Five NYC organizations will send a truck to pick up furniture, clothing, and household goods you’re not taking with you: Salvation Army, Goodwill NYNJ, Housing Works, Habitat NYC & Westchester ReStore, and Big Reuse. Costs, lead times, and what they’ll take vary by organization, covered below with direct scheduling links for each.
NYC donation pickup at a glance
Pickup terms differ enough between these five that it’s worth comparing before you pick up the phone. None of them will guarantee a specific pickup date the moment you ask, and the ones that publish a response window are noted below; the ones that don’t simply haven’t made that number public.
| Organization | Pickup cost | Typical response time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | Free | Not published; scheduled by zip code | Furniture, working appliances, clothing, household goods |
| Goodwill NYNJ | Not published for standard items (vehicle pickups run 24 to 48 hours, free towing) | Not published for standard items | Clothing and general household goods, plus vehicles |
| Housing Works | Small fee, based on location and items | 2 to 3 business days to hear back | Furniture in excellent condition (5-piece minimum), antiques, art, rugs |
| Habitat NYC & Westchester ReStore | Free | 4 to 5 business days to hear back | Furniture, appliances, cabinetry, building materials |
| Big Reuse | Free | Not published; evaluated by proximity and schedule | Large furniture and appliances, building materials (Brooklyn) |
Salvation Army: fastest to schedule, by zip code
Salvation Army pickup is free and scheduled directly from satruck.org (verified Aug 2026) by entering your zip code, or by calling 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825). It’s the most straightforward option if you just want a truck booked without filling out a longer form first.
They’ll take furniture (beds, sofas, chairs, tables, cabinets, mattresses), working appliances like microwaves, TVs, and washers or dryers, plus clothing, household goods, and even vehicles, bicycles, books, computers, sports equipment, and toys. What they won’t take: appliances that don’t run, gas appliances, built-in appliances, TVs older than 5 years, and anything hazardous like paint, chemicals, or kerosene, along with loose vehicle parts.
Goodwill NYNJ: pickup scheduling or walk-in drop-off
Goodwill NYNJ runs a “Donation Pickup” scheduler (through its ReSupply-powered system) alongside its usual store and donation center network, per goodwillnynj.org (verified Aug 2026). The clearest published number is for vehicle donations specifically: those are arranged within 24 to 48 hours, with free towing and a tax receipt included.
For standard household pickups, Goodwill NYNJ doesn’t publish a fee or a response window on its site, so confirm both when you book, or email their donations team directly at DGRCUSTOMERSERVICE@GOODWILLNY.ORG before you count on a specific date. If your timeline is tight, dropping items at a nearby store or donation center (findable through their store locator) skips the scheduling question entirely.
Housing Works: furniture pickup with a small fee
Housing Works picks up furniture through an online form at housingworks.formtitan.com, with a reply in 2 to 3 business days depending on volume (verified Aug 2026). Unlike the other four organizations here, this one isn’t free: pickup runs a small fee based on your location and what you’re donating, priced when a team member follows up.
Housing Works also asks for at least 5 pieces of furniture per pickup and requires photos as part of the request, so it fits better for a full apartment clearout than a single sofa. Along with furniture in excellent condition, they take antiques, art, decorative items, housewares, jewelry, lighting, clean rugs up to 6 feet by 9 feet, and up to 4 boxes of books.
Habitat NYC & Westchester ReStore: building materials and more
Habitat NYC & Westchester’s ReStore accepts gently used furniture, appliances, cabinetry, building materials, and other household items, with pickups self-scheduled online and a response within 4 to 5 business days (verified Aug 2026). It’s the pick of this list if you’re clearing out a renovation alongside a move, since building materials aren’t something the other four organizations mention taking.
All donations here are tax-deductible, and businesses donating in bulk can skip the online form and call 646-876-9460 or email restore@habitatnycwc.org directly. Confirm your address falls inside their pickup radius when you submit the request, since the ReStore itself is based in Yonkers and coverage across the city isn’t spelled out in advance.
