Donating clothes is an awesome way to not only clear out your cluttered closet or bureau, but it’s also an awesome way to potentially brighten up someone else’s life. Just because that sweater or pair of pants is too tight on you now doesn’t mean that it won’t fit someone else perfectly. Plus, knowing that your treasured article of clothing will live on somewhere else on someone else can really help cope with the agony of letting go of material objects. However, before you start bagging up your old leg warmers or Z. Cavaricci pants, there are few things to need to know:
Find out what your local donation center needs.
If they are in need of footwear, bring some shoes that you want to donate. If they are in need of jeans or other pants, don’t bring footwear. Many donation centers are already overloaded with things that are not currently in need. Don’t add to the mess. If it’s winter, bring in old winter coats, not shorts. No one wants a tank top in January.
Only bring things that are in good condition.
If you can’t wear that white button-down because there is only one button left, neither can anyone else. The same goes for cleanliness. Wash all your donations before you bring them in. And while this probably goes without saying, check the pockets and make sure you aren’t leaving something of your own with your donations.
Know what is never accepted.
You probably would never wear used underwear, would you? Well, neither would anyone else. Unless otherwise stated (and it probably won’t be), donation centers will not take underwear or bathing suits. And certain centers might strictly not take other items too.
If all else fails, know that you don’t have to necessarily throw your old clothes out. A majority of the materials that your clothes are made of work really well as rags for cleaning, or you could even get really creative and turn an item in something else, like an old sweater into a hat, or an old shirt into a tote bag.
For more information on the “Needs to Know” about clothing donation, check out this article.