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After you’ve decluttered, sometimes it can be stressful to find out where to donate the various types of items (clothes vs. toys vs. household items). But, it’s actually one of the first steps to set yourself up for success in organizing and decluttering your home! Not only does donating support recycling and reduce waste, it also supports those in need. Read below for 4 different ways you can donate your items locally with ease!
AMAZON GIVE BACK BOX
If you’re anything like me, you have tons of Amazon boxes piling up in your recycling bin every week. Did you know you can actually repurpose your used Amazon boxes to ship donations to charities nationwide? It’s called the Amazon Give Back Box! Not only does it declutter your home from unwanted items and piles of cardboard boxes, but it supports those in need.
Visit the Give Back Box website for more information.
What items can I donate?
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Accessories
- Jewelry
- Does NOT accept: glass used underwear, used socks, used bedding, books, electronics ( no toasters, coffee makers, printers etc.)
How can I donate?
- Pack your Amazon box with the items you’re donating.
- Visit the Amazon Give Back Box page to request a free shipping label.
- Print your shipping label and attach to your newly packed box.
- Drop off your box at any UPS or Kohl’s location!
BUY NOTHING GROUPS
Wondering where to donate to your neighbors? Most cities, towns, or neighborhoods have a local Buy Nothing Facebook group! People in your neighborhood will post items in this group they no longer want or need and people can volunteer to pick them up for free. I’ve used this for the past few years and it’s great!
TIP: If I have a LOT of items available at the same time that are somewhat valuable (i.e. gently used kids scooters, bikes, etc.), I post a bulk photo for “CURB ALERT (NO HOLDS)” and they are often gone within a couple of hours and I don’t have to manage who is getting which item. The photo above was an example from last summer when I decluttered my garage. No game of Facebook messenger tag with someone trying to buy an item for $5… I decided that my peace of mind was worth more than that. The amount of headache I’ve spent trying to sell items only for buyers to ghost me just wasn’t worth it for me anymore. My minimum Facebook marketplace “sale” value now is $50. Otherwise, I will gift it to someone on my local Buy Nothing group as a pay it forward gesture to neighbors.
What items can I donate?
- Best for gently used home items like, housewares, lamps, dining chairs, patio furniture, kitchen appliances, kid items, etc. These seem to be the most popular!
- Your local group may have some guidelines on what items are acceptable or not.
How can I donate?
- Search for your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook and request to join (search “Buy Nothing [insert city/neighborhood name]”).
- Post the items you’d like to get rid of (include a description, quality, how to pick up).
- Wait for people to comment or message you that are interested in taking your items and coordinate a pickup or dropoff plan directly with them!
- Don’t forget: update your post to reflect once an item is taken.
SCHEDULE A PICKUP
Have you ever panic cleaned the day before guests arrive? Or crammed for a test the night before? If you are decluttering your home, you need to give yourself a firm deadline and have a plan for the to-be-donated items to actually leave your home. (Hello, bag of clothes that took for way too long in the garage or trunk of your car — I’m looking at you!)
The solution that is my favorite option out of all of these is to schedule a pick up. In most areas, you can schedule a local organization to pick up your items free of charge! This means you don’t have to worry about transporting your items and simply place them on your doorstep or curb during the scheduled pickup time. Check out some of these nationwide organizations below!
Pickup Please is a program through Vietnam Veterans of America that will coordinate a free donation pickup from your home. They’re best if you have smaller items to donate.
What items can I donate?
- NOTE: they only accept items that are small and light enough for one person to easily lift and carry.
- Books
- Clothing (all kinds)
- Household (dishes, glasses, silverware, small household appliances, bedding, linens, pillows, draperies, curtains, rugs, jewelry and cosmetics, comforters, home decor, baby items, art, and frames)
- Toys (stuffed animals, board games, dolls, action figures, and sports equipment)
- Electronics (stereo, radio, Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, computers, laptops, monitors, DVD players, cameras, typewriters, and all types of small kitchen appliances)
- Equipment (exercise equipment: small weight bench, Sporting equipment: ski equipment, snowboards, helmets, baseball bats, Tools: drills, saws, nail guns, Yard tools: lawn mowers, weed eaters, and hand trucks (no fuel of any type please!)
- Small Furnishings (mirrors, nightstands, headboards, office chairs, decor, etc.)
- Other (bikes, musical instruments, small filing cabinets, garage sale leftovers, small appliances: microwaves, blenders, toasters, coffee makers, etc.)
How can I donate?
- Visit the Pickup Please website, enter your zip code and press “Schedule a Pickup”.
- Enter your contact information, list of items, pickup location info, and choose a time for pickup!
- Leave your items in the designated pickup area the day-of.
Out of the Closet will pick up your large furniture items for free!
What items can I donate?
- Check your local Out of the Closet to see which items are eligible, but most will only offer pickup for larger furniture items.
How can I donate?
- Fill out this form and check to see if your pickup address is eligible.
- Choose a pickup date that works best for you!
- Enter your contact information and upload a few photos of your items.
- On the day of pickup, Out of the Closet will contact you when they’re on their way.
LOCAL DROPOFF
Want to drop off your donations on your own? There are many nationwide organizations that accept a wide variety of donations via their local drop off centers and retail stores. See below to find your local donation centers for the following organizations!
- Goodwill (when you donate your new and gently used items, local Goodwill organizations sell them in stores and online generating revenue to provide valuable employment training and job placement services for people in your community)
- Out of the Closet (when you shop or donate at Out of the Closet, 96 cents of every dollar made goes to AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s HIV prevention and treatment services)
- Salvation Army (when you donate goods to The Salvation Army, those items are sold at our Family Stores and the proceeds are used to fund Adult Rehabilitation Centers, where those in the grip of addiction find help, hope, and a second chance at life)
- Habitat for Humanity (accepts donations of new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, building materials and more to help local families build, rehabilitate and repair safe and affordable homes in your community and around the world)
Want to learn more about how to organize your home after decluttering? Visit my blog post on How To Organize Your Kitchen!
