What will you be doing this April 22, 2017? How about saving your sofa this Earth day?
Every year, families around the world would one day wonder, “where should my old sofa go?”. And it’s painfully sad that we should have the mindset of throwing away the sofa instead of trying to salvage it.
And we aren’t even talking about sofas that are broken to the core, or with foam that has been chewed or clawed inside out by your pets — these are sofas with good structural integrity, like this poor abandoned sofa below.
These sofas can be saved, and it’s just a matter of why and how.
Reason #1: To Reduce Landfill Trash
More than 9 million tonnes of furniture are disposed every year (that’s about the weight of 6 million cars), so what can be done about it?
Not a landfill, but some perspective on how much is wasted a year
Here are some alternatives to throwing your sofa away:
Garage or Rummage Sale
Make it fun for the family, best time to de-clutter all the much unnecessary items in the house and make some money while you’re at it!
Online Auction
List it up on eBay/Gumtree/Craigslist and let the website work its wonders. As long as it’s reasonably priced, someone else should be quite happy to take that sofa away from you.
Trade-in
Just like what you do with cars, some furniture shops would accept a trade for your sofa – you just need to pay the difference.
Hand-it-down
Some sofas are just that sturdy, so passing it down from one generation to the next would allow starting families to save quite a bit on furniture costs.
Donate
Not everyone in the world needs a sofa, but most orphanages and homes would welcome charitable people who don’t want their sofa anymore.
Re-upholster
Most of the time it’s just the skin that makes an old sofa unappealing to look at isn’t it? If you have spare cash to spend, it’s always nice to treat yourself to a “new couch” without having to dispose of it.
Get custom slipcovers
Of course, the alternative to upholstery would be to get custom slipcovers and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the traditional-looking, skirted covers with pleats. Here’s a snug-fitting example of a modern looking sofa:
It’s actually an IKEA sofa, with new covers, legs and DIY tufting
Reason #2: To Save Time and Money
Sure, upholstery can be quite expensive and it would be a $1000 or more for a loveseat.
Once again though, aren’t you spending more money if you’re getting another sofa? Not to mention the hassle and time needed to dispose the other sofa. If you were to getting some simple like a custom slipcover, then it’s just a matter of putting the covers on after having it made.
Do make sure they’re machine washable of course so that when it gets dirty, all you have to do is put it in there to wash.
Reason #3: To Save Sentiments
Sometimes, not everything’s about money, success or world domination.
Sometimes, we just want to reminisce the times spent with family. Not everyone would agree with this because sofas are relatively cheap nowadays and can be easily replaced for under a $1000.
But back in the times where sofas were solid as a rock and stayed strong for 10-15 years, there would have been be a lot of cherished moments.
Little bursts of happiness where your child first learnt to say “mama” while you were cradling her, or the times when Daddy was playing video games with junior (and being a sore loser).
Sometimes it’s just thinking back and telling your partner, “Remember the first time we assembled this IKEA sofa, and how we gradually transformed this house into a home?”
That’s the joy of rediscovering that lost lovin’ feeling and the best thing about IKEA sofas, is that you can get replacement IKEA sofa covers for it most of the time.
Conclusion
It’s time to do your part in reducing landfill trash and this is just one of the many ways that you can do so (who changes a sofa every year anyways?).
Should you think that you’re changing your sofa this year though, do consider the option of custom slipcovers – by far, it is the best alternative to upholstery as well as a substitute for getting rid of your sofa.