Moving house often means confronting years of accumulated belongings—furniture you no longer need, clothes that don’t fit, and household items gathering dust in cupboards. Rather than sending everything to landfill, Birmingham has plenty of options for donating items in good condition. This guide covers where to donate furniture, clothing, and household goods, including charities that offer free collection.
Furniture Donations with Free Collection
Large items like sofas, wardrobes, and dining tables are often the trickiest to deal with when moving. Several Birmingham charities will collect furniture for free, provided items are in good, saleable condition with fire safety labels intact on upholstered pieces.
Birmingham Hospice
Birmingham Hospice operates 23 charity shops across the city, with the Cotteridge Furniture Plus store specifically handling larger items including sofas, tables, and wardrobes. They offer free furniture collection—you fill out an online form with photos of your items, and they’ll review your donation and arrange collection if suitable. Items must be in near-new condition without damage, tears, or stains. Fire labels must be attached to upholstered furniture (birminghamhospice.org.uk/furniture-collections).
British Heart Foundation
BHF has several locations in Birmingham, including their main shop on Bull Street in the city centre and dedicated furniture and electrical stores in Perry Barr and Acocks Green. They offer free collection for pre-approved furniture and electrical items. Use their online shop locator to find your nearest branch, or call to arrange collection. They accept sofas, beds, wardrobes, dining furniture, and PAT-tested electrical items.
Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder’s Kings Heath shop on the High Street is particularly well-known for furniture, vintage clothing, and electricals. They offer free furniture collection in the local area weekly. You can call the shop or visit the Donation Station on Heathfield Road to discuss larger items. Other Sue Ryder shops in Harborne and Northfield also accept furniture donations.
Shelter
Shelter’s Erdington shop on the High Street specialises in furniture and offers free local collection. They accept bookcases, sofas, chairs, beds, and other household furniture in good condition. Call 0121 314 2586 to arrange collection. They can’t accept dishwashers, washing machines, or damaged items. Every donation supports Shelter’s work helping people facing homelessness.
CT Furniture
CT Furniture is a charity that collects and sells furniture at affordable prices across the West Midlands. They offer free collection from homes throughout Birmingham. Items must have fire safety labels where applicable and be in good condition. Call 0121 773 2858 to arrange collection or get more information about what they can accept.
Upcycle Birmingham
Based in Castle Vale, Upcycle Birmingham accepts furniture donations and refurbishes items for resale at affordable prices. Smaller items can be dropped off at their shop (Unit 1, 4 High Street, Castle Vale, B35 7PR), open weekdays 9am–4pm and Saturdays 10am–2pm. Larger furniture should go to their warehouse on Yatesbury Avenue. They also offer collection for bulkier items—call 0121 748 5795 to book. This local social enterprise focuses on reducing landfill waste while supporting the community.
Clothing Donations
Birmingham has numerous options for donating clothing, from high street charity shops to clothing banks and home collection services. Items should be clean and in wearable condition—if you wouldn’t wear it, don’t donate it.
Charity Shops
Most charity shops on Birmingham’s high streets accept clothing donations during opening hours. Popular chains with multiple Birmingham locations include Oxfam, Cancer Research UK, Barnardo’s, Age UK, and the Salvation Army. Call ahead if you have a large donation to check they have storage space, particularly on weekends when shops can become full.
Birmingham Hospice shops accept clothing alongside furniture and household items. Acorns Children’s Hospice shops across the city also welcome clothing donations to support their work caring for children with life-limiting conditions.
Clothing Banks
For convenience, clothing banks let you donate any time without waiting for shop opening hours. Collection 4 Clothes operates 16 clothing banks across Birmingham where you can drop off clothes, shoes, and accessories. The Salvation Army, Air Ambulance Service, and other charities also have clothing banks at supermarkets, car parks, and recycling centres throughout the city.
Home Collection Services
If you have multiple bags of clothing to donate, several services offer free home collection in Birmingham. Collection 4 Clothes provides free doorstep collection—you choose which charity to support, bag your items, and leave them outside for collection (collection4clothes.co.uk).
iCollectClothes operates in Birmingham and offers free collection from your home or workplace. Angel of Mercy provides door-to-door collection services across Birmingham and the West Midlands. Both services accept clean clothing in good condition.
Household Items and Electricals
Beyond furniture and clothing, many charities accept household items including kitchenware, books, DVDs, toys, and small electricals. The British Heart Foundation tests electrical items before resale, so they can accept appliances that some shops might refuse.
Birmingham Hospice accepts bric-a-brac, ornaments, and household goods at most of their shops. Oxfam welcomes books, CDs, and homeware. Check with individual shops about specific items, as policies vary.
Reuse Shops at Recycling Centres
Birmingham’s household recycling centres include reuse facilities where you can donate items directly. The ReUsers Shop at Sutton Coldfield HRC accepts donations of household goods, furniture, electrical items, bicycles, garden tools, and lawnmowers. Items are quality-checked and sold at affordable prices.
The Reuse Shop at Tyseley HRC (James Road, B11 2BA) also accepts donations. Castle Bromwich HRC has a dedicated reuse area. If the reuse shop is closed during your visit, don’t leave donations outside the gate—either take items to another facility or arrange an alternative.
You’ll need to book a slot to visit Birmingham’s recycling centres, even if you’re only dropping off donations. Book through the Veolia Birmingham website at least two hours before your visit.
What Charities Can’t Accept
Certain items are difficult or impossible for charities to resell safely. Common restrictions include mattresses unless in new, unused condition; upholstered furniture without fire safety labels; baby equipment like car seats, cots, and pushchairs (safety regulations); gas bottles and hazardous materials; broken or damaged items; and heavily worn clothing.
If items aren’t suitable for donation, consider whether they can be recycled at household recycling centres or disposed of through skip hire or rubbish removal services.
Tips for Donating When Moving
Start sorting early—ideally several weeks before your move. This gives you time to arrange furniture collection and drop off smaller items without the pressure of moving day approaching. Photograph large items before contacting charities, as most want to assess condition before agreeing to collect.
Be honest about item condition. Charities rely on selling donated goods to fund their work, so items that aren’t saleable actually cost them money to dispose of. If something is worn, stained, or damaged, it’s better suited for textile recycling or disposal.
Consider the logistics of your move. Items you’re donating need to be accessible for collection, so schedule furniture pickup before your removal team arrives to avoid confusion. If you’re coordinating multiple donations, keep a list of what’s going where.
For items in decent condition that you’d rather not donate, selling through Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, or local selling groups can put some money back in your pocket while still giving items a second life.
Coordinating Donations with Your Move
If you’re booking a house removal service, let your movers know what’s being donated versus moved. Clear labelling helps avoid items being loaded onto the van by mistake, and having donations collected before moving day keeps things simpler.
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