Couch Flipping: Tools We Recommend

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Couch Flipping Tools We Recommend
In our last blog post we outlined how you can
dive into couch flipping, but to scale
effectively you will need to purchase a few new
tools to make future flips easier. In the list
below we will outline a few tools we purchased
after we had budget from selling our first few
couches (this is why its important to save the
money from your initial couch flipping sales).
Some items we have listed as Must Haves since
these tools are the bare minimum we recommend if
you plan to continue. Selling 2 couches was
enough to cover the cost of these Must Have
items so they are relatively affordable. Must
Have Vacuum Cleaner While most folks have these
around the house even before they start, having
a quality vacuum is critical to successfully
flipping furniture. Not all couches need to
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be upholstery cleaned assuming they are in solid
shape, but nearly all couches need a good
vacuum. The vacuum we purchased when we first
started was the Bissell 2252 Upright Vacuum. We
chose the Bissell because of the included
accessories and extended hose to help you vacuum
all corners of a couch. This vacuum runs for
110 on Amazon and has been incredibly reliable
for us even with daily/weekly use. The only
downside so far has been the length of the
attached hose. On larger couches we find the
length a bit short which means we have to move
the vacuum around more often.
Upholstery Cleaner Next to a vacuum and
upholstery cleaner is one of the most important
things you can own. Some couches you pickup wont
have the ability to remove cushion covers so you
cant always rely on throwing covers in the wash.
Additionally, arm rests are often one of the
areas on a couch that need the most cleaning and
these definitely cant be removed.
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The upholstery cleaner that has worked for us is
the Bissell Little Green Pro which runs
for 150. If you are looking for something a bit
cheaper that still has some cleaning power,
consider the standard Bissell Little Green
Cleaner. In addition to the cleaning machine
itself you will need a cleaning solution. We
typically use Bissell Deep Cleaning Concentrated
Carpet Shampoo (22) for the solution we add to
the machine and Bissell Standard Pre-Treat (13
for 2) or Bissell Pet Plus Pre-Treat (6 for 1)
to treat tougher stains before upholstery
cleaning.
Staple Gun We didnt realize that this was
something we needed until a few couches in.
Since then we have picked up quite a few couches
with their bottom felt damaged or detached.
Before we resell, stapling up the bottom helps
ensure that the couch looks as new as possible
for the new owner. Down the line, you may pick up
couches with broken frames or springs that have
popped out. If that happens you will need to
remove the bottom felt to fix the issue, and you
will need to re-staple it once repaired. We
recommend the AECCN staple gun since it includes
staples and runs for 20. Feel free to buy
something a bit nicer, but this has done the
trick for us.
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Sewing Kit This is something you will only
occasionally use, but definitely a tool that is
nice to have on hand. While we recommend
avoiding couches that have tears in the middle of
a cushion, repairing tears along seams is
incredibly easy and can add quite a bit of value
to your couch. WeeCosy offers a sewing kit for
15 on Amazon that comes with everything you
need to quickly fix small tears by hand.
Tie Down Straps When it comes to tie down straps
we have found that all perform roughly the same.
We picked up our straps at a Tractor Supply Co,
but you can find quality straps anywhere. The
Fortem straps on Amazon are very similar to what
we own and run for 25.
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Tool Kit Its fair to assume that most couches
wont be taken apart when you go to pick them
up. Depending on how narrow the space is you are
moving couches from you may need to remove the
legs or disassemble it into more pieces if it is
a larger couch (e.g. a metal frame reclining
couch). When you run into couches like this it
is always great to have a tool kit ready to roll.
The Cartman Tool Set on Amazon is very similar
to what we own and runs for 30
Febreze this one is pretty straight forward.
Sometimes couches need a fresh spritz after
cleaning. We would recommend finding a subtle
scent that helps add new life without being too
perfumy. You can pick up Febreze at almost any
local grocery store. Total Budget 385 Nice
to Have Steam Cleaner Kicking off the Nice to
Have list is a steam cleaner. While definitely
not necessary, a steam cleaner is a great tool
to have around because it can help sanitize and
deoderize couches. It is also one of the few
tools that can get waxy stains (wax, gum, etc.)
out of couches.
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Since a steam cleaner wont be a daily use we
found that the Dupray Steam Cleaner worked for
every task we threw at it. It runs for 150 and
comes with a number of accessories to help
simplify cleaning. The only issue we had was the
time it took to heat up (14 minutes) which meant
taking a bit more time when cleaning.
Rubn Restore Without a doubt this is the
coolest item on the Nice to Have list. While we
avoid most bonded leather couches like the
plague, real leather couches can easily be
restored and can be sold for quite a bit. The
only issues with real leather is that it will
fade over time. Rubn Restore has numerous
colors to pick from which will allow you to
refinish your couch to make it look like new.
Below is an example of a before and after
While not cheap (70 for a 16oz bottle) the
results are definitely worth it. One way
to ensure you get the most value out of your
Rubn Restore purchase we recommend sticking
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to a single shade of leather (e.g. black) and
only ordering one color to use on all newly
picked up couches
Moving Blankets Another item thats good to have
laying around is a moving blanket. Most couches
wont need to be covered while moving, but in the
instance you pickup other items like tables or
leather couches that you want to protect, this is
great to have handy. This blanket on Amazon is
very similar to what we own and runs for about
26. Dolly The last item on our list is a
furniture dolly. Being in Dallas, we have moved
quite a few couches in and out of apartment
complexes. These apartments almost all had long
halls which resulted in us carrying couches
quite a distance. Having a dolly handy will help
makes pickups like this easier. The dolly we
recommend can be found for 22 at The Home Depot.
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Total Budget 270 While we occasionally make a
run to The Home Depot or Lowes for random items
we might need while repairing couches the list
above is what we use on a weekly basis. For less
than 700 you can get everything you need to
tackle almost any couch pickup or
cleaning. Subscribe to our RSS feed to see
additional blog posts around detailed cleaning
methods we have used on couches About the
Author Roman is the co-owner of CouchCycled
which he started with Andrew Muniz in 2021.
Professionally, Roman has a background in
software sales and has worked for companies
ranging from small startups up to large companies
like Cisco. Outside of work, Roman has always
had a passion for the outdoors and regularly
spends time camping and fly fishing. Dont
hesitate to reach out over text or email if you
have any questions about CouchCycled or just
want to connect. About CouchCycled CouchCycled
offers free in-home couch and furniture removal
in an effort to reduce furniture waste in
Dallas/Fort Worth while giving back to the
community. All removed couches are renewed and
resold at an affordable price. A percentage of
all sales are donated.