Summer is here, which means it’s finally time to clean out all those old winter clothes! By organizing your closet early in the summer, you are sure to be ready to shop again for the winter. Cleaning out winter clothes early also ensures that your memories of what items you did and did not wear will be fairly accurate, so you don’t have to go through another season regretting that you kept that horrible sweater that’s always itchy. But what do you do with all the clothing you no longer need?
Once you have identified which clothing you no longer wish to keep, you will need to sort it out. Anything ripped, worn out, or stained should be thrown away. Some items that are faded will also need to be discarded, although that will be a matter of personal judgement. Once you have removed all the damaged clothing, you should continue to sort what is left. Items that were very expensive to purchase new, and are in good condition, may be sold to a consignment shop for a few extra dollars.
Anything that the consignment shops don’t want or that was too old to sell should not be thrown out. Instead, consider donating clothes to charity. Charitable clothing donations keep perfectly functional clothing out of landfills, while allowing less fortunate people to purchase and wear it instead of having to spend extra money on new clothing. There are many places to donate clothes, and there are many charities that will pick up donations from people who are unable to drop them off.
Charitable clothing donations are good for families in need and people who want to make space for their new summer wardrobe. If you have cleaned out your closet, but want to continue to do good, consider donating other things you no longer use, such as household objects and toys that your children have outgrown. These will either be passed directly to families that need them or sold to provide the families with food and other necessities.
