furniture · Alberta

Where to donate furniture in Calgary

3 organizations in and around Calgary that take donated furniture — what each one accepts, what it turns away, and which will come and collect it.

Verified 2026-09-24 from each organization's own website. We are not affiliated with anyone listed here, nobody pays to be included, and we receive nothing if you donate to them.

With furniture, value runs opposite to bulk: the sofa you most want gone is the hardest thing in the house to give away, and the plain brown dresser you were going to put on the curb may be the only thing in the room worth money. Before you call anyone, pull a drawer out and look at the joint. Solid wood or particleboard is the one fact that decides whether you are making calls or filling the bin.

How to tell what you have got

Before you call anyone, two minutes with the object settles most of it. None of this needs an expert — it needs a flashlight and a look at the back.

  • Mid-century teak or walnut carrying a maker's markTip the piece forward or pull the bottom drawer right out and look at the underside and the back panel. You are looking for a branded or stamped maker's mark, a metal tag, or a paper label - often on the underside of a drawer bottom, inside the carcass back, or under a table top. Photograph it before anything moves, then search the exact wording of the mark.
  • Teak or rosewood sideboards and credenzasSolid wood, not veneer over particleboard: look at the top edge and the door edges. Real teak shows continuous grain wrapping around the edge. Veneered particleboard shows a thin facing line and a different-coloured core underneath.
  • Solid hardwood chests, dressers and dining tables with dovetailed drawersTake one drawer right out and look at the front corner. Interlocking wedge-shaped fingers cut into the wood is a dovetail. Staples, or a dowel-and-glue butt joint, or a stapled-on plywood bottom, means it is not in this category.
  • Matched sets of four or more dining chairsCount them and check they genuinely match: same wood, same wear, same upholstery batch. Turn one over and look for a maker's stamp under the seat rail.
  • Real leather seating that is intactPress the seat with your thumb. Leather warms, creases into fine lines, and the grain varies across the hide. Vinyl and bonded leather stay cool, show a repeating embossed pattern, and peel or flake at the wear points.
  • Solid wood bed frames and headboardsLift one side rail. Solid hardwood rails are heavy and show end grain. Hollow metal or wrapped particleboard rails are not worth moving.
  • Oak filing cabinets, barrister bookcases, drafting tables and workbenchesWeight and fasteners. If it is heavy, held together with bolts or mortise-and-tenon joints rather than cam locks, and the drawers run on steel rather than plastic, it is in this category.

What this list turns away

Counted from what each place says on its own site, not from what is generally true. Most refusals are about condition and completeness rather than category.

  • 3 of 3 will not take anything damaged or stainedCalgary Drop-In Centre Free Goods Program, Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Southern Alberta), WINS (Women In Need Society)
  • 2 of 3 will not take large appliancesCalgary Drop-In Centre Free Goods Program, WINS (Women In Need Society)
  • 2 of 3 will not take hazardous materialHabitat for Humanity ReStore (Southern Alberta), WINS (Women In Need Society)
  • 2 of 3 will not take car seats and cribsCalgary Drop-In Centre Free Goods Program, Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Southern Alberta)

Rarely worth anything

Not a rule, and not a reason to bin something without asking. These are the things people most often expect to be worth money and find are not.

  • Particleboard and MDF flat-pack, once it has been taken apart
  • Used mattresses and box springs
  • Sofa beds
  • Entertainment units and armoires built for tube televisions
  • Worn upholstered recliners and fabric sectionals
  • Futons and futon frames
  • Anything that smells
  • Desks and shelving with printed paper woodgrain surfaces
Cribs made before September 1986 should not be used, and non-compliant products cannot be sold or given away Canada (federal)

Health Canada states that cribs made before September 1986 should not be used and that they do not meet current safety regulations, giving slat spacing as an example. Its second-hand shopping guidance adds that cribs made before September 1986 are likely not to meet current regulatory requirements and should not be purchased. Combined with the rule below on giving away non-compliant products, this covers a garage sale, an online listing, a charity donation and passing it to family alike.

