How to Donate (or Sell) Your Old Stuff After Decluttering

When you’re done decluttering your home, you’re not only left with a much more organized space, but also a bunch of stuff that needs to go or find a new place to live. Whether that’s trash or items to donate, giveaway, or sell, here’s how you’re going to deal with everything you’ve just decluttered. 

Below, find out how to donate, sell, or give away decluttered items. Plus, there’s one final secret step that’s just as important as decluttering itself.

Today, throw out any garbage, if you haven’t done so already, and grab your “donate” and “sell” outboxes. 

We’ll be going through those two outboxes today, deciding what can be donated; given away to friends, family, or a buy nothing group; or sold (if that’s something you want to do!). 

Your “donate” box is most likely filled with clothing, home goods, and other items. Some donation places can take all of these, but others may only accept certain types of items.

Consult the list below to help you decide what donation center or nonprofit organization can take your things, or consider giving away your items through an online platform.

• Drop items off at a donation center, charity, or nonprofit organization. Goodwill and Big Brothers Big Sisters are two options but they can sometimes get overwhelmed with donations. Consider looking into lesser-known places in your community to see if they can take your things, and be sure to check in first to see if they’re taking new donations. 
• Send clothes to companies that recycle them, such as Trashie’s Take Back Bag program or Madewell’s Do Well program, in partnership with Blue Jeans Go Green, which will take any denim jeans you own and recycle them. 
• Go online and join a local Buy Nothing Group, Nextdoor, or Freecycle to give away your things for free. When dealing with an online marketplace, set boundaries around where you are comfortable meeting and how long items will be available before you move on to the next person. Remember to take down the listing once it is gone. 
• Ask your friends, family, or even neighbors if they are interested in any items you are parting ways with. Let them know they can pick items up by a certain time before you head to a donation center. That way, there’s less pressure for them to take things unless they really want to.

Your “sell” box is most likely filled with things that are in good condition that you want to try selling. Consider donating any items you can’t sell after a certain amount of time so they don’t linger in your home. 

Here are some places to consider.

• Post items on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp. Like the advice above, whenever using an online marketplace, set boundaries around where to meet and how long it will be available, and take down your listing once it is sold.
• Head to a local consignment or thrift store, like Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange.
• Use online resale platforms, like ThredUp, which has a Clean Out Kit that lets you mail them a bag of clothing and accessories to sell (anything that doesn’t sell can be returned for a small fee back to you or recycled by them), or Poshmark, Depop, and Vinted, which lets you take photos and list items yourself. 

There’s one last step when it comes to decluttering, and it’s one you shouldn’t skip. You’ve done a lot these last two weeks — from decluttering room by room to implementing systems to prevent clutter from happening in the future — and the final thing to do is to celebrate your decluttering wins. 

Whether or not you did all 14 tasks of the Decluttering Cure, you should be proud that your home is tidier and more organized than before. Enjoy your home to the fullest, bask in your hard work, or open the door to friends and family for a celebration. It’s all up to you — we just hope you feel good about all the decluttering you’ve got done in just two weeks.