Bed frame disposal in St. Louis

The short answer

Most bed frames come apart with a wrench or an Allen key. Disassembled, a metal frame or a simple platform is light and short enough for the City of St. Louis monthly bulky pickup, which takes up to three items under 100 lbs and 6 ft. Solid wood, upholstered and storage beds are heavier and longer. For those, or if you want the whole bed gone at once, flat pickup is $68 for a standard frame, $126 for a heavy twin-to-queen frame and $152 for a heavy king.

Know what kind of frame you have

The route depends on the type.

• Metal rail frames. Light steel rails and legs. Easy to break down, easy to carry, scrap-metal friendly.
• Platform frames. Often flat-pack particleboard or light wood. Usually come apart into panels and slats.
• Solid wood beds. Common in older St. Louis homes — four-posters, sleigh beds, heavy headboards. Long rails, real weight.
• Upholstered and storage beds. Fabric-wrapped panels, drawers, sometimes a gas-lift base. Bulky and heavy.
• Adjustable bases. Motors and steel. Heavy and awkward on stairs.

Option 1: break it down for City bulky pickup

City residents get monthly bulky pickup included in the $14 per month per unit solid-waste fee. Out by 6:00 am Monday of your collection week, in the alley if your block has one, up to three items, no piece over 100 lbs, 6 ft long or 2 ft in diameter.

Queen and king side rails are usually around 80 inches, longer than 6 feet. Bundle rails together with twine, but note that length still counts. Headboard, footboard and rails may count as several items toward your three. If the frame is all you are setting out that month, it can work. If there is also a mattress, a box spring and a dresser, you are over the cap.

Option 2: scrap the metal

A steel rail frame is scrap metal. If you already make runs to a scrap yard, add it to the pile. Most people do not, and the value of one frame rarely covers the drive. Missouri's landfill ban on major appliances means scrap recyclers are already part of how the region handles metal; a bed frame is a small add-on.

Option 3: sell or give it away

Solid wood beds in good condition sometimes sell, especially in late summer when students and new residents near SLU, WashU, the CWE and the Delmar Loop are furnishing apartments. Metal frames and simple platforms give away easily if they are complete with hardware. Put the bolts in a zip bag and tape it to a rail. A frame missing hardware is junk to everyone but you.

Do not leave it in the alley with a "free" sign outside your collection week. Out of week, it is just a pile.

Option 4: flat pickup prices

A complete bed on a metal frame is $143 + $68 = $211. A heavy king sleigh bed with its set is $152 + $143 = $295. A single $68 frame alone is billed at the $100 order minimum, so it makes sense to add the nightstand at $57: $68 + $57 = $125.

Getting a heavy bed out of a flat or basement

Solid wood beds came into a lot of St. Louis homes in pieces and were assembled in the room. They come out the same way. In a brick flat with a turning stair, a headboard is often the piece that sticks: tall, wide and inflexible. Take it apart before anything else, and measure the stairwell at the landing.

Basement guest rooms in Florissant and Oakville ranch homes are easier but still mean a full staircase. If the crew is doing it, they disassemble what they need to, carry it from any floor, and there is no stairs fee.

Taking a frame apart without a fight

If you are breaking a frame down yourself for the alley, a few things make it quicker.

• Metal rail frames: most use a hook-and-slot or a single bolt at each corner. Lift the rail straight up out of the slot; do not pry it. Bundle the rails and the center support with tape or twine.
• Platform frames: slats usually lift out or unscrew. Keep the screws, and stack the panels flat so they do not split on the way down the stairs.
• Old wooden beds: many use bed bolts hidden under small caps at the corners. A long-handled wrench helps. Decades-old bolts may be seized; a little penetrating oil and patience works better than force.
• Storage beds: empty and remove the drawers first. They often carry the frame's weight.

Pad the corners before carrying rails down a plaster stairwell. A metal rail swung around a landing leaves a mark that outlasts the bed.

Which route to pick

Metal or platform frame, nothing else going out, City resident, can wait for your week: break it down and use the bulky pickup. Have a scrap run planned: add it. Solid wood, upholstered, storage, adjustable, or part of a bigger move-out: book it with the rest. Get the price from a photo at the instant quote page.

Frequently asked questions