The best thing about my job is helping people to feel free from the stress and anxiety caused by clutter and disorganization. The second best thing is keeping as much as I can from going to the landfill!
When you hire me a big part of what I do is take away what you don’t want and find homes for it or properly recycle it. It is actually amazing what you can find homes for! People are very creative in how they use things and even broom handles, scrap metal, bin lids, pieces of wood, old printers, random cords (and the list goes on) can often find homes.
I started this blog with the intention to make a comprehensive list, but it’s taking too long so I’m going to make a series and this is the clothing one! There are so many places and ways to donate/recycle clothing. If you have any great ideas please add in comments!
THRIFT SHOPS
Goodwill I am not sure why, but it seems that Goodwill has gotten a bad rap! Many of my customers would rather donate somewhere else that makes more of a difference? Actually Goodwill is making a huge difference, providing job training to help people help themselves. They are also big into sustainability and they work with other companies to recycle any unsellable textiles into asphalt, garden furniture, insulation, fiber fill and more.
DAV ( Disabled American Veterans) I use them a lot because they are a great organization and they come right to your door and I often have lots and lots of clothes and household goods to donate that I have gotten from my jobs. They also recycle unsellable items!
CHKD: proceeds go directly to the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
Salvation Army: proceeds fund adult rehabilitation programs, disaster relief and homeless shelters
S.O.S. Thrift (support our students): proceeds help fund Virginia Beach City Public Schools
CONSIGNMENT SHOPS
Plato’s Closet: cash or store credit, trendy teen and young adults
Worth the Wait: high end boutique clothing, everything has to be freshly laundered and ironed and brought in on hangers and they only give store credit
Double Take: high end, nothing older than 2 years, everything needs to be on hangers, appointment only, you get paid when your clothes sell
Once Upon a Child: cash for gently used children’s clothing; call ahead as I have found sometimes they are not accepting certain sizes depending on their current stock
Thredup: an online thrift store where you send your clothes to them, they resell them and you earn credit or cash.
OTHER CHARITIES/MINISTRIES
P.I.N. Ministries (People in Need) helps homeless people move from dependency toward financial and personal independence. Donation drop off is near Birdneck Road and Norfolk Ave.
Samaritan House: helps individuals and families free themselves from domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and homelessness; they are supported by Thrift Store City
Union Mission: provides emergency shelter, food, and rehabilitation services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness; the link lists what they most need
Seton Youth Shelters: assists at-risk children, teens, and their families in crisis throughout the Hampton Roads area; they partner with Thrift Store USA and you can donate in their bins located throughout the city
TEXTILE RECYCLING PROGRAMS
I have just recently heard about these options for mail-in recycling. You can pay for a bag and mail your unuseable clothes to be recycled. Some offer incentives but it’s mostly just to responsibly dispose of things to keep them out of the landfill. I have not tried these myself, so do your research!
Trashie order the Take Back Bag, fill it up, send it back and they will find a home for everything so as much as possible doesn’t go to the landfill; they have a TrashieCash system where you can earn cash back.
Marine Layer Re-Spun Take Back Bag; order bag, fill it up and send it back and you will receive their Marine Layer rewards; they work with recycling partners to make sure even the scraps find a new life in insulation or fishing nets, etc.
Retold Recycling this company is specifically dedicated to textile recycling and sustainability; they offer a good explanation of how it works and they offer more options including a subscription and a fabric scraps bag
SPECIFIC BRANDS REUSE/RECYCLE
Blue Jeans Go Green: Denim recycling listed by participating retailers; you can get $$ toward a new pair in some cases
Carter’s Kids Clothing: you can drop off any brand kids clothing at bins in store for recycling
Smartwool Second Cut: recycle your socks for free; get a free kit!
H&M recycling boxes: drop off clothes from any brand to recycling bins at H&M stores
Patagonia Trade-In Program: you can sell back or send in for recycling your Patagonia gear
Soles4Souls through Zappos: donate new or gently used shoes and clothing for free; you can print out a prepaid shipping label
Career Clothing: Virginia Wesleyan has Wesleyan Wardrobe for students who need professional attire for interviews and internships. These can be dropped off in a dropbox at the Hofheimer Library.
OTHER OPTIONS
Facebook Gifting Groups: I love giving clothing in my local Facebook gifting group. It’s called Gifting with Gratitude and it is specific to my area. Check the one out where you live! You can do it even if you don’t like or already use Facebook. You have to join Facebook, but you don’t have to have friends and post pictures and all that. I have Facebook specifically for the groups and for Marketplace. I often give specific clothes this way, like fancy dresses or specialty coats or business clothes, or a certain size of my grandkids clothing. And then the person you decide to give it to just comes right to your door or you can leave it on your porch. Super convenient and you know the clothes are going to where they are needed.
Local Churches: Some churches have clothing closets where they collect clothes and then have weekly or monthly events where people can shop for free.
eBay: If you have new items with tags or high value items or even just sought after items like particular jean brands for example and you have extra time on your hands, check to see if there is a market on eBay. I have sold many clothing items on eBay over the years. I like to use the Buy Now feature where you can also accept offers. Take good pictures and price reasonably.