Winter can be a harsh reality for those who don’t have the comforts that we take for granted. We must not forget that there are people who need our help to weather these cold months.

So, why not spread some winter cheer by giving away those clothes that you don’t wear anymore?

Read the following steps to know how to donate clothes.

Step 1: Make the choice

Open your wardrobe and have a hard look. There must be pieces of clothing in the closet that you like but don’t wear. Pick out clothes that are still fit to wear, something you wouldn’t mind giving to your family members. Avoid donating clothes that are torn, stained or are faded. Remember that the idea is to bring a smile to someone’s face.

Step 2: Recycle/Upcycle mutilated clothes

Just because a few clothes have a tear here and there doesn’t mean you need to toss them in the bin. It is imperative for us to remember that even for the smallest pieces of clothing, litres of water is consumed in the manufacturing process. Organisations like SWaCH not only collect clothes to be donated, but they also recycle clothes. Then there are ways you can upcycle your old clothes. Why not use some old jeans to make coasters or your old flannel shirts into interesting scarves. Check out a few DIY ideas here.

Step 3: Wash your clothes

Many organisations that you donate to, usually wash the clothes that they receive. However, some help from your side in terms of sorting and cleaning the donated clothes will always be welcomed. Reduce their efforts by washing and neatly folding your clothes when you donate them.

Step 4: Donate according to season

Season is an important point to keep in mind when donating. For example, you can make sure you donate blankets, sweaters and other warm clothing during winters. Similarly, in summers, pick out light comfortable clothing made from natural fabrics like cotton.

Step 5: Choose the charity

This is the step where you must go online and do some research on which charity you would like to donate your clothes to. You could choose an NGO whose causes align with your values.

But, make sure these are legitimate organisations like Goonj that has been working on clothes donations for quite some time. Also, keep in mind that there are some organisations where you can schedule pickups while in case of some, you’d have to drop in the clothes yourself.

Step 6: Organisations in your city

To make things easier, we are sharing a list of organisations in 10 cities across the country. For other details, click here.

Whenever people ask me about clothes donation, I always advise that the clothes should not be too old or shabby. This helps us save time during the sorting process since we are usually short of volunteers. Most of these charities accepting clothes also accept textbooks, utensils etc. So, before donating, it’s good to confirm this.”

So, now that you know how to go about donating clothes, get to it already and spread some holiday cheer!

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