Declutter + Donate the Tough Stuff

Does this sound right? You want to declutter and donate your stuff, but the work associated with discarding the tough stuff leaves your feeling anxious.

What about this? You want to keep your unwanted items out of the landfill, but finding worthy recipients for your stuff is a full-time job.

I’ve got you covered, because this article is all about guilt-free methods to declutter and donate the tough stuff.

What’s tough stuff?

– Tough stuff is sentimental.

– Tough stuff is bulky and oversized.

– Tough stuff is random, obscure.

If you’ve ever Googled donation services for your toughest items, chances are good your online search came up cold. That’s because – with regard to responsible donation, at least – many online articles are woefully outdated. Links lead you to Page Not Found! error messages because ideal charities closed their doors months ago.

Following declutter-and-donate breadcrumbs that lead to nowhere is an exhausting, overwhelming hassle. 

If you’re a conscious declutter – if you want to sustainably minimize your stuff – I’ve got you covered. I’ve created an exhaustive, comprehensive Declutter + Donate Master List that details the absolute best places to donate nearly every item in your home with clickable links. Best of all? This resource is UPDATED + FREE.

First, a quick note: From an environmental standpoint, it’s best to keep your cast-off items in your community; the fewer things we ship around the globe, the better. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to check out local options for your unwanted stuff. Consider churches, hospitals, schools, libraries, animal shelters, homeless shelters, women’s shelters, halfway homes, food banks, senior centers, day cares, prisons and charity shops before opting for a national charity. 

 

Tough Item #1: Your wedding dress

Has there ever been a more sentimental item of clothing? There’s such emotion wrapped up in those layers and layers of tulle.

If you’re ready to unload your wedding dress, consider doing so in a way that helps a struggling bride. But be aware:

Unless you unload your wedding gown within 3 to 5 years after getting married, no one may want it.

Fashion changes rapidly and thus forces us to be constant consumers.

If your dress is less than 3 years old:

Brides Against Breast Cancer is a wish-granting service that enables patients to make special memories with their loved ones.

If your dress is less than 5 years old: 

Brides Across America gifts weddings, wedding gowns and gown accessories to American military and first responders.

If your dress is more than 5 years old:

Contact your local thrift store and inquire whether they accept wedding gowns (many do).

Tough Item #2. Stuffed animals

How many stuffed animals does your child actually play with? How many are too many?

Those fluffy friends are easy to unload, and locally:

Your local animal shelter will use your stuffed animals as toys for their dogs and cats.

Your local police station will give your stuffed animals to children as comfort in the event of an emergency.

Tough Item #3. Old game consoles

Unwanted electronics are filled with toxic materials that leak out and pollute our shared water and soil; as such, consumers should never discard them via the trash bin. So unless you’re willing to put in the effort to sell your old game console, the responsible thing is to donate or recycle it.

Best Buy accepts old consoles, cables and controllers.

Nintendo’s Take Back Program fixes up and sells old consoles and recycles old parts sustainably. In 2016, Nintendo of America had a 99% recycle rate on the 248 tons of old products they revived.

Gamers Outreach currently accepts donations of games.

Tough Item #4. Pens

We rarely give pens and markers due consideration. Indeed, most people think nothing of throwing them in the trash once they run out of ink.

There are consequences to all that plastic waste. Worse, it’s all preventable.

Recycle pens, pencils, markers and highlighters by sending them directly to TerraCycle, which collects hard-to-recycle waste and upcycles it. Fill up a box with writing utensils, print out a prepaid shipping label and ship the package to TerraCycle.

Or, mail your old pens, pencils, markers and highlighters to The Pen Guy, a.k.a. Costas Schuler. He collects old writing utensils to create recycled art. To date, he has repurposed over 500 thousand pens into art.

Did you know? Eco-friendly writing utensils are a thing. Stubby Pencil Company, for one, offers any eco-friendly art supplies for kids and adults. Paper Mate partners with Terracycle to upcycle old pens. Keep your eye out for biodegradable options such as corn pens and bamboo highlighters.

Want all this info as a free printable? Get it! 

