Decluttering is an often vital part of organizing and streamlining your space. While it’s definitely noble to want to keep your cast-offs out of landfills, not everything belongs in that donation pile. Sure, donating your useful items is awesome for the greater good—but the key word here is useful. Donating items that cannot be resold or reused creates more of a burden for thrift store employees and volunteers (and in some cases, shoppers) and is hardly a good deed at all.
When getting rid of items you no longer want or need, there are a few categories that should be discarded, recycled, or upcycled instead of donated. Here are a few items you should never donate during your thrift store drop-offs.
Chipped Glasses and Dishware
Though aesthetically they may look mostly okay, chipped tableware can be a safety hazard to both thrift store workers and shoppers.
Plenty of thrift stores sell incomplete sets of china or dinnerware, so don’t worry if a couple of salad plates or mugs aren’t suited for donation. And while a cracked plate may sit on the thrift shop shelves for months or longer, you can break up the ones you’ve planned to donate for a fun mosaic project. You could also consider donating them to a local craft workshop
Old Tech (That’s Not Yet Vintage)
While a truly retro record player, Discman, or vintage rotary phone may be a treasure, tech that’s more than five years old—but is not yet considered vintage—is generally considered obsolete. Neither an iPhone 7 that won’t update anymore or a hefty MacBook that no longer holds a charge would get much love in most thrift stores.
Resale sites may offer a few bucks to take these off your hands, and manufacturers (such as Apple) and electronics stores can help with electronics recycling.
Incomplete Games or Puzzles
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If a puzzle or game is missing a piece and cannot be completed or properly played, donating it can be just plain mean! (Have you ever felt the frustration of not being able to complete a puzzle because of missing pieces?)
If you want to re-home a less-than-perfect puzzle, check out local puzzle shares, so at least people know what they’re getting.
Undergarments (Without Checking First)
Many thrift stores won’t accept donations of undergarments for hygienic reasons, unless they’re brand new with original packaging or tags. If you want to donate these pieces, be sure to call the thrift store first to ensure they’re accepted. (The same rules apply for swimsuits.)
Undergarments in good condition are usually hot-ticket items at clothing drives and shelters though, so reach out to local charities in your area to see what your options are.
Used Candles
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Hate the scent? Pass it on to a friend or neighbor, but don’t bring that burnt wick into a thrift store—used candles are hard to sell, and you’re just adding to the clutter. You can also melt down and reuse the wax in a variety of crafting projects.
Safety Equipment
Helmets, car seats, and other items designed to keep people safe should generally not be donated unless recently purchased. Safety standards are frequently updated, and older items may not adhere to the latest standards.
Plus, if a helmet or car seat has been through a crash or other incident, it may not be as effective, thus putting the next user at higher risk for injury. To keep everyone protected, check to see what’s accepted at your local thrift store and if the product adheres to current safety regulations.
Some Bedding
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Bedding, pillows, and comforters are often denied by thrift stores (due to concerns about hygiene and bed bugs), making bedding another of the categories you should inquire about before making the trip.
If your local secondhand stores do not accept bedding, many shelters accept these items as donations, as do animal rescue centers.
Shoes and Clothing Beyond Repair
A shirt missing a button isn’t a huge deal, but donating shoes warped from wear or sweaters with moth bites can be a burden on thrift shop workers—and a disappointment to shoppers who may thinkought they’ve just found a score.
Many communities have textile recycling programs or bins, and services like Trashie accept any and all textiles for recycling via a simple mail-in process.
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