The time has come to go through and clear what has become clutter in your own home. Hopefully, you can give the items more life and someone else the opportunity to have the use of these items. After all one man’s trash is another man’s treasure right? The answer is maybe not. There are some things that donation centers are unable to accept. Here are a few of those items and some ideas.
Mattresses and box springs
Due to the issue of sanitation most donation places are not able to accept mattresses and box springs because they cannot guarantee that they are free from bed bugs, mites, or any other undesirable extras hidden away inside. Thankfully when you purchase a new mattress if you have it delivered the option may be available for them to haul away your old one for you.
Large appliances
Nowadays more often than not when someone is looking to purchase large appliances, they would instead get new products and ensure the use of their purchase for years to come. With cheaper choices available and the option to finance becoming open to more and more consumers donation centers are not as willing to accepting these donations. Other opportunities to purge them from your house are to put it in a garage sale or want ads of your choice. If you are purchasing a new appliance, many large stores will offer to haul away your old ones for you. Something that you may consider for your large appliances is your local scrap metal yard as they usually purchase these types of items for their metal value.
Old, worn, stained or broken items
Needless to say, if an article is any of the above, it is beyond going to a donation center. These are items that just need to go into the recycle or trash bin.
Additional considerations
Things that have been left over from garage sales, items that you received for free or for participation, anything with the potential to grow mold and anything vulgar or offensive are good things to put on the curb instead of the donation pile. Check around to see if any places around you are willing to accept large and/or unwieldy items since some organizations just don’t have the room for these.
To sum it up
Try to make sure that what you are donating isn’t actually a trash item and if you cannot find a donation center that is willing or able to accept what you have to offer then make sure that you follow your city’s ordinances for disposal or recycling. Enjoy your clutter free home with the assurance that you have given a second chance to items that you can and helped give back to your community. Ask your real estate agent to recommend the best donation locations.
I am committed to helping you with your Real Estate needs and I work with a team of agents locally and nationally - so anywhere you have real estate needs, we can help you, and donate to your favorite cause! Some groups my clients have had me donate to are The Humane Society, Smile Train, Wounded Warriors Freedom Station, Second Chance Dog Rescue and Best Friends, to name a few.
For more than 20 years I have volunteered at the Humane Society, doing PFT program (pet facilitated therapy), where I brought puppies to children's hospitals, and Pets with Santa (picture taking with me as Santa, and people would then make a donation). I have also been active with On The Go, a service where I would drive folks who could no longer drive, to doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, etc.
