Last Updated on April 21, 2023 by Ellen Christian
As I declutter my home, I’m coming across a lot of clothes and accessories that I no longer want. I’m sharing these tips for donating clothes in case I’m not the only one that’s working on decluttering right now.
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Tips for Donating Clothes
Some of the clothes I need to donate are from before I lost weight and some are just not things that ended up looking good on me. I don’t want to throw them away and have them end up in the landfill so donating is the obvious solution.
When donating clothes, consider whether your goal is to get the clothes out of your house or whether your goal is to make money. There are places that accept donations and places that you can consign your clothes to earn money on their sale.
Unless you have the very latest styles from popular designers in excellent condition, your best bet may be to donate them rather than sell them.
Check the condition
Always make sure that your clothes are clean and in good repair. No one wants to buy clothes with stains and tears. Some donation spots may accept clothing for bulk donation as rags but do not donate clothes that aren’t in a condition that you would wear.
Donate seasonally
Check to see what type of clothing your donation spot is accepting at the time. Not all donation spots will accept clothing that’s not in season. It’s not as likely they will sell shorts in January and they may not want to hold onto it for 5 months.
What do they do with donations?
Some donation spots will sell your donations. Others will give them away for free. If you truly want your donation to benefit the needy, it may make the most sense to donate to a donation spot that gives them away rather than sells them.
Keep sets together
If you have a blouse with a matching belt or a dress with a matching scarf. Keep them together so the donation spot sees this when they’re sorting clothes.
Do they pick up?
If you have a lot of clothes you want to donate, ask if there is a pick up service. Some of the larger donation spots will stop by and get your donations.
Special occasion clothes
You can donate work clothes to Dress for Success, prom dresses to The Cinderella project and wedding dresses to The Angel Gown Project. Many of these programs have limited locations so search for a similar program near you.
Old eye glasses
Don’t forget that you can donate your old eye glasses to New Eyes for the Needy.
I love knowing that my donations aren’t going to the landfill and will end up helping someone. Battered women’s shelters and homeless shelters are often looking for donations as well. If you’re decluttering your home and your closets, I hope these tips for donating clothes will help you.
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Ellen believes you can feel beautiful at any age and size. She shares healthy beauty and fashion information geared toward women over 40. She is a direct sales rep for several fashion and beauty businesses.
I recently cleaned out my closet & dresser. I ended up with 5 TRASH BAGS of clothes!! I posted on Facebook and a friend took all of them. It was nice to be able to give them to someone who could use them. These are great tips though, because I am sure that won’t happen all the time.
It’s so great when you can help someone out!
HA! I never though of old eye glasses, but I guess that makes sense. I remember my mom used to have a whole bag of eye glasses should couldn’t use, yet she wouldn’t get rid of 🙂
Definitely. I was able to pass on a few of my husband’s!
These are great tips! We just cleaned out the closet and it felt so good. Donated a ton of it!
Thanks, Mel. It does feel good!
Those are all great tips, especially the one about the eyeglasses. Didn’t know about that one.
I almost always donate my clothes to Ladies of Charity, an organization that, in turn, gives the stuff to needy families for free.
That’s such a great way to give back!
Really nice tips for donating. My wife and I donate twice a year to our local homeless shelter. It always feels good to give back
Thanks, John. It really does!