If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling unwanted items, if you don’t think the money you’d get is worth it or if you just want to help out a local charity, you can donate your things. Donating household items will not only help you declutter your home and help a worthy cause, it may also give you a deduction on your income taxes (ask your tax preparer for details).

Donated items don’t have to be in perfect condition, but they should be unbroken and usable. There are a number of ways to sell these types of items. You can have an old-fashioned yard sale, list them on Craig’s List or an app like 5 Mile or on a local Facebook swap site.

4
Giving Your Old Items New Life: Identifying Things to Donate

Many charities take donated items and sell them, so they may only accept things they think will sell.

Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other similar types of thrift stores are actually charities that accept donations. You can bring almost anything to a Goodwill or similar type of charity. They usually accept all types of goods including clothing, furniture, household goods like dishes and vases, toys and even old electronics.

Another great option of where to donate your unwanted items are pet shelters. If you have old towels and blankets, pet shelters use them to make washable beds for the animals.They also need pet-related items like old collars and leashes, cleaning supplies, shredded paper, newspaper and dog crates.

Homeless shelters and shelters for victims of domestic abuse should also be remembered as good options for where to donate your unwanted things. Shelters for people are always looking for donations of clothing, especially socks and underwear, bedding including pillows, coats and winter accessories like gloves, baby products including diapers and towels.

Schools, daycare centers and aftercare facilities are also the types of organizations that deal with children that would love to take your old children’s books off your hands. In many cases, school classroom libraries are only stocked with books bought and paid for by the teachers and they welcome new (and free) material. They may also accept gently used and unbroken toys and blankets for naptime.

Sometimes, however, you realize you have items you didn’t remember you had when you’re going through the process of decluttering. Things you don’t want to give away. To make sure your house stays decluttered once you’ve gotten rid of stuff, the best way to keep it clean is to organize.