What furniture removal covers in a Los Angeles house
A sofa, a dresser or a dining set has to come out of the room it sits in and travel to the driveway. What the pieces are, where each one sits, and the way to the driveway set the work.
Couches, sofas and sectionals
A single couch, a loveseat and a sectional each pose a different problem on the way out. A sectional joins at connectors, which can turn one wall-sized piece into two or three separate carries. A sleeper sofa holds a folding bed inside its shell, and a power recliner carries a reclining mechanism in the same hidden way. Getting a couch out covers the look at a sofa before it moves.
Tables, chairs and dining sets
A kitchen table and four chairs is a different carry from a round pedestal table with six chairs and a leaf stored elsewhere. A glass-topped table has a top and a base. A buffet or a hutch is a two-piece unit.
Dressers, desks and bookcases
A dresser is a shell holding its drawers, usually heavier than it looks when the drawers stay in. A desk sits on legs under a top, and a bookcase on shelves above a base, though some bookcases were anchored to a wall and have to come off before they leave.
Beds and bed frames
A bed frame is furniture. A mattress or box spring riding on top has its own page, because the two pieces leave the house differently. The frame has rails, slats, a headboard and sometimes a footboard.
What decides how hard a piece is
Width, the turn at the top of a stairway, the number of steps between the piece and the driveway, and the way out of the room all set the work.
| Piece | What decides the work | What to tell us when you phone |
|---|---|---|
| Sectional sofa | Connectors, cushion count, the tightest turn | How many sections and whether the connectors still release |
| Sleeper sofa | The bed inside, the shell, the width at the doorway | That it opens into a bed |
| Dresser with drawers | The drawers, the back, the frame width | How many drawers and whether the piece is solid wood |
| Dining table and chairs | Leg attachment, chair count, a leaf stored elsewhere | How many chairs and where the leaf is |
| Bed frame and headboard | Hardware, slats, the headboard mount | Size, how it comes apart, whether a mattress is on the same call |
| Bookcase or hutch | Anchors, shelf pins, two-part construction | Whether it was anchored to a wall |
| Desk or entertainment center | The top, the backing, cable holes | Whether it has to come apart to clear the door |
An old washer or refrigerator belongs on the appliance page, and for a whole house going at once, the cleanout page is where to start.
When furniture removal fits, and when another route fits better
When this page fits
- A couch, a dresser or a set of chairs is on its way out of the house.
- A piece no longer fits a room and has to be gone before the next thing comes in.
- Furniture has been sitting in a garage that is the next job after this one.
- A sectional has come apart in a hallway and someone has to finish the carry.
When another route fits better
- LA Sanitation's bulky item pickup lists couches, tables and chairs1 along with mattresses and box springs, and the City calls that service unlimited curbside service at no additional charge1 for the single-family residents it serves. The City's pickup and free options cover how to schedule one.
- A piece is still in good shape and someone else may want it. LA Sanitation encourages residents to think about donating1 before scheduling a pickup, pointing to thrift stores, charities and community exchange apps. Donating furniture covers what to ask a center before you drop a piece off.
Two ways to get furniture out of the house
The City's bulky item pickup, and a phone call to a hauling business.
The City's bulky item pickup
- Couches, tables and chairs are on its list
- An unlimited curbside service at no additional charge
- It asks for an itemized list when you schedule
Phoning a hauling business
- Describe the pieces and where they sit
- Ask what it will and will not take
Source: LA Sanitation & Environment, Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup.
What to have ready when you phone
- Each piece: a couch, a sectional, a dresser, a dining table and chairs, a bed frame, a desk.
- Where each piece sits: a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, a hallway, a garage.
- Steps between the piece and the driveway, and the turn at any landing.
- Whether a piece is already apart, or still has drawers and shelves full.
- Whether a mattress, an appliance or anything else is going on the same call.
Furniture and houses in Los Angeles
About 36 percent of the city's housing units are detached houses,2 and about 37 percent of households live in one.3 LA Sanitation's bulky item pickup names couches, tables and chairs1 among the items on its list, and asks residents to have an itemized list1 ready when they schedule, giving items such as one mattress, two chairs and a desk, so the service sends the right-sized truck.