TL;DR
Murphy bed removal usually costs more than a typical furniture pickup, and the reason is not weight. It is the lift mechanism. A wall bed stores enough spring or piston tension to injure someone badly if it is unbolted in the wrong order.
A Murphy bed is a cabinet bolted into wall studs, a steel frame hinged inside that cabinet, and a counterbalance system tuned to a specific mattress weight. Take one of those three away and the other two stop behaving.
What Makes a Murphy Bed Hard to Remove?
Wall beds are the only common piece of bedroom furniture that stores mechanical energy. The springs or gas pistons hold enough force to swing a steel frame upward on their own once the mattress is off, which is exactly when most people decide to start taking bolts out.
That ordering mistake is the injury. The correct sequence locks the frame in the closed position first, releases tension second, and unbolts the cabinet last.
Springs Versus Piston Beds
Older wall beds use coil springs, usually four to eight of them, hooked between the frame and the cabinet base. They are loud, adjustable, and dangerous to unhook under load. A stretched spring that slips a hook becomes a projectile.
Newer beds use sealed gas pistons. Pistons are safer because they cannot slip, but they are still charged, and cutting one open is a genuinely bad idea. Pistons get unbolted at both ends with the bed closed and set aside intact.
Either way, the crew removes the mattress, closes and straps the frame shut, then neutralizes the counterbalance before anything else moves. Simple bed frame removal does not carry this step, which is why wall beds cost more.
The Wall Anchors Nobody Photographs
The cabinet is lagged into studs, usually with four to eight heavy lag bolts, and sometimes the base is also screwed into the subfloor. On a bed installed during a remodel, the cabinet may be trimmed in with baseboard and crown that has to be cut free first.
When those lags come out, you get holes. Expect a row of half-inch holes in the drywall and often torn paper where the cabinet back was glued or caulked. Plan for patch and paint on that wall, and do not schedule your carpet install for the same afternoon.
If the bed sat on a finished floor, the cabinet footprint will show. Flooring under a wall bed does not fade or wear the way the rest of the room does.
Cost Drivers for Wall Bed Removal
Industry Baseline Range
| What is being priced | Published national range |
|---|---|
| Furniture removal, per job | $75 to $250 |
| Furniture removal, national average | $180 |
Source: Angi, "Furniture Removal Cost" national cost guide.
These are industry baseline ranges for planning only and may not reflect Otesse's price. Otesse pricing is calculated for your specific home and ZIP code, so enter your ZIP in the price box on this page for your instant price.
Current Market Reality
Quotes run above baseline when the bed is part of a larger cabinet wall, when the room is upstairs, or when trim has to be cut. Crew time is the main cost here, not disposal volume, and a careful teardown on a tensioned bed takes longer than hauling three sofas. Add-on charges for teardown are common, and it is worth understanding how disassembly fees get calculated before you compare quotes.
| Pushes the price up | Pulls it down |
|---|---|
| More volume, a bigger share of the truck | A few items, a small share of the truck |
| Heavy material such as concrete, dirt, roofing, or tile | Light, bulky items |
| Items with disposal surcharges, like mattresses, tires, and refrigerant appliances | Items that can be donated or recycled |
| Stairs, long carries, and tight access | Items staged in a garage or near the curb |
| Disassembly before loading | Items ready to lift and carry |
Every home is different, so the real number depends on what goes, how much of it, and how easy it is to reach. Enter your ZIP in the price box on this page for your instant price.
What Happens to the Parts
The cabinet is usually particleboard or plywood with a laminate face, which means it goes out as wood waste rather than resale material. The steel frame, springs, pistons, and lag hardware are scrap metal and often get separated at the yard.
The mattress goes its own way. Wall beds take standard sizes, so the mattress disposal path is the same as any other bed, including the separate fee that most transfer stations charge.
Resale is thin. A wall bed is fitted to a specific ceiling height and wall, and buyers know that reinstalling one means new anchors, new patching, and a mechanism they cannot inspect until it is already in their house.
Can You Remove a Murphy Bed Yourself?
You can, with two people, a helper who does not get bored, and real caution about the counterbalance. The bed must be closed and strapped before any spring or piston comes off, and nobody should ever stand inside the frame opening while tension is live.
Skip the DIY if the springs are rusted, if you cannot identify the tension system, or if the cabinet is trimmed into the wall. A rusted spring hook can fail without warning, and cutting trim without knowing what is behind it risks wiring.
FAQ
How much does Murphy bed removal cost?
Published national furniture removal runs $75 to $250 per job, and a murphy bed usually lands above a simple pickup. A simple freestanding wall bed on the ground floor sits near the bottom. A built-in unit with side cabinets, crown trim, and an upstairs location costs the most once the extra crew hours and the careful teardown are counted.
Are Murphy bed springs actually dangerous?
Yes. Coil springs on a wall bed are under real tension and can whip if a hook slips or a mount tears loose. The safe order is mattress off, frame closed and strapped, tension released, then unbolt. Gas pistons are safer but should never be cut, punctured, or heated.
Will removing a wall bed damage my wall?
It will leave damage you need to repair. Lag bolts pull out in holes, and caulk or adhesive behind the cabinet usually tears drywall paper. Budget for patching and paint on that wall. Flooring under the cabinet footprint often looks newer than the rest of the room too.
Can I donate or sell an old Murphy bed?
Occasionally, but expect little interest. Wall beds are fitted to a specific space and require new anchoring at the next house, so buyers discount them heavily. High-end units in excellent condition sometimes move. Standard laminate beds usually go out as wood waste and scrap steel.
How long does a Murphy bed removal take?
A straightforward freestanding unit takes one to two hours with two people. A built-in cabinet wall with trim, side towers, and lighting can take a half day. Access matters as much as the bed itself, since cabinet panels are wide and awkward on stairs.
Getting It Out Safely
If the bed is coming out, the tension system is the part to hand off. Otesse junk removal can take it from there.
Send a photo of the bed open and closed when you get a quote so the crew knows which mechanism they are walking into.
