Tips for Cleaning Out Your Closet & Donating for a Cause!

Happy Thursday everyone!

I recently moved back home after my college graduation. One of the biggest tasks that I wanted to get done when I got home was to clean out my closet. This week, I’m sharing my tips on how to sort through your clothing and where to donate them! 🌞

May is National Foster Care month and to show support, I’ll be discussing how second-hand donations can enhance the lives of children & youth in foster care. Everyone has the opportunity to give back and support those in need. Many organizations will take your gently used or new clothing and give them to those in foster care.

Also, if you haven’t started your spring cleaning, this would be a great time to do so and clean out your closet! Put on some good music and get to sorting! 🙂  Let’s get into my steps on cleaning out your closet!

Step 1 : Start by sorting your clothes into categories; tops, shorts, jeans, sweaters, sweatshirts, etc. I started by putting each pile in a different part of my room.

Step 2 : Go through each pile, dividing them into three new categories; keep, maybe/unsure, and donate. The items in the ‘keep’ pile should be items that you know you’ve worn within the past few weeks or are staple pieces worn for special occasions. The ‘maybe/unsure’ pile should be items that you can remember wearing within the past few months or ones that you are unsure if they still fit. Lastly, the ‘donate’ pile is items that you know you haven’t worn in a while or know you’ve grown out of. It’s as simple as that!

Step 3 : Make sure to try on pieces in your maybe/unsure pile because you don’t want to keep items that might not actually fit or if you’re keeping in your closet “just in case”. I have a bad habit of keeping items that I think I might wear in the future, and then they end up sitting there for months and months.

Step 4 : Collect all of your donations and put them in as many bags as necessary! Bring them to your local donation site; The Salvation Army, Savers, Goodwill.

After sorting through piles of clothes, I went to the Salvation Army to donate! I collected about 2-3 trash bags full of clothing that were in great condition for donation. I felt so relieved to know that my clothes will be put to great use & put a smile on someone else’s face. 

I came across the graphics below from the organic cotton company, Pact and wanted to share them with you. They explain how much water is needed and how much carbon dioxide is generated to produce new clothes, and how beneficial organic cotton can be for farmers, the environment, and the consumer. There’s also a cheat guide to how eco-friendly each fabric is and why fair trade is important for farmers and factory workers! It’s essential for others to learn about what goes into making new products and how second-hand donations can really make a difference. Just remember, we all have a responsibility to protect and nurture our earth.

Let’s do our part to help others, while helping our planet! 🌎

Thanks for reading!

Stay rad,

Caroline Abigail