There are some things that you don't want in your closet or in your home that charities don't want either. Before you donate your old socks with the holes in them, consider whether you'd give these items to your family or friends. Regardless of people being homeless or poor, they want nice items as well. They also want items that work. Clean up and shape up your donations before you pass them on.
Instructions
1. Hammer in any loose nails before donating furniture. You may want a new queen-sized bed while your twin-sized bed reminds you too much of your college days, but a shelter cannot make use of your bed if there are loose nails or a shaky headboard. While it may seem strange to you to donate bookshelves or desks, these items can be used in shelter locations where volunteers or employees have minimal space to work. There are also facilities that help homeless or poor people use computers to find jobs or learn computer software. They need desks and bookshelves for reference material just like any other office. Nevertheless, some charity organizations require big furniture items to be taken apart, such as desks; beds; dressers and shelves, so make sure these items are in good enough shape to be put back together once they leave your home. If there are missing nails before the pick-up guys leave your front door, chances are they'll toss it instead of trying to find the missing supplies.
2. Sew missing buttons, rips and holes before donating clothes. Shelters can find enough damaged clothing right on the people who come in and out of the locations. They don't need more to add to the collection. If you have a perfectly good shirt that just needs a couple of buttons replaced, take that extra effort to fix it. This may make you want the shirt again, but remember there's a greater cause.
3. Fold clothes in the bags before sending them to shelters, churches or other donation centers. It's not that people who need clothes won't wear them wrinkled, but would you want to put on something rolled up so many times in a garbage bag that it looks like someone used a crinkling iron to style it? By folding clothes, you can also put more items in the bags.
4. Wash and dry clothes before donating them to another person. Not only is it unsanitary to give someone a clothing item that you didn't wash first, it is offensive to ask someone to touch or wear your dirty laundry. There are many locations that frown upon used underwear and bras. Retail stores sell bras at reasonable rates, and even more high end stores have seasonal sales to buy underwear specials. Take advantage of those if you want to donate undergarments. But regardless of what you donate, clean it first. Your attitude may be that it's going on a not-so-clean body, which is not always true, but every person is entitled to sanitary items.
5. Give an assortment of unopened sanitary items that you may not otherwise think about. In the female prison system, items that are heavily needed are sanitary napkins, tampons, pantiliners and douches. This is just as true in the homeless community. Women have a full store aisle for a reason, and regardless of this person's past, she should be able to take care of her body. If you have sanitary items in your home that you no longer use or don't prefer, don't throw them out. If you prefer plastic applicators over cardboard applicators, consider donating them to homeless facilities. Imagine how ashamed a woman may be to have to ask random strangers for sanitary items during her visiting days of the month. The boxes say not to purchase sanitary items if they've been opened, so be careful about the packaging that these items are put in if the boxes or bags are already open.
6. Vacuum and wash the windows of a car you're donating. You may not have the income to put brand new tires on a car that probably won't last another charity more than a few thousand miles or maybe you don't think replacing the broken air conditioner is a priority, but at least make sure the car is clean. Your average cleaning supply car store aisle can take care of the maintenance of a car. Window cleaner for windshields; car vacuum for the floors; picking up trash from underneath the seat and in the coffee tray; and emptying the ashes from the ashtray go a long way. It is also adds value to the car for your tax write-off.
Tags: sanitary items, these items, before donating, items that, your home, donating them, home that
