Donating Furniture and Clothes Free Pickup
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What You Need to Know About Donating Furniture and Clothes
Are you looking to find where to donate furniture or clothing? Did you know some companies do furniture donation pick-ups? Well, it’s true.
There are nonprofit organizations that offer free pickup of your charitable donations. Free furniture pick up sounds great, doesn’t it!
Furniture donations are commonplace for quite a few people. We’ll be taking an in-depth look at the companies that do donation furniture pick-ups.
Your move is going to be a significant change – one that brings new challenges and new rewards. One of the nice things about moving is that it allows you to make a fresh start.
Donating the things that you no longer want or need is an excellent way to clear out some space in your closet, your storage unit, and your life.
Getting rid of unwanted items can feel very liberating.
But how do you begin? And how do you find companies to take your furniture donations? Is there one local charity that is better than another?
The answer to those questions and others will be covered here.
In the past, I’ve covered organizations that do donation pickup for most things in your home for free. It’s a wonderful way to get your home de-cluttered before putting it on the market for sale.
Ask any real estate agent, and they will surely tell you homes that are spacious and bright sell for more money.
Getting rid of unnecessary furniture and other household goods is an excellent home selling strategy. The further away your home looks like a hoarder house, the better.
Real Estate agents love it when their clients listen to the advice for getting their house ready to sell.
You Get Tax Deductions With Furniture Donation
Not only that, but you can take a tax deduction for donating to a charity. Nerd Wallet has an excellent resource on what you need to know about tax deductions. Make sure you get your tax receipt.
Some of these same charities will specifically pick up furniture and clothing. Let’s take a look at what you need to know about these specific kinds of donations.
Once you are done reading, you’ll be able to choose from the list of organizations that will pick up furniture donations for free.
Furniture Donation Companies to Be Reviewed
These are the companies we shall be reviewing for furniture donation pick up.
- The Salvation Army
- Goodwill
- Habitat For Humanity
- AMVETS
- Furniture Banks
- The National Furniture Bank Association of America
- Donation Town
Furniture Donation Pick Up Helps You Get Rid of What You Don’t Need
Depending on your personality, the thought of clearing out your old things could fill you with hope, dread, or something in between.
If you feel hesitant, keep in mind that clearing out the clutter in your life is often a good thing. You are moving to a new home, and there are multiple benefits to be had if you make the process of clearing out what you don’t need seriously, including:
You Have to Move Less
Moving is not an easy task. Depending on your circumstances, you could be looking at days or weeks of work and high financial costs. Every item you get rid of before you move is an item you don’t have to pack, load onto a moving truck, and unpack.
The gains in efficiency and lowering of moving costs can stack up quickly. Donated furniture cleared out of your home will make your move easier. Once you move into your new place, you can replace it with new furniture.
You Make Room in Your New Home
Space is beautiful to have. It can be restful to live in a home free of clutter. It can be calming to limit the number of items you have to sort through and consider every day before getting ready for work or coming home from a long day.
Space is also something you can fill with things that make sense for you now – not things you’ve been carrying around for years or decades. Donation pickups allow you to get rid of a variety of items while helping families in need.
You Help Others With Furniture Donations
Just because you don’t like your old sweaters or the couch you inherited from your mom doesn’t mean others won’t love these things.
When you donate your gently used furniture to charities, they can turn around and use those things to better others’ lives by giving them the items they need or selling them to fund support projects.
This is one of the most rewarding factors associated with donating a piece of furniture. Just think about someone who has no furniture setting it up in the place they live. That’s an awesome feeling!
Many of these charities have local chapters that will help those nearby. They may also provide a bed frame or other pieces of furniture to a nearby homeless shelter.
Choosing Furniture to Donate is Easier Than You Think
You can find all sorts of advice for the process of clearing out your clutter through a simple internet search. While there are different approaches to the problem, most of what you find will be useful and helpful if you apply it.
