During the cold winter months I find myself wanting to nest – just stay inside where it is warm and make my space better. This is when the kitchen drawers get vacuumed, expired medicine is tossed, gadgets get assessed, and my closet gets some rightsizing. The resulting cache of unwanted items gets boxed up and donated, along with items from clients who are doing the same thing.
While decluttering your space brings you peace of mind and a smoother functioning home, we are stuck with the question of what to do with things that we no longer want. What is trash? What can be donated and where? Do pants need to be on hangers? Is it ok if this toaster has crumbs in it? A few weeks ago, the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals, had a workshop on just this topic.
A representative from a thrift store spoke about what donations help their mission and what does not. One of the things she pointed out was the exorbitant cost of waste removal that thrift stores face. As a commercial entity, thrift stores may be charged higher fees for trash removal than residences, even though they are primarily dealing with household waste. The expense takes money away from the programs that they are working to support. For our items to do the most good, the speaker made these recommendations:
- Donate functioning items. While a bent cage around a fan might be fixable, if you don’t want to do it, how likely is it that someone would pay for it just to fix it?
- Avoid donating items that are missing pieces. For example, a kid’s toy that lost the stylus necessary for using it. That may have been a high-end, expensive toy, but without that piece, few people will want it. If you want to keep items like this out of landfills, fix it prior to donating.
- If things like drinkware and bowls are too chipped for use in your home, they likely won’t be snatched up by anyone else.
- Free swag that we get at events – the water bottle with an insurance company logo on it, or the free key chain that came with your car – are not going to sell, they were free after all.
- Half-used eyeliner pencils, or a partial bottle of shampoo are not big sellers. You might have better luck finding a taker on a Buy-Nothing group. (Or the trash might be an ok option too.)
- Anything with mold, mildew, strong odors, or evidence of rodents should be thrown away instead of donated.
- Clothes with stains or holes – or any flaws that need to be fixed prior to use – is not a good item for most thrift stores Some organizations recycle unwearable textiles, but confirm that before bringing these things in.
- Awards. Unfortunately, few people will want the plaque your uncle received after working 30 years. While very important to the person at the time, there is not a market for other people’s awards. Donating things like this just pass the burden of throwing them away on to the thrift store.
- Make sure items are clean and in working order. Most thrift stores have very limited ability (space, staff, time) to clean items or do repairs.
- Don’t forget to go through pockets in clothes and each area of a purse or briefcase. Once it is donated, it is hard to get anything back!
This came primarily from one thrift store’s experience, so take it with a grain of salt. There are several organizations that take specific items that thrift stores might not. For example, Leonardo’s Basement in Minneapolis takes trophies for kids to use in art projects. Mano o Mano, in St. Paul, is a great place to donate medical supplies (wheelchairs, crutches, etc.).
If you bring something, and it is turned away, don’t take it personally. Every business is trying to its best to keep costs low and generate support for the programs.
If you are interested in finding more donation options, I have a long list of sites available for download on my website: www.Think-Organized.com
