Lets face it, most of us is guilty for buying items that you don't necessarily need, clothing or shoes you wear a few times, and house decor you just never loved. The question is, what do you do with this stuff? If you're like me, you'll keep those unused outfits in the back of your closet for years, put decor items in your storage room and slowly see your home get filled with what we think is "junk". As we know, it isn't all junk but it's not useful to us anymore. The question is, what should we do with this stuff. Some people will say "keep it" but if it doesn't serve any purpose to you... GET RID OF IT!!!! There are many ways of doing this and throwing it in the garbage is not the answer!
I've always been on the environmentally friendly side but I can improve in many ways. The one thing that always bothered me is throwing away items that wasn't necessarily garbage. I decided to do some research and find some resources to share with you that can be useful and help us stay organized while getting rid of items in a more environmentally friendly approach.
Lets begin:
What to do with items that actually hold value? Like a vase you bought 2 years ago that's actually beautiful but might not suit your new house?
1) Facebook marketplace: This is actually a great way to sell items. The down fall is you do get contacted by strangers but your able to see their profile. I actually sold all of my husbands old styling chairs on Facebook Marketplace and had a great experience. The accounts that reached out to me that didn't have many followers I was very cautious of and didn't give out any information. Remember, you are dealing with strangers so be on high alert when giving out any personal information. You can even sell lightly worn clothing on here too and it takes only a few minutes to do.
2) VarageSale: This app (or you can use the website) was recommended to me by a friend. I haven't used it personally but it's similar to Facebook Marketplace. Another way to buy and sell safely. You connect through Facebook to get verified and an admin will confirm who you are. From there you are ready to buy and sell!
3) Platos Closet, Once Upon A Child, Play It Again Sports, Music Go Round and Style Encore: These places accept clothing and items that are gently used. If you aren't familiar with how these stores work, they basically give you money for items you bring in (and they are very selective on what they buy) and resell it in their stores. This is your chance to get money for those jeans you bought that were too small, or the high heels that you wore once. Platos Closet and Style Encore accepts Adult size clothing and items, Once Upon A Child sells everything baby and child related and let me tell you I go there a lot! I bought life jackets, traveling hi chairs, a play pen to keep at the cottage and more. They sell clothing, books and toys as well! They get high end stuff too so its worth going! And back to getting organized, since we're actually talking about selling, its a great way to get money for your gently used items and get them rehomed and used again.
Now, what to do with items that don't hold any value but are still in good condition?
1) Drop it off at any Salvation Army or Value Village. You would be surprised with who would kill for those old Lulu lemon pants.
2) If you don't have time to drop off your clothing donations or have way too much to lug around you can call for a free home pick-up service by appointment: • Diabetes Canada 1-800-505-5525 • Kidney Foundation 1-800-414-3484 • OFCP (Cerebral Palsy) 1-877-244-0899
Now this is the most important one of all. What to do with ripped, stained, and old clothing that's not worth anything at all? This one is SOOO important because the answer's NOT throwing it away.
1) Keep an eye out for TEXITLE RECYLING BINS! If you haven't heard of this before, they are donation bins (Blue and white and are actually located in tons of places). They take a wide range of textile! All clothing, ((yes even socks (solo ones too), dresses, jackets, and undergarments), household textiles (blankets, bibs, towels, bed sheets, curtains), accessories (hats, purses, gloves, belts) and shoes! But please make sure they are clean before sending them away! From there, they decide if the articles are worth donating or get recycled. The items getting recycled turns into pillow stuffing, car seat stuffing and insolation. For more information and to find out where the closest donation centre or bin is please google "Textile Recycling" or you can visit this link for more information:
This was a lot longer than I anticipated BUT I hope this post helps! I will be decluttering soon and I know I will be doing all of the above! Thanks so much for reading!
Candice
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