If you’re planning to donate clothes this winter, stop. Take a second and think about things. Are you sure you’re making those charitable donations because you care about others, or because you just need to get rid of stuff and feel guilty about just throwing it away?
Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with choosing to donate your old clothes to make more space in your closet. It is better than throwing it all away, after all. However, there are some things that charities wish you knew before you take that trip to drop off your clothing donations.
Here are just a few of those things.
Separate usable items. – Although it’s tempting to just dump the things you no longer want together, bag it all up, and drop it off, it’s not a good idea. Chances are some of those old clothes are no longer wearable. Not because they’re out of fashion (which they may very well be), but because they’re all stained, frayed, and worn out. As you clean your closet out, be sure to separate into three piles: keep, donate, and toss.
Group similar items together. – If you group similar items together when you make charitable donations, it makes the process of sorting it all a lot easier. Group the pants with the pants, the shirts with the shirts, and so on and so forth.
Wash what you’re donating first. – Most charities wash what they get before selling it for hygiene purposes, but it doesn’t hurt to do a pre-wash for them. If anything, it’d be best if you did. After all, sorting through clean clothes is a lot nicer than sorting through old, musty things, isn’t it? Washing your clothes before donating also prevents the rest of the clothes in your box or bag from being contaminated.
Donating your old clothes is a great idea, but take a second and think before you do. If you have any questions, feel free to share in the comments.