Tough Item #5. Athletic shoes

Citing breakdown of arch support, sneaker makers recommend replacing athletic shoes every 300-600 miles. It’s therefore entirely possibly to burn through multiple pairs of sneakers per year.

For sneakers in good, rewearable condition, donate them with clothing and accessories to Goodwill or wherever you make clothing donations.

If your athletic shoes are worn, however, know that donating them along with your clothes isn’t ideal: they’ll most likely be removed from the donation pile and trashed.

Nike takes old, worn tennis shoes and grinds them up to make a base material for athletic shoes. In the past 25 years, Nike has turned 28 million pair of unusable shoes into 450,000 fields all over the world.

Recycle worn-out running shoes with Nike by taking them to Nike or Converse stores or mailing them to Nike’s Memphis, TN, recycling facility. Know that Nike only takes athletic shoes (no sandals or boots); no cleats, either.

Tough Item #6. Musical Instruments

Perhaps your child wanted to be a drummer. He or she took lessons for 6 months and never touched the set again. Or perhaps you have an oversized piano in your living room that’s been sitting there for years, simply because the thought of removing it creates legitimate anxiety.

If you have a musical instrument collecting dust and you don’t want to go through the hassle of selling it, check donation options locally. School music departments are notoriously underfunded; as such, your local school district may be the first place to start. Offer it to local places of worship, too.

Mr. Holland’s Opus foundation accepts new and gently used band and orchestral instruments in playable and good cosmetic condition, which will be refurbished and delivered to schools.

Tough Item #7. Cellular phones

Let’s face it: Most of us trade in our cell phones for sleeker, shinier models every two to four years. Over a lifetime, that adds up to at least 30 discarded phones.

Cell phones can’t be trashed. They must be either recycled or donated.

Chances are good your phone carrier has a donation bin in-store. Drop off your old phones, batteries and accessories such as headsets, phone chargers and pagers at your local cell phone chain, or mail them in.

Sprint’s 1Million Project provides free cell phones and wireless service for up to four years for 1 million low-income high schoolers lacking home internet access.

Verizon’s Hopeline program donates phones and funds to shelters for survivors of domestic violence.

If you’d prefer to recycle your old phone instead, find a recycling center nearest you via this clickable map.

Tough Item #8. Medical Supplies

Back on your feet? It’s time to remove the crutches, wheelchair or walker from your home.

First, inquire whether the hospital or clinic in which you received the item will take it back. Then get creative: check with your local senior center, churches, rehabilitation facilities and shelters.

Both Goodwill and the Salvation Army accept wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and scooters.

The Wheelchair Foundation maintains a list of nearly 20 other organizations that accepts used wheelchairs. In most cases, they will be refurbished and donated, and pick-up can be arranged.

Crutches 4 Africa collects gently used crutches and distributes them to those with physical challenges in Africa.

A word on boots + braces …

Boots and braces are come in much closer contact with the skin than other medical devices; as such, they are more difficult to donate.

Samaritan’s Purse and MedShare are two national organizations that accept donations of boots, braces and slings.

If you live in Denver, Nashville, Phoenix, Houston, Chicago or Philadelphia, donate through Project C.U.R.E. by dropping off your medical equipment directly at their facility.

Tough Item #9. Foreign Currency

If you have a drawer full of foreign coins and notes from your international travels, empty it with ease.

UNICEF provides humanitarian relief to children around the globe, and they will happily take foreign coins and notes via their program called Change for Good. Since 1987, the program has collected over $150 million to help fund their mission. It’s easy. Just put all the foreign money you have lurking around, put it in a box, and ship it to UNICEF.

Tough Item #10. Tools

Got yourself a workbench with barely used tools piled high? Put them to good use.

Habitat for Humanity relies on donations of both hand and power tools and collects them via their donation program, called Habitat ReStore. Just enter your zip code and the nearest donation center will pop up.

Goodwill also accepts hand tools and small power tools.

Finally, a friendly reminder.

The best and only way to prevent waste is to BUY LESS. Save time and effort by not buying excess in the first place.

Next time you think you need an item:

– Wait 48 hours before purchasing
– Borrow from someone else
– Buy used or secondhand

Don’t forget! Grab the Declutter + Donate Master List here:

Want more decluttering + donating tips just like this one? Find them here.