Upholstery needs its fire label
Sofas, armchairs, mattresses and anything else upholstered generally cannot be resold without the permanent fire-safety label still attached. No label, no collection — and it is not the shop being difficult, it is the law they sell under.
Before you offer a suite to anybody, look for the label. It is usually stitched under a cushion or on the underside of the frame.
Electrical items usually need testing
Many charities will take working electricals but have to have them tested before resale, and not all shops have that arranged. Some will take them, some will not, and the answer varies shop to shop rather than charity to charity.
Flat-pack is mostly a no
Self-assembly furniture rarely survives being taken apart and put back together well enough to resell, so most shops will not collect it. That is worth knowing before you plan an afternoon around it.
What they are usually glad of
Broadly, and it is always worth ringing the specific shop:
- Solid wood furniture in usable condition.
- Books, in reasonable quantity rather than by the vanload.
- Crockery, glassware and kitchen things that are clean and complete.
- Clothing, bedding and linen that is clean.
- Unopened, in-date household goods.
Ring ahead, always
A collection that arrives and cannot take anything is a bad hour for the volunteer driver as well as for you. One phone call describing what you actually have prevents nearly all of it.
And the rest
What no charity can take is recycled or disposed of under a waste carrier duty of care, and you should get transfer documentation for it. Anybody clearing a house for you can provide that, and it is worth asking before they start rather than after.