Big Reuse: Brooklyn’s large-item pickup
Big Reuse runs two Brooklyn donation centers, Gowanus (10 AM to 5 PM daily, accepting large furniture, appliances, building materials, and e-waste) and Bushwick (11 AM to 7 PM daily, smaller household items only), and offers free pickup for large-volume donations (verified Aug 2026) through an online request form.
Pickup isn’t automatic here. Big Reuse evaluates each request by value, proximity, and scheduling (verified Aug 2026) rather than guaranteeing a truck for every submission, so it works best for a genuinely large load close to one of their two locations. They’re fully insured and can provide a Certificate of Insurance if your building needs one for the pickup crew. Big Reuse explicitly does not accept beds, bedding, medical equipment, baby gear like cribs or strollers, or anything soiled or broken.
What none of these will pick up
Mattresses and beds are the biggest gap: Big Reuse rules them out entirely, and most of the other four either exclude them or want them in like-new condition, since resale is the point for all five organizations. If you’re getting rid of a mattress, our mattress disposal guide covers the NYC-specific rules for curbside pickup and recycling instead.
The same goes for anything broken, heavily worn, or stained. None of these five are junk removal services; they’re resale-funded charities, so items need to be sellable. If what you’re getting rid of is more “curb” than “donate,” our guide to getting rid of old furniture in NYC covers bulk trash pickup, hauling services, and the rules for putting furniture out legally.
How to choose the right pickup for your move timeline
If your move date is close and you just need a truck, Salvation Army’s zip-code scheduler is the fastest path since there’s no form to fill out first. If you’re clearing a full apartment with five or more furniture pieces and don’t mind a small fee, Housing Works is worth the wait for their 2 to 3 day response. If you’re leaving building materials behind from a renovation, Habitat ReStore is the only one of the five built for that. And if you’re in Brooklyn with a genuinely large load, Big Reuse’s pickup is free, just less guaranteed than the others.
Whichever you choose, submit the request as early as your move date allows. None of these five confirm same-day or next-day pickup as standard, so booking the week you start packing, not the week you move, gives every option here time to work.
Frequently asked questions
Which NYC organizations offer free furniture pickup for donations?
Salvation Army, Habitat NYC & Westchester ReStore, and Big Reuse all offer free pickup. Housing Works charges a small fee based on location and items. Goodwill NYNJ publishes free pickup only for vehicle donations; standard household pickup terms aren’t published, so confirm cost when you book.
How far in advance should I schedule a donation pickup before moving day?
As early as your move date allows, ideally the week you start packing rather than the week you move. Housing Works and Habitat ReStore both publish response windows of several business days before they even confirm a slot, and Big Reuse evaluates requests individually rather than guaranteeing availability, so a last-minute request has real odds of not landing before your move.
Do any NYC donation pickups charge a fee?
Yes, Housing Works does, a small fee based on your location and what you’re donating, confirmed when they follow up on your request. Salvation Army, Habitat NYC & Westchester ReStore, and Big Reuse are free. Goodwill NYNJ doesn’t publish a fee for standard pickups either way.
What items won’t donation charities pick up?
Mattresses and beds are excluded by Big Reuse entirely and treated cautiously by the others, since all five organizations resell what they collect. Broken, stained, or heavily worn furniture, non-working or built-in appliances, and anything hazardous like paint or chemicals are off the list across the board. For mattresses specifically, see our mattress disposal guide; for damaged furniture, see how to get rid of old furniture in NYC.
Do I get a tax receipt for a donation pickup?
Yes, all five organizations provide tax receipts, since they’re registered charities and donations are tax-deductible. Ask for the receipt at the time of pickup rather than assuming it will follow by mail, and see our guide to tax deductible moving costs for how to document the donation’s value.
The bottom line
Salvation Army is the fastest to book, Housing Works and Habitat ReStore take a few business days to confirm, and Big Reuse is free but proximity-dependent. None of the five will take mattresses or damaged furniture, so plan a separate disposal route for those. Book whichever fits your load and your building’s timeline as soon as your move date is set, not the week of.
Coordinating a donation pickup around your actual move date is easier once that date is locked in. A free in-home or virtual estimate gets you a firm moving date to build the rest of this checklist around.
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