Clearing out your home is a great feeling. Not only does a clean house feel relaxing, it also provides a calming atmosphere. Over the years, many households collect clutter, which may not be used or forgotten about.
If you’re preparing to do a full house declutter but you’re not sure what to do with all your items, then donating may be the answer. Donations can come in many forms from money to household items. In this article, we’ll provide some tips on how to declutter your home and prepare your items ready for donation.
- Setup Sorting Categories
When decluttering your home there tends to be a lot of different types of items. To make it easy, set up sorting categories to place your items in so when professionals like Easy Donation Pickup come to collect the items, they can easily navigate them into their truck. There’s two ways you can do this:
First Method:
Set up categories based on room type. For example:
- Bedroom: Bedroom items you want to donate can be kept all in the same place. This means when donating if you have a matching set of items, the donation store can pass it on to someone in need who may be looking for the items for the bedroom.
- Kitchen: Kitchen utensils should all be placed together. Pots, pans, knives, forks and other items can be reused after donating. Many people who may have lost their items in a fire or from another natural disaster may appreciate the kitchen donations.
- Loungroom: Living room furniture, pillows, throw rugs, TVs and other items can provide a nice living room set. As long as the quality of the items is good, then someone in need will appreciate it.
Second Method:
Set up categories in item type. For examples:
- Furniture: All furniture should be placed in this pile ready for donation no matter what room it is.
- Kitchenware: All utensils and cookware are suitable for this pile.
- Appliances: All appliances can be placed here from kitchen appliances to TVs, gadgets, electronics and more.
- Entertainment: Entertainment items may be books, magazines, DVDs, toys and other items which you or your family may have had fun with.
- Clothing: Clothing can be sorted into size and gender to make it easier for the donation store to organize.
These are just two of the ways you can set up your piles ready for sorting.
- Assess The Condition of the Items
Next is to assess the condition of the items you want to donate. Some rules around whether to donate the item or not includes:
- Whether the items are clean from dirt, mold, dust, stains and odor.
- Whether the appliances and furniture are in functionable order. Do they work, and are there any broken parts?
- Are all parts available for furniture which has been dismantled? Does it have all the screws needed for the next person to put it all back together?
If the items are broken or it’s something you wouldn’t use in your home due to the look or smell, then it’s best to throw it away instead of donating.
- Label Items for Donation
Labeling your items is very important, especially those in boxes or bags. Some things to remember when labeling includes:
- Mark any items that are breakable as ‘fragile’ on the box and place an arrow upwards to show which way the box should sit.
- Add what the items are and the room they’re from.
- If something has special instructions for use, make sure to include a detailed label on how to use something to help the next person.
Labeling everything will help when the donation truck will come in to pick up your items or it’ll help you understand what you’re dropping off so nothing gets broken.
Endnote
With over 70,000 organizations managing to reach between $1 million to $4 million in donations per year, the need to help others is definitely there. When it comes to donating your household items, it’s important to prepare them ready to make the transition easier. By sorting, assessing their condition and labeling the items you’ll be able to create space in your home in no time while also giving back to the community in need.
