5 Ways To Make Decluttering Even More Meaningful
Has your home life recently been taken over by the latest trend in decluttering? Move over "The Cleanup Song" there’s a new fan favorite in the house inspiring families to pick up their rooms and purge their clutter. Marie Kondo and her 'Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' has become a household name thanks to her methods of decluttering that seem to be the latest viral sensation.
Dig into those closets, scope out the garage, dive into the cabinets (bathroom, kitchen, anywhere you're able to tuck away junk) and figure out what isn't "sparking joy."
What do you do with all that stuff when you are finally ready to let go? You could haul everything off to a local thrift shop or simply throw it away, but we've discovered that you can do good for your community by donating or reusing items in more effective ways that can serve others.
Check out these 5 ways to make decluttering your home even more meaningful to your local community:
Donate old towels, blankets & sheets to your local shelters: Gather up your backup sheets, blankets & towels you've been saving over the past few (or 15) years. Animal rescue organizations are always in need of these items and your linens and towels will serve the pets long after their lifespan serving the humans in your home. Looking for an animal shelter near you? Find the closest animal shelter to you here.
Give away extra gardening tools & equipment to support green community spaces: Did you declutter the tool shed and realize that you have multiple rakes and shovels that haven't seen the light of day for decades? Consider donating your under-utilized gardening equipment to a local school that's starting a garden or to a community garden share program that is always looking for donations of community-use tools.
Donate food, pantry items & drygoods to help families in need: Sometimes the Spring Cleaning bugs hits us when you open the pantry door looking for a particular ingredient to realize you have none of that specific ingredient but 8 cans of Navy beans. After you re-organize your pantry, share your bounty with a local food pantry or food bank. Food banks always welcome donations of pantry staples and drygoods and would be grateful to receive your items to help the food insecure in your community. Find a local food pantry here.
Give extra toiletries and personal care products to shelters: If you have a cabinet under your bathroom sink, chances are that storage area has become overwhelmed with personal care items. You’ll never use 6 different conditioners at the same time and by the time you get through 2 of the bottles - the rest will be expired and of no use to anyone. What about the free toothbrushes you and your family have collected over years of dentist visits? Donate your collection of toiletries to a domestic abuse shelter so someone in need can use it.
Decluttering Tip: All you "gratis" thieves out there that collect hotel freebies and makeup samples - these make the awesome donations, too!
Your old suits & business attire can find new life in a new closet: We all know where to donate household goods and clothing at our local charity bins or drive up drop-offs. If you 'brought joy' to your closet and found that joy did not include your work clothes from last season or that suit or professional dress that is too small - let your professional attire go somewhere where they can find a new purpose that benefits the community at large. Many Dress for Success programs exist for women to gain economic independence and find professional success. They are always in need of seasonal career-appropriate apparel.
Pro Tip: When donating consumer goods always check expiration dates before donation. Some shelters and food pantries will only accept donations of unused and sealed products that have not expired.