The key is to actually take action, whatever steps you happen to find that appeal to you. Some common advice that can get you started includes:
Create Categories and Spaces to Put Things in Those Categories
For example, you could grab boxes and label them “Donate,” “Gift,” “Trash,” “Sell.” As you go through each piece of clothing in your closet or consider the furniture you don’t use, you can put it into one of these categories. (If you are in a hurry sticking to “Donate” and “Trash” would be simplest.)
Set a Timer and Focus Exclusively on The Sorting Process
You could start as small as 5 minutes if you are feeling overwhelmed. A 30-minute timer would help you make significant progress but still be short enough not to be intimidating.
Take The Final Steps to Complete Each Goal You Set
Once everything is sorted, don’t waste time and let it sit around, still taking up space. Pack up the donations, donate them, and get the trash to the garbage can or dump if necessary.
If you have a significant amount of junk and don’t have the time to move it yourself, you might want to consider a company like 1-800-got-junk that will come to your home and take what you don’t want away.
1-800-got-junk is the leader in junk removal and a very well-known company. You might, however, find a better deal from a local company. If you decide to go that route, make sure you check their references.
VIDEO: Help Someone in Need By Donating Furniture, Clothes.
Watch this quick video on why donating can be so beneficial and rewarding!
There Are Some Furniture and Clothing Items You Can’t Donate
There are some rules about what you can and cannot donate when it comes to clothing and furniture.
Rules can vary by donation center, but some general guidelines you should keep in mind include:
Donations Should Be Gently Used
They don’t expect your donations to be brand new, but they also need them to be in good enough condition to give to those in need or sell in their retail stores.
If your furniture is shredded or your clothing is missing sleeves or has giant holes in it, they will just have to throw the donations away – a waste of their time and yours.
When donating clothes, make sure you look them over carefully for obvious blemishes.
If you have ever visited a thrift shop in your local area, think about the acceptable items you have seen on display. Without a doubt, they are all usable.
Donations Should Be Clean
Most charities are quite limited in their funds and resources, so they would prefer it to deliver your gifts in decent condition.
Severely stained or soiled furniture and clothing may be too difficult for them to clean and have to be tossed.
You should wipe off the furniture at home and run the clothing through the wash if needed before taking it over.
When donating furniture, it is essential to look it over for any obvious repairs to help the charity repair before delivery.
They May Not Accept Certain Types of Items
The best example of such prohibitions is mattresses and box springs. Most charities will not accept used mattresses or box springs.
If you show up with such items, they will turn you away, and if you leave them at the donation center, they will have to pay to have them disposed of. Before setting up the pick-up service, make sure you ask what they will not take.
Furniture Donations Near Me
There are lots of folks who want to know who will pick up furniture donations nearby. Free furniture pickup can make your life far easier.
When you are looking to make furniture donations, there are a few methods to try. The first will be asking friends and family if they have had any experiences of where to donate. If they don’t have any solid suggestions, you can turn to Google for help.
Take out your phone, computer, or laptop and search for one of the following furniture donations near me, donate furniture near me or furniture donation near me. What you are bound to see are some of the companies we’ll be reviewing below. You are also bound to see some smaller local charities as well. Do your homework. Make a few calls, and you’re bound to come up with a few options.
A word to the wise – making a furniture donation has been much harder during the Covid-19 pandemic. There are far fewer companies that have been willing to pick up donations.
You can also try donation centers near me if you strikeout. While it won’t be as convenient as them coming to your home, you’ll still be able to make a donation and help someone in need.
What Companies Does Furniture Donation Pick Up?
Here are the charities where you can donate your furniture. These companies will do furniture donation pick-ups as well.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army operates numerous Adult Rehabilitation Centers throughout the country to help those struggling with substance use disorders and other services that help those in need.
When you donate your furniture to the Salvation Army, they will sell it in their family stores. They use the profits from your donated furniture to fund their rehab centers and other charity services supported by the organization.
You can either drop off your furniture at