Read the rule →
Consumer product safety law covers used goods and free giveaways, not just retail sales Canada (federal)

Health Canada states that "Any person who sells, distributes, or gives away consumer products not complying with the current regulatory requirements is breaking the law in Canada", and that "The CCPSA and its regulations do not distinguish between new and used products." Second-hand status is not a defence, and neither is giving the item away rather than selling it.

Read the rule →
Mattresses must meet a cigarette combustion-resistance standard Canada (federal)

The Mattresses Regulations (SOR/2016-183) under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act require testing to CAN/CGSB-4.2 No. 27.7. The definition of mattress expressly excludes mattress pads, parts of upholstered furniture, and crib, cradle and bassinet mattresses. There is no equivalent general federal flammability standard for upholstered furniture in Canada - do not apply US state rules such as California's TB117 here.

Read the rule →

3 places in Calgary that take furniture

Calgary Drop-In Centre Free Goods Program

Drop off only
TakesFurniture: beds, dressers, kitchen tables and chairs, couches, armchairs, desks, shelving, Lightly used clothing, jackets, coats, footwear and steel-toed boots, Towels, sheets, pillows and linens, Kitchenware, cookware, microwaves and small appliances, Vacuums, Electronics, working or non-working: computers, tablets, monitors, keyboards, mice, cords, TVs, Hygiene supplies
Won't takeDamaged, soiled or broken furniture, Large appliances, Exercise equipment, Outdoor furniture, Building supplies, Stained bedding, towels and pillows, Suitcases and duffel bags, Metal filing cabinets, Car seats, Cribs, Garbage or broken items
CollectionTheir own donation page describes drop-off at the donation centre only; no donor pickup is advertised anywhere on the site. Call 403-264-0856 or email donationcentre@thedi.ca before arriving with a large load. Note they state "we are unable to provide a delivery service" — that refers to delivering goods to recipients, which is a separate matter from donor pickup.
Where3640 11a Street NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6M7
Visit their site →403-264-0856

Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Southern Alberta)

Will collect, free
TakesFurniture, Appliances, small and large, newer than 10 years old, Building materials, Kitchen and bathroom cabinets, Doors and new windows, Unopened flooring, Sinks, faucets, bathtubs, showers, New lighting and electrical supplies, Hardware and tools, Home decor
Won't takeClothing or bedding, Electronics, Anything exposed to cigarette smoke or pet hair, Used windows, Window coverings, Dirty lumber, Residential paint and chemicals, Damaged items, Used flooring, Mattresses, sofa beds, futons, box springs, Used lighting, Used toilets, Infant furniture and car seats, Kitchen utensils
CollectionFree pickup confirmed on their donation guidelines page: "You can drop off donations at any Habitat ReStore in Southern Alberta or request a free pickup for larger items." Book via the donation form on their site or call (403) 291-6764 ext. 1. Donation questions also go to calgaryrestore@habitatsouthernab.ca.
WhereTwo ReStores in Calgary, both confirmed on their own contact page and both open 9 AM to 5 PM daily: Deerfoot Meadows, 7291 11 St SE, (403) 910-2561; and Sunridge Way, 3465 Sunridge Way NE, (403) 291-6764. A third store is in Medicine Hat.
Visit their site →(403) 291-6764

WINS (Women In Need Society)

TakesNew and clean gently-used clothing for women, men, children and youth, Household goods, Furniture, including mattresses, Electronics, Books in good condition
Won't takeFirearms, including replicas, Hazardous materials and chemicals, Large appliances, Baby products, Helmets, Large musical instruments, Stained bedding, Large sports equipment
CollectionNo in-house pickup. Their Collector Services page states: "WINS has partnered with select firms that offer professional collection services for a fee." Three firms are named there — The Junk Movement, BE&P Services and Moovez — which you book and pay directly.
WhereSeveral WINS thrift stores across Calgary — see their locations page. Their donation information page states: "Please note that large items such as furniture and housewares are only accepted at Dover, Glenbrook, Macleod, Manchester and the Donation Centre."
Visit their site →(403) 255-5102

Not sure what you have got?

Photograph it and we will tell you what it is and what it is worth — including when the honest answer is that it is worth nothing.

See what it's worth Everything in Calgary →

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