One way to clear out the clutter you’ve accumulated over the years is to pack everything up and take it to your local charity. You’re not only making more room in your living or workspace, but you’re doing a good deed.
Do you have items to donate or simply trash?
It also doesn’t hurt that if your item is big, such as a dresser or a couch, they might even pick it up for you.
Unfortunately, many of the items you’re thinking of donating won’t be accepted by many charities. And if you dropped it off, it’s not only not benefiting them, but leaves them with the problem of now disposing of those items.
Many charities are now very careful about what they accept, no matter if they’re selling the items or passing it on to the people they serve.
Here are some circumstances under which they don’t want what you have.
They don’t like trash
Some people think that charities and the people they serve will take anything. That is not the case. In the past, they might have been more willing to take items that were damaged, but with the rise in donations they can be more careful about what they accept.
Boxing up a bunch of broken toys and dropping it off only leaves them with more trash to get rid of. Be selective about what you plan to donate. Is it simply something you or a family member no longer uses, but which is still in good condition? That will work. If it’s because they can no longer use it, then pitch it.
Anything from a home where pets lived
There is nothing wrong with having a pet. Many of us have one. But if the items you take in have pet hair on them, the charities won’t be interested. The same if the items has chew marks or scratches from your pet.
Anything from the home of a smoker
The problem with cigarette smoke, in addition to being unhealthy, is that it gets into everything. If you’re a smoker you might not notice that your nice-looking couch smells like an ashtray. If you’re not a smoker you’ve noticed the smell right away and no matter what you did it won’t come out.
People who are looking to buy items at a Goodwill or Salvation Army won’t want to purchase items that will only smell up the room. The same goes for people who are in need and receiving items donated. They’re trying to improve their quality of life and bringing something in their home that smells, even if needed, won’t do that.
IKEA Furniture
Don’t worry, we’re not saying IKEA furniture doesn’t look good. Often times it does.
The problem is that most IKEA furniture is made with particleboard.
Particleboard isn’t durable, and you can’t make repairs to furniture made from it. You can’t sand out those scratches and nicks as you could with something made of all wood.
Most charities aren’t looking for items made of flimsy material such as particleboard no matter how nice it looks. It’s simply not designed to last.
Items That Need Repair
Your old dresser might still be in pretty good shape except for those chips and scratches. All it would take is for the charity to sand it down a little and put on a fresh coat of paint or stain.
That’s not the case. They’re not looking for items they have to refurbish or clean up. They don’t have the staffing for it.
If you have the time and think the finished product will look good, then do the work yourself before taking it to your charity. Then decide if it would be good enough for your friends to see at your house. If not, then don’t make the trip.
The same applies to any electrical product. If it doesn’t work, but could be repaired, it’s still not something they’re interested in.
Items Not Fully Assembled
Just as items that need to be repaired won’t be accepted, they also don’t want items that require assembly. Their workers are busy enough without having to set down with a set of instructions and tools for an afternoon to assemble something.
Again, if you think the item would have value to someone, then take the time to put it together before taking it in.
Mattresses and Box Springs
Most charities aren’t looking for items that have been slept on. No matter how clean you think they might be, there’s no way of the charity knowing that. So cross this off your list right away.
That goes for sleeper sofas as well.
Appliances and Certain TV’s
Most charities won’t accept many appliances such as a refrigerator or an old washing machine. Goodwill for example, won’t accept any large appliances, including air conditioners, water heaters, and freezers.
If you’re upgrading to a new larger-sized flat screen tv then they will take your old one. If that old tv is the old CRT televisions with the large cabinets and tubes inside they won’t accept that.
Charities and COVID-19
For a while many charities were closed or weren’t taking new items. This has mostly changed. Still you should call your local charity before dropping items off. This way you can find out if there are any additional restrictions or precautions to take.
What to Do With Those Items, Charities Won’t Accept
Now that you know many of the items you have won’t benefit your local charity you might be wondering what to do with everything. After all, they are still taking up space in your home or business.
We take only usable items to local charities
You could schedule a special pickup with your city if it’s not a lot of items. Then you just have to make sure everything is out on the sidewalk the night before and properly bagged or tied up in necessary.
Maybe you have items the city won’t take or more than they’ll take at one time. You could consider loading it up into a vehicle and hauling it to the local landfill. That’s if you have a vehicle you can use and don’t mind spending an afternoon getting the job done.
A third option is to hire a Junk removal company to come in and take everything away.
This is especially nice if you have large items such as a mattress or a sleeper sofa to get rid of. You don’t have to worry about injuring your back or nicking the walls as you carry it out. A trained junk removal company will only need you to point out the items to be removed and they’ll take it from there. They have the manpower and experience to get it out without any issues.
If you live in Northern Virginia, Washington DC, or Montgomery and Prince George County’s in Maryland, then contact Nova Junk.
We’ll not only haul away everything, but we’ll inspect it as we do. We work with a number of local charities and know what they’re looking for. If some of your stuff would still have some value to them, we’ll take it there ourselves.
Call us today at (877) 211-6682 for a free, no-obligation quote.
