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You know that relief that comes with ridding your space of unused items. Decluttering can reduce anxiety, boost focus, and improve your mood.
Donating unneeded items keeps them out of landfills and benefits those who find the items useful.
But sometimes the hardest part of getting rid of the things we don’t use anymore—clothes, shoes, household items, and outdoor gear—in varying states of disrepair is finding new homes for them.
There are ample nonprofit and charitable organizations that collect and redistribute items in usable condition to those in need. Many brands and other businesses help recycle or responsibly dispose of old products that are beyond a state of repair.
As you research the options below that keep items out of landfills, you can quickly find information about what items they accept, what condition the items should be in, where to drop them off or how to arrange pickup, and whether your donation qualifies as a tax deduction.
And remember, if you are donating something that is destined to be used by others, you want it to be in a condition that you would gladly accept if given to you.
Where to Donate Clothes & Other Items
General Clothes
There are plenty of options when it comes to organizations that accept clothes donations.
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- Goodwill: There are thousands of Goodwill locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, so you are likely to find a drop-off center near you.
- Salvation Army: An organization that helps provide clothing and access to medical resources in the U.S. and internationally, the Salvation Army accepts many types of household items, including clothes donations. Locate one of their drop-off locations or schedule a pickup.
- Big Brother Big Sister Foundation: BBBS uses the funds generated from clothing donations to support their mentorship programs, in which adults volunteer to mentor kids in single-parent or low-income households. Find a location near you for drop-off or schedule a pickup.
- Native American Heritage Association: NAHA distributes clothes and other household items to Native American families living in poverty on Reservations in South Dakota and Wyoming. They accept donations via mail.
- Vietnam Veterans of America: A non-profit dedicated to advocating for veterans, VVA has chapters in 43 states. You can schedule a pickup from your home.
- St. Vincent de Paul: A charitable organization with chapters throughout the U.S. and internationally, St. Vincent de Paul is associated with the Catholic church and runs programs that assist those experiencing poverty. Locate your local chapter to learn where you can drop off clothes.
- Dress for Success: This nonprofit focuses on providing women with resources to gain employment and achieve professional success. You can volunteer with Dress for Success and hold a donation drive in your community or at your workplace. They accept professional attire donations, such as suits, shirts, and handbags.
- Thrift stores: Search online for a thrift store in your area. Some have locations throughout the U.S., such as Out of the Closet, a nonprofit that sells gently used clothing and uses the proceeds to support HIV prevention and treatment services. Savers is another nationwide thrift store that partners with local nonprofits.
- Athleta: Participate in Athleta’s Trade In program, which involves mailing in your gently used leggings and other clothing, and receive Athleta store credit for eligible items.
- Girlfriend Collective: This athletic wear company accepts clothes of any brand in any condition. Mail them in and receive Girlfriend Collective store credit in exchange.
- Online Consignment Stores: Another alternative to keeping items in circulation are online consignment stores for clothing, such as ThredUp and Poshmark. Consider it a donation of a different sort.
Shoes
Soles4Souls is a nonprofit organization that distributes shoes and clothing to adults and children experiencing financial strain or homelessness. Although their physical drop-off locations are located only on the East Coast, Soles4Souls partners with Zappos to make it possible for you to mail in your gently worn shoes (with free shipping!).
One World Running, formerly known as Shoes for Africa, collects athletic shoes, t-shirts, and shorts and distributes them to developing countries. You can ship your gently used items to an address in Colorado.
You can also search online for “shoe donation centers near me” to find organizations in your area. For example, Shoes for the Homeless, Inc. has drop-off locations in Phoenix and Los Angeles, and Share Your Soles is a Chicago-based nonprofit that accepts donations. Nike also recycles or donates used athletic shoes as part of its Move to Zero program with drop-offs accepted at select stores.
Jeans
It takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce the cotton needed for a single pair of jeans. Help make those resources go further by recycling your old pairs. Bring any denim jeans to a Madewell store, and they’ll recycle the fabric into home insulation for in-need communities—and give you $20 toward a new pair.
Blue Jeans Go Green also accepts denim donations. They turn used jeans back into their original fibers and use them to make new clothing. You can send them your jeans via mail or drop them off at one of their approved retailers and receive credit for that store in exchange.
Dresses
Becca’s Closet is a nonprofit that collects formal dresses for high schoolers who aren’t able to purchase formalwear for their proms. The organization’s namesake, Becca, was a high school freshman when she collected 250 prom dresses for high schoolers across South Florida. After Becca passed away, her friends and family founded the organization to continue her mission. There are chapters of Becca’s Closet in 23 states.
Yoga Mats
If the mat is still in like-new condition and is unused, consider reaching out to local community centers or shelters for victims of domestic abuse and inquire if they offer yoga and if they are in need of mats. You can also reach out to a yoga studio as they might be in need of extra mats or know of a local organization who would benefit from the donation.
You can also donate it to a local Goodwill or other thrift store.
If the mat is well worn, you can inquire at local animal shelters, which sometimes accept yoga mats to line cages.
Outdoor Gear
Yoga Journal’s parent company, Outside Inc., has partnered with Oregon-based shop The Gear Fix to create the Gear Up Give Back program. Send in your used outdoor attire and gear, such as tents, backpacks, and sleeping bags. The Gear Fix will repair any gently damaged items, sell them, and use the proceeds to benefit the nonprofit Outdoorist Oath.
You can also sell your used outdoor gear through consignment websites such as Geartrade. They’ll assess the value of each item you ship to them and when it sells, you’ll receive a commission.
Several brands such as Patagonia, Arc’teryx, Stio, The North Face, and REI offer trade-in programs. Send them your gently used outdoor attire or gear and they’ll trade you store credit for eligible items. Same applies to the Take Back program from WNDR-Alpine, which produces skis from bio-based materials.
Household Items
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit housing organization with locations in the U.S. and 70 other countries. Through their Habitat ReStore network, you can either drop off or schedule a pickup for gently used furniture, appliances, dinnerware, and building materials. Look up exactly what your nearest location accepts online.
Many organizations listed above under “Clothing” also accept an array of household items. And you can also consider posting it on the “Free” section of Craigslist.
Books
Give your local library a call to confirm whether they accept donations. Some used bookstores also have trade-in programs in which you can exchange your gently used books in exchange for store credit. Some used book stores will donate unsellable trade-ins to local libraries.
There are also organizations that collect specific types of books. For children’s books, Kids Need to Read takes donations and distributes them to under-funded schools, literacy programs, and libraries throughout the country. Like-new paperbacks can be donated to the Prison Book Program, which has been helping those who are incarcerated access reading material since 1972. Drop-offs and mail-in donations are accepted.
Toys
Whether you have old toys you’ve accumulated through the years or your kids’ rooms are in need of decluttering, consider motivating yourself to part with them by thinking of the happiness your items will bring to someone else.
That’s the mission behind the nonprofit Second Chance Toys, which collects plastic toys that would otherwise end up in landfills. There are drop-off locations in 38 states and they collect twice a year—in April for Earth Month and in November and December for the holidays.
In addition, there are nonprofits that support kids in foster care by collecting toys, clothes, books, and other items throughout the year, such as the Foster Love Project in Pittsburgh or Denver Children’s Home. Google “foster care donations near me” to find an organization in your area. Otherwise, search for nonprofits that accept mail-in donations like Cradles to Crayons.
You can also research local shelters for families or victims of domestic abuse and inquire if they accept toy donations.
