Do Good: Declutter and Donate to Goodwill

Nobody likes clutter, but if you’re like most people, you’re probably holding onto plenty of clothing and household items that you no longer use or need. If your ” stuff” is overtaking your closet or home, it’s a great time to donate to Ohio Valley Goodwill! The key to getting ““ and staying ““ organized is by clearing out your closets, home, and garage of anything you don’t need on a regular basis. But how do you decide what goes and what stays? Here are a few helpful tips to follow as you declutter and donate:

Donations box

Collect and review your donations

Letting go of clothing or other household items can be hard, especially if you have accumulated years of excess stuff. If you’re unsure about whether or not you want to keep an item, ask yourself these questions:

• When is the last time I used the item? If it’s been more than a year since you used an item or wore a piece of clothing, it’s time to donate it!

• Would I miss it if I didn’t see it in my closet? If you wouldn’t notice an item’s absence, you probably don’t use it as much as you think you do.

• How many of this type of item do I already have? Do you have more t-shirts than your drawers can hold? Is your bookshelf overflowing? Donating to Goodwill on a regular basis will help you stay organized and prevent you from accumulating too many duplicates.

• Would this make someone else happier than it makes me? This is one of the most important questions to consider. Imagine how your excess clothing or household goods can help someone in need and make a difference in their lives. If you think it might be put to better use by someone else, you should donate it!

Check the donation guidelines

At Ohio Valley Goodwill, we accept most household items and clothing, but there are a few things we cannot accept for health or safety reasons. In general, make sure your items are clean, in working condition, and are free from stains or rips to guarantee they make the most impact. We even accept car donations for our Goodwill Auto Auction, whether or not the vehicle is in working condition! Before you drop off your donations, take a look at our donation guidelines page to be sure we can accept your items. This way, you can be sure your contributions are doing the most good in your community!

Rack of clothing

Donate!

Ohio Valley Goodwill makes the donation process easy and convenient for you! Simply drop off your donations at your nearest Ohio Valley Goodwill attended donation center and we’ll handle the rest! When you drop off your donations at Goodwill, you can ask for a receipt from the donation attendant. If you choose to itemize deductions on your taxes, you can use this receipt to claim a tax deduction for donated clothing and household items that are in good condition.

How your donations help

When you choose to donate to Ohio Valley Goodwill, you’re making a difference in the lives of individuals living in your community! Your donations are collected and resold at affordable prices in our retail stores, where they’ll be purchased by someone who can put them to good use. After someone buys your item, we use the money generated from the sale of donated goods to help fund our skills training and job placement services for individuals with disabilities and homeless veterans.

When you donate to Goodwill, you can be confident that the value of your gently-used items will be maximized as much as possible! In 2017, Goodwill stores collectively used 87 percent of the revenue generated to support and grow programs and services that benefit people in need of work.

Do you have clothing or household items you want to donate to Ohio Valley Goodwill? Use our online locator to find the attended donation center nearest you. Do you have large items to donate? We offer fee-based donation pickup services through our local hauling partner, College Hunks Hauling Junk. Learn more here.