5 Ingenious Ways to Recycle Your Old Furniture

When we talk about recycling, we usually think about elementary-school art projects with plastic bottles or those savvy "life hacks" for sustainable home decor. What some people may not be aware of is that furniture can be recycled too—that it's possible to breathe new life into old tables, chairs, couches, beds, and whatever furniture that's been around for years. Of course, this doesn't include furniture that has aged beyond usefulness and shows proof of irreparable damage. With these evident signs of disrepair, it's best to let them go and opt for new or second hand furniture Philippines-based sellers can offer for a bargain.

In the case of workable furniture, however, you can still find new uses for them in fresh, interesting ways. You can unleash your creative juices and reupholster them, make a quick buck out of them, or give them a new home with someone else who needs them. To illustrate, here are some of the ways that you can make use of your old, aging furniture and potentially make them last even longer.

Reupholster or Refinish Your Furniture

If you have an inner DIY streak, you can choose to reuse furniture and reupholster or refurbish them. You can put on a fresh coat of paint, or you can experiment with different textures for your old tables and chairs. For couches and soft chairs, you can check out different pieces of fabric to complement the base. How you style your revamped furniture in a way that balances functionality and design depends on you, but you can look to magazines or online "inspiration boards" to help you get started.

Repurpose Your Furniture

Aside from modifying the look of your old furniture, you can also switch its function entirely by repurposing them. To start, you can deconstruct the furniture by separating it piece by piece and determining the portions that would work for other purposes.

Some examples of repurposed items are broken doors as headboards, ladders as towel hangers, packing crates as side tables or nightstands, or old lockers as shoe storage. If you have some old window panes, you can use them to frame pictures, paintings, and mirrors to give them a quirky, vintage feel. Again, there are endless ways to create something new out of old furniture, you just need a little inspiration and a lot of imagination.

Donate or Give Away Your Furniture

They say one man's trash is another man's treasure, and this could be the case for that old dining table you have lying around the house. If you think your furniture is ready to have a new home, you can ask friends or family if they are willing to buy or trade with you. Alternatively, you can ask them if they know someone in need of your furniture. Who knows, maybe the glass table you've been meaning to get rid of means an elevated quality of life for someone else.

Apart from giving your items to a charity organization or families in need, you can contact your local school, church, or community association if they could use extra furniture. Not only are you using a savvy method of getting rid of furniture—you're also contributing to the survivability and welfare of the broader community. Old, unusable furniture can even be useful in avenues such as theater and the arts, where functionality is not much of a focus compared to aesthetics and presentation.

That said, it's still a good idea to make sure that there are no glaring issues that may affect the health and safety of others when donating furniture. Despite your good intentions, it may do more harm than good if you donate seemingly broken or tick-infested tables and chairs. Make sure to double- and triple-check your furniture for common issues such as pest damage, splinters, cracked glasses, and broken legs.

Sell Your Furniture

If your old furniture is in good enough condition, you can earn from them by selling them online. There's an abundance of platforms on the internet where you can buy and sell online furniture or other items for pick up or delivery. As long as the furniture is properly maintained and you are able to stay true to your advertisement, you can easily find a buyer to take secondhand items off your hands—and help build your income along the way.

Hold a Yard Sale

If you're confident enough to sell your wares outside your home, you can hold a yard sale where passersby can potentially buy your furniture. You can get creative in your marketing campaigns and use eye-catching signages, advertise through social media, or seek assistance from your local homeowners' association, if possible. Yard sales are as old as time, and they shouldn't be discounted as feasible ways of making the most of aging furniture.

A More Sustainable Approach to Furniture Disposal

Whether you refurbish, sell, or donate your furniture, exploring options other than sending items to the landfill is a more sustainable approach to disposing of pre-loved items. Of course, you also have the option of finding environmentally friendly solutions to furniture disposal such as enlisting the services of "green" garbage removal services.

Nevertheless, recycling should always be an option whenever you need to downsize, do some spring cleaning, or simply get rid of damaged or unused belongings. But whichever route you choose, the most important thing is that you are able to minimize wastage and do your part in caring for Mother Earth.