Clothing Donation To Do’s
1. First things first, identify clothing to donate:
A quick rule of thumb for clothing donations: If an item is in good condition (no stains, holes, or tears) and is clean, it’s probably perfect for clothing donation.
Ideal for clothing donation:
- Is anything collecting dust in your closet or at the bottom of your drawer? Consider donating clothes you simply don’t wear anymore.
- Too small or tight? It’s time to pass it down to someone else.
- No longer going through “that phase”? Get rid of anything that you doesn’t fit your style.
- Don’t be afraid to include high-end items like a suit or formal dress. Many donation centers will take those items aside for special programs and charities that help people in need look sharp for a job interview or for events like prom.
Not acceptable for clothing donation:
- No undergarments. No, if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. Undies are items that need to be bought new, no matter how cute your old ones are.
- Does your old favorite shirt have a hole in it? Then it’s time to repurpose, recycle, or throw it away. Only consider donating items that are like new or gently worn.
- Do your shorts still have a weird smell? That’s a no for us dawg.
- If any of your clothes have spots or stains on them, try to remove them yourself or take it to a professional. If the stain won’t budge, then sadly the item should not be donated and instead repurposed.
2. Make sure all items have been recently washed/dry cleaned:
You want your clothing donations to be fresh and clean for their new owner!
3. Get the clothes to the donation center/charity :
This one may seem pretty obvious but without a plan, chances are your bag of donations may end up sitting the garage or closet for another 6 months. To make things simple, here are two options to get those items out the door!
- Option 1 - Rinse will pick up your clothing donations, free of charge with any Rinse order. You can check if you’re in our service area here.
- Option 2 - Drop your clothes off at a local charity. Here is a great list of national and local organizations that accept clothing donations, how to locate them, and the cause that your donations will go to support!
Clothing Donation Alternatives
If your clothes are too far past their prime to be donated, don’t despair, you can also repurpose or recycle them and minimize your environmental footprint.
Repurpose old clothes:
Some old clothes can become dust rags used for cleaning while other types of clothes like shirts can easily be turned into dog toys. (Here is a great how-to video for cutting up old shirts and braiding them into chew toys — It’s a fun project for kids and if you create too many, local animal shelters often welcome toys of any kind to keep their pups entertained.)
Recycle clothes, towels and bed sheets that aren't fit for donation:
If you can’t find any way to use your old clothes around the house you can always reach out to local nonprofits about helping you with textile recycling. Oftentimes, they may be able to facilitate taking your old clothes to textile recyclers. If you need a jumpstart looking into recycling options check out Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (“SMART”).