During the quarantine, you may have done a little bit of decluttering to make productive use of your time. If so, you are likely left with a ton of stuff you no longer want or need. Putting everything in the Dumpster may be a waste, especially for items that are still useful and in good condition. What to do with your stuff after decluttering?
Worry not. While you may not want or need your “clutter” anymore, other people may have good use for them. As they say, one person’s trash is another man’s treasure. That said, here’s what you can do with the stuff you’ve collected after decluttering.
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Donate Your Stuff to Charity
Your gently used clothes, books, electronics, furniture, and household items may still be useful to someone else in need. Instead of throwing them away, why not donate them to local charities? Plenty of places will accept donations of just about anything. Check out this list of organizations that will accept just about anything for donation:
Salvation Army
With around 8,000 locations in the United States, you are likely to find one in your area. The Salvation Army accepts pretty much anything, including clothing, mattresses, furniture, appliances, and household items. Your donations will help victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking, and natural disasters; at-risk youths; the elderly; the homeless; and the poor.
Goodwill
Goodwill has been helping young people, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and people who are reclaiming their lives after a prison sentence, among many others, with its community-based programs. The nonprofit organization collects donated items to sell for steep prices to those in need in over 3,300 stores around the country. Find a Goodwill store in your area.
Local Thrift Stores
You can also donate your gently used clothing and items to local thrift stores. Most thrift stores will accept stuff that is still useful and in good condition, including clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, books, housewares, cookware, electronics, household items, and antiques.
Other charitable organizations you can donate your stuff to are AMVETS National Service Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Dress for Success, TheArc, and Pickup Please.
Make Money out of Your Clutter
If you’re strapped for cash or need a supplement to your income, you can also sell your gently used stuff to various places. Thrift stores will buy your gently used clothes, shoes, handbags, household items, and more. You can also organize a garage or yard sale in front of your house. Follow the steps in this guide to organize your own yard sale event.
Are you planning to do this long-term? Open your own online thrift store. It’s quick, easy, and affordable when you use an e-commerce platform like Shopify. Or you can join the many marketplace platforms on the internet.
The biggest benefit of having your own website is that you have full control of customizing the design, features, and functions of your shop. When you have an online store, you can sell your stuff anytime, anywhere, as long as you have a computer or smartphone and internet connection.
The downside to this is that you will need space to keep your stock since it usually takes time to sell items online.
Throw Away Things That Can’t Be Saved or Used
When you’re purging your home, you should classify items into three categories: keep/sell, toss, and donate. Some of your items will inevitably fall into the toss category, especially things that are broken or too damaged to use. You may feel some twinge of hesitation overthrowing those hard-earned belongings away, but you need to get rid of items that you can no longer use. Otherwise, they will only take up extra space in your home.
Moreover, decluttering can help improve your living conditions. A clean and organized home is better for you and your family’s peace of mind, health, and comfort. Of course, you can’t just unceremoniously dump everything in the trash. You should also segregate your stuff properly.
Recyclable items should be placed in a container separate from that of nonrecyclables. Send the former to the nearest recycling center, and wait for the latter to be picked up by waste collectors. Add labels to your trash for easy segregation. For electronics waste, you can follow this helpful guide to proper e-waste disposal for small businesses and individuals.
Proper waste disposal is incredibly important, especially if you are throwing away potentially hazardous waste. You can always rent a dumpster and have it delivered to your home. Pick the size that meets your needs. This way you don’t have to take several loads to the dump yourself.
By following proper waste-management practices, you are not only keeping yourself from harm but also helping the environment.
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