Many people around the United States want to help others but are not sure how to do it. Making charitable clothing donations is something that most people can do. The question then becomes, “where can I donate clothes?”
- Start by cleaning out your closet. Most people have a lot of clothing that they no longer wear. This is one of the main reasons people think about donating clothing to charity. Go through the clothing you have and organize it. Organizing experts say that if you have seasonal clothing that you have not worn in a year or more, you should get rid of it. Look through your clothes and think about what you wear and what you can get rid of. If you have children, when they grow out of their clothing, they can be used for helping families in need.
- Go through the pockets. If you have items that you want ti donate, make sure you take some time to go through the pockets. You never know when you are going to find some long lost item or even cash that you put in the pocket of some pants you were wearing. It is worth it to check before you ask about “where can I donate clothes?”
- Clean your garments. The last thing you want to do is make more work for the staff at the non-profit. Before you take your clothes into the charity, make sure you wash your items. This will make them easier to use or to sell. Dirty clothing items are hard to sell and often end up being used as rags. If you think your clothing items can still be worn, make sure they are clean when you bring them in.
- Sort and fold your clothing. The charity to which you make your donations will not complain if you do not do this but it helps them a lot if the clothing that you donate has been sorted and folded. This makes it a lot easier for the staff of the charity to put your items in the right place.
- Consider work clothing that you no longer wear. This can be really helpful for people who have been out of the workforce for a while, for any reason. If you have business suits that do not get a lot of use anymore you can be doing someone a lot of good by donating those items to charity.
- If your items are in really bad shape, do not donate them. It can end up costing the non-profit money if you bring them items that cannot be used or recycled. Be honest with yourself when you are going through the items that you want to get rid of.
- Shoes are always needed. There are some items that are always in high demand. Good quality shoes are always needed as are winter coats. It has been estimated that there are at least 1.5 billion pairs of shoes in people’s closets that are never worn. Accessories such as purses and belts can also be used by someone. Just because you do not like it anymore does not mean someone else cannot get some use out of an item.
- Donate old sheets and blankets. These can also be used by a variety of charities so if you have extra, you should consider donating them.
- Find a place to donate your clothing. Call local charities and ask them, “where can I donate clothes?” If you do not get an answer from the charity you call, you can check with your local government or religious institutions. You can also go online and ask, “where can I donate clothes?” There are also a number of charities will pick up clothing donations.
- Get a receipt. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will allow you to take the value of your donated items off of your tax bill. If you make a donation of items that are worth, collectively, more than $250, you will need to provide some documentation. You should be able to get that when you bring in your clothing to donate.
Donating clothing can really help people in need and the non-profits that serve them. Many have used clothing shops in them. The profits from these shops helps them pay for their operations.
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