, you'll also want to change your address there, for auto-filling when you're making purchases online. In Chrome: 1. Tap the three vertical dots menu and then go into Settings. 2. Scroll down and tap Addresses and more. 3. Toggle on Save and fill addresses up at the top if not already enabled. 4. Now, either add a new address or edit your existing one. 5. When finished, tap Done or Save. This method for changing your address is slightly different on iOS (above) than it is on Android. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Update your address for every app you use Unfortunately, updating your address on your phone and browser won't necessarily update your address in third-party applications, like Amazon, Grubhub, UberEats, Doordash, Postmates and more. You'll have to go into each app and update your address in the app settings, which may be tedious work, but obviously needs to be done.
CNET
06-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- CNET
7 Tips to Make Your Move More Eco-Friendly
Moving can take a lot out of you -- the organizing, packing and all the problems that can happen during the move leave little room for much else to think about, so no one blames you if the environmental impact didn't cross your mind during the planning stages. That said, whether reducing your carbon footprint is top of mind or if you just want to make your move a bit environmentally friendly, there are a handful of things you can do that can help, and even save you some money in the long run. And when it comes to moving, saving any sort of money can be considered a big win. Below are a few easy options you can consider when planning your move for making it more environmentally friendly. And if you're in need of all the help you can get for your move, don't miss our Moving Tips hub. 1. Get rid of what you don't need The easiest way to green your move is to move less. Fewer belongings means fewer boxes and fewer trips in the moving truck. First, take a look at your stuff and play the, "Do I need this or do I just want this" game. Separate those things into piles, and then walk away from them until the next day to do a reassessment. It's OK to want some of your cute, but useless stuff, but if you're trying to downsize, identify what no longer "fits" and let it go. Getting rid of your stuff should be the easiest part, but it'll still take some effort. Consider doing some of the following: Host a yard sale Post items on Facebook Marketplace Gift some of the things to friends and family Then try to recycle whatever's left: Keep America Beautiful has links to recycling programs across the US, and you have numerous ways to responsibly dispose of old electronics and accessories. 2. Use household items as packing materials Look around the house for ways to keep fragile goods safe. Bedding, towels and even clothing are good for wrapping items, and those items would be coming along anyway. You can even stuff your wine glasses with socks. (Just make sure they're clean.) Old newspapers and magazines can also be used to wrap plates and glassware, and while using these may not be the safest route for packing dishes, it's definitely the smarter, greener option. 3. Buy biodegradable packing peanutsMade out of corn, wheat or potato starch, biodegradable packing peanuts don't require nearly as much energy to manufacture as styrofoam ones, which usually end up in landfills or floating in the ocean. This plant-based filler dissolves in water, so you can toss it in the sink or a compost pile when you're done. Plus, it's 100% nontoxic to pets and humans. And if that wasn't enough of a win, then watching them dissolve in water is a satisfying cherry on top. 4. Use a plastic bubble wrap alternative Scotch Cushion Lock 3M Run out of towels and sheets? 3M's Scotch Cushion Lock and Duck Brand's Flourish honeycomb wrap are just two of the corrugated paper wraps on the market. If you must use plastic bubble wrap, U-Haul's Enviro-Bubble is made from recycled polyethylene and is 100% recyclable. 5. Find used boxes or rent plastic bins You have several green options when it comes to boxing up household goods: Cardboard boxes are both easily recyclable and biodegrade quickly. And luckily, you can easily score free cardboard boxes if you know where to look. You can pick up free boxes from one of the "Take a Box, Leave a Box" drop bins stationed at every U-Haul company store and many independent dealers. U-Haul also has an online exchange forum where customers can buy, sell or give away boxes and other moving supplies. LWA/Dann Tardif via Getty Images Reusable polyethylene bins are an increasingly popular packing option: Typically, a company will drop off however many bins you need at your old address and then collect them at your new place when you're all unpacked. You have to pay to rent the bins, and most companies only do local moves. But the bins don't require assembly or breakdown, can't get waterlogged and, compared to cardboard boxes, are practically indestructible. The convenience alone may make this option justified, and you don't have to worry about breaking down and disposing of cardboard boxes. Services like Tree Hugger in Denver and Gorilla Bins in New York are highly praised, and Rent-a-Crate does cover a dozen major US cities. U-Haul also rents plastic Ready-To-Go crates at many locations, but you must pick up and return them to the same spot. 6. Properly dispose of boxes after moving A U-Haul "Take a Box, Leave a Box" drop box. U-Haul Moving day has finally come and gone. You've finished unpacking everything and the place looks fabulous. Now it's time to get rid of all those boxes. If you used cardboard boxes and they're in good shape, take them to U-Haul, where you can drop off moving boxes for others to take free of charge. You'll find "Take a Box Leave a Box" drop boxes at all U-Haul company stores and many independent dealers. (You may also find a taker on U-Haul's Box Exchange.) If you bought your boxes at U-Haul, return any unused ones for a full refund. (Just hold onto the receipt.) If you are recycling your boxes, make sure they're clean, dry and free of any food waste or paint. You can leave labels and writing on them, but most packing tape isn't recyclable and your local recycling facility may require it to be removed. Pay-it-forward option: While you may be in a hurry to rid yourself of the memory of the move you just accomplished, if you don't mind holding on to your boxes a little longer, consider putting them up on Facebook Marketplace or other community apps so someone that's about to move could take them off your hands. 7. Look for an eco-friendly moving company Penske rents electric cargo vans, which are recommended for up to one room. Penske You can green your move even if someone else is doing the work. Search for sustainable movers in your area or ask movers you're considering about their practices. If you're renting a moving truck or van, find out about its emissions rating. You can also ask if the company offers electric vehicles for rent. The range of an EV van will be limited, of course, making it better suited for a smaller, in-town move. For more moving tips, find out what size moving truck you need and how to change your address on your phone after you move.
