How To Donate Used Clothes

Learn how to donate used clothes when you're done with them so they can be used by someone else. Whether you've gained or lost weight and your clothes no longer fit, or you have bought new clothes in new styles and want to get rid of your old duds, donating used clothes is a great way to recycle them. Many people shop at thrift stores for their clothes. They might just like to get a bargain or maybe they are looking for a certain style of shirt or pants. Whatever the reason, when you donate used clothes to a non-profit thrift store or to another charity, you are giving your clothes a new lease on life for someone to wear them.

1. Look through your closet. First, you must determine which used clothes you no longer want. Look at each item carefully. Do you want to save a couple of old shirts to wear to work in the yard or to paint in? If so, keep those but if your closet is bursting at the seams, start weeding out the clothes you no longer wear. If you haven't worn an item of clothing in 6 months to a year, it's usually safe to donate it. Consider each article of clothing and decide whether to keep or donate.
2. Wash any dirty used clothes. Charities want the clothes to be clean that you donate. Wash the clothes, as needed, before putting in the donation bag or box.
3. Find a charity. Many charities accept used clothes, either to resell in a thrift store they operate or to give directly to people in need. Decide who you would like to donate your used clothes to by thumbing through the Yellow Pages or doing a quick Internet search for charities in your area.
4. Drop them off or call for a pickup. If you can, load the used clothes in your car and drop them off. If you'd rather have the charity pick up the clothes, call them and schedule a pickup. They may have guidelines for you to follow, for example, they may want the used clothes in garbage bags. Follow the guidelines for a successful donation. Ask if you can get a donation receipt for your tax records.