Why You Should Donate Your Clothes and How to Do It

Every year, millions of people donate clothing, toys, furniture, and all kinds of household items to charity organizations around the country. Arranging a donation pick up can be one of the best ways of helping others while simultaneously helping yourself and your family. Here’s some good reasons you should be looking for organizations that accept clothing donations and how to arrange a donation pick up.

1. We have too much stuff. There is no doubt about it, Americans have a lot of junk. We have a lot of clothing that we don’t really need, in particular. According to research, people in the United States are throwing out about 12 million tons of textiles and clothes each year. The recovery rate for these items in 2011 was just over 15%, which is pretty bad considering that most clothes and household textiles are 100% recyclable. All the rest of what we toss out goes to landfills, and even biodegradable clothes made of natural fibers will create greenhouse gases as they degrade in a landfill setting.




2. People need your donations. Those clothes that are sitting in your closet doing nothing could be going to support military families. Military families are not the only families in need, either. There are many people who benefit from clothing donations, and not just in the United States. Much charity donations go abroad where they provide high-quality clothing at a reasonable price for people in developing countries. Not only that, but they also provide jobs for those who sort and prepare these clothing donations.
3. It’s easy to arrange a donation pick up.Sometimes, getting everything together and taking it down to one of the veterans charities in your area is just too much for families with busy schedules and several children. That’s why many organizations will be happy to arrange a donation pick up for you. Here’s what you should do:
   • Call In the era of the Internet, it’s simple to find websites with phone numbers for any charity you’re interested in. Most of them now have 24/7 call answering so that you can arrange a donation pick up whenever it’s convenient for you.
   • ExplainWhen you talk to someone at the charity organization, be sure to explain what kind of thing you’re donating. This will help them understand what kind of truck they should send and how many people they should send along.
   • Prepare It’s going to take somewhere between a week and two weeks for a scheduled pick up to reach you. It all depends on where you live, what time of year it is, how many trucks they have available, and the availability of drivers. This is a great time to prepare your donations for pick up.

4. Here’s how to prepare your donations. A charity organization is not a way to get rid of trash. The rule of thumb should be that if you would not use it under any circumstances, probably no one else wants it, either. Make sure you wipe off the dust, give the light wash to textiles and clothing, and make sure that anything electronic is still working. If it’s not, make that clear when you donate it.
5. Make a list for tax purposes. Your charity donations, including clothes and textiles, are tax deductible. In order to get that deduction, however, you will need a receipt from the charity organization where you make your donation. They cannot give you a receipt without a list, so make sure you have an itemized list of everything you are donating. Don’t forget to let them know that you need the receipt. In fact, this is something you should mention when you first arrange your donation pick up.

There are many good reasons to donate your clothes, textiles, and household goods. Many people can benefit from the things you no longer need, and you can probably benefit from some extra space in your closet! Why not make arrangements for a donation pick up today? Then, prepare your items to be picked up and make your list so you can deduct it from your taxes. In the end, it’s the definition of a win/win situation.