On average, statistics show that Americans purchase more than one piece of clothing per week. With that many buys, closets can get very full, very quickly. And the truth is, we barely wear any of it. We have our favorites that we rotate through and the rest just stay in the closet, collecting dust. So, how can we put those clothes to good use? Whether it’s the American Red Cross clothing donations or simple recycling methods, there are many ideas for gently used clothing items. Here are a few ideas for how to get rid of clothes without just throwing them in the trash.
Re-purpose and Reuse
If you are any good at sewing or being creative, you could use some of the clothes that you don’t wear to revamp others. For example, if you own a lace shirt that doesn’t fit properly and a button up that doesn’t close over your chest, you could cut along the seam of the button up and sew in strips of the lace shirt to add a little extra material in a stylist way so you at least get one functional shirt out it. Don’t forget to save the leftover lace to put behind holey jeans or add the bottom of skirts that are to short. If you’re feeling brave, you could even use the lace to add sleeves to a sleeveless top. There are many tutorials online that would come in handy for these kinds of projects or you could take some sewing classes. It could turn into a whole new hobby for you!
Donate Clothing
American Red Cross clothing donations will be much appreciative of your items. American Red Cross clothing donations are also looking for gently used clothing items to help their cause. They will even come and pick them up for you to make it more convenient if you need that. Otherwise you can drop them off at their donation center. The nice thing about this is that you can get rid of everything at once rather than having things left over like much of the other ideas will leave you with. Taking advantage of the American Red Cross clothing donations idea will not only give you space in your closet but it will help other people in need and go to a great cause. What could be better than that, really? Plus, you can write it off on your taxes next year if you remember to get a receipt for the items.
Clothes Swap Party
This is a unique one because not a lot of people do it anymore. If you have a few friends that have clothes that they want to get rid of, you can throw what’s called a ‘clothes swap’ party. This is where everyone brings their unwanted, but still in good condition, clothes and either you can throw them all in the middle and let everyone have at it or you can run a more organized party. This would entail someone being the ‘auctioneer’ and showing off each item and have people ‘bid’ on them by asking trivia questions when two or more people want the same item. It’s a fun time as well as allows you to get rid of clothes you’re bored of and maybe acquire some fun new items.
Yard Sale
Of course, you always have the option of having a yard sale, although clothing items don’t always sell very well. People tend to be looking for baby items and household items in yard sales, but you never know, it could work and you could make a little money from it.
You can either combine these ideas or stick to just one. The yard sale, clothes swap and and re-purposing methods will likely leave you with clothes left over so if you want to be rid of all of them, then donating to charity seems to be the smart choice. However, you could even hold a yard sale and then a clothes swap and whatever is left over, donate to charity if you so wish. However you decide to do it, there are plenty of ways to get rid of gently used clothing items. You just have to think outside the box!
