Here’s What You Should Donate vs Trash

This is part of Stewie's Guide to Ruthlessly Declutter Your Clothes Today.

Can I tell you something about myself? I’m a sucker for deals.

A few years ago, I went to a discount clothing store with my wife and spotted jeans in my size for half the price of the ones I usually buy at Walmart.

Now, they were off-brand, but that didn’t matter to me. (I actually go out of my way to avoid wearing brand logos on my clothes.)

I only needed one pair, but they were such a good deal that I bought two.

It’s like that quote from Contact (1997): “First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price.”

But then I got home and put on my new jeans.

The Jeans That Taught Me a Lesson

The zippers were busted! Not just stiff. Not just difficult. Completely non-functional.

On both pairs.

I felt like I’d been scammed.

I yanked an old, worn-out pair of jeans from the hamper and put them on. And I stared at my brand-new, useless ones, trying to figure out what to do.

Do I shove them in my closet? No, let’s not push this decision on to future me. He hates it when I do that.

Do I stuff them into the donation bag? No, someone else will pay a few bucks for these brand-new jeans and then discover they’ve been hoodwinked. Then, they will face the “what should I do with these jeans” dilemma.

Do I write a note explaining the zipper is broken, pin the note to the zipper, and then donate the jeans? No, I imagine the charity shop will remove the note without reading it. Or they will trash the jeans.

Do I find a way to recycle them? No, I don’t know any of any places offhand, and I feel overwhelmed with a demanding day job, family obligations, etc.

Do I find a way to reuse perfectly good denim? No. (I asked my wife if she wanted the jeans to use in a future quilting project, but she said no.)

So I did the only thing that made sense.

I threw them in the trash.

And I made a mental note: Never buy clothes from that store again.

Only Donate What’s Truly Usable

This was, as my wife likes to say, a “learning experience.”

And here’s what I took away from it: Only donate clothes someone else would want.

That means:

Before I donate anything, I ask myself:

  1. Would I buy this (in this condition) from a thrift store?
  2. Would friends or family be happy to receive this as a hand-me-down?

Unless the answer is a clear, enthusiastic YES, then the answer is NO—and that item goes in the trash.

Common Questions

What if I don’t have the time, energy, or money to launder these piles of clothes?

Then don’t.

You are not obligated to wash, mend, or fix clothes you no longer want. It’s okay to throw them away.

This is especially true if you’re getting rid of hundreds of items or if you have to travel to a laundromat just to clean things before donating them.

Remember, the goal is to declutter today. If that means tossing a few trash bags full of clothes, then so be it.

What if my local thrift store recycles clothes they can’t sell?

That’s great! Send everything there.

But—double-check first. Don’t assume they recycle just because you hope they do. Otherwise, you might just be creating more work for them.

What about other recycling options?

I have opinions about clothing recycling, and—spoiler alert—I don’t think it’s worth the effort most of the time.

But since this opinion goes against the norm, I’ve devoted the next chapter to it.

For now, focus on what matters: letting go of what no longer serves you.

Next steps…