A Full Guide To Donations

Last blog we talked about how to release items that no longer serve you, now we are sharing what to do with them when you’re ready to donate! Checkout our list below to see how to rid yourself of unwanted items one category at a time.

Note: some of these services are dependant on your location

Clothing

So you’ve done a big edit of your closet and now are stuck with a bunch of bags of clothing- what now? Goodwill or Savers are great places to start! Both locations take all clothing items with the exceptions of undergarments* (underwear, socks, bras) and destroyed clothing* (massive holes, big stains, etc.). All you have to do is throw your clothing in a bag and drop it off!

*TIP: For any undergarments or destroyed clothing items, you can throw away or use a textile recycling program like Retold Recycling and Trashie’s The Take Back Bag. For our New Yorkers, checkout refashionNYC– a program that will donate your textiles for free! Make sure you have the time to tackle this task so you don’t end up with bags of trash cluttering your home.

High-End Clothing

The Real Real is a great option for high end clothing that you want to get rid of and make a commission rather than just donating. They make it super easy: just schedule an appointment and one of their experts will come to you or provide you with details on how to ship the clothing directly to them! If the item does not sell, they provide you the option of donating the item for you, which we always recommend! 

As with anything, we encourage you to consider the time and energy it takes to coordinate this. Be honest with yourself if this is a realistic goal, or if you will just end up with bags of items to sell that are taking up space in your home.

Books

Books can be tricky to donate as most donation centers do not accept them. Savers is a great option for books and you can donate them exactly the same way you donate clothing. Another option is Better World Books, which has many dropoff locations on the east coast and midwest, as well as a shipping option across the country.

Kids Toys

Certain Goodwills, Savers, and Salvation Armys will accept toy donations, but make sure to give your location a call before hulking bags of toys to your local drop off. Local daycare centers and churches are sometimes looking for toys as well. Make sure to call ahead of time to make sure they are accepting toy donations. The Child Welfare Information Gateway is a great resource for donating to children’s homes and shelters. Local Buy Nothing Facebook groups are very useful when looking to unload items like toys that can be challenging to donate. They also have an app for ease of use!

If you are in the Philadelphia, Boston, or Chicago areas, Cradles to Crayons is perfect for offloading toys that your kids barely used or never took out of the packaging. Review their donation quality standards before finding a drop-off location near you.

Baby Items

Sometimes it feels like babies grow out of things faster than you’re able to buy them! Goodbuy Gear is a wonderful resource for donating baby gear like car seats, high chairs, breast pumps, strollers, and more! Schedule a pickup or drop off time that works for you and Goodbye Gear does the rest! Once your items sell, you receive cash or store credit.

Old Technology

We love using either Staples or Best Buy’s free* tech recycling program for getting rid of old technology! Just bring a bag of your old tech to your nearest store and they will take it off your hands.

*NOTE: Certain XL monitors and TVs will incur a recycling fee. Checkout Staples and  Best Buy’s websites for more information.

Furniture

Most Habitat Restores will offer free furniture pickup for larger donations. Certain Goodwills, Savers, and Salvation Armys will take furniture donations, especially if they are smaller items, but make sure to give your location a call first! Stooping is a popular activity for city-dwellers. Just place your furniture items on the curb with a “FREE” sign and let your neighbors do the rest! Make sure to submit for a free large trash pickup on your city/county government website in the event that people do not take your items. If you live in New York, send a DM to Stooping NYC with the cross streets and a picture of your items to get more eyes on your goods!

Pickup Donations 

If you are looking for donation pickups and live in the NYC tristate area, consider hiring Horderly to come organize your home! Along with top of the line organizing services, we also have our Horderly van that does donation pickup and drop off so you don’t have to give it a second thought! We even load the bags for you- you won’t have to lift a finger!

Other pickup donation options include Habitat Restores, Green Drop, Pickup Please, AMVETS, The Arc, and Pickup My Donation.

Ready to donate but struggling to find the motivation? Horderly offers both in-person and virtual organizing services to take the struggle off your plate! Reach out and we can help you create the organizational systems of your dreams!

For more information on all things Horderly- including lots of great tips, tricks, and other #HorderlyHabits- check out our blog or reach out for more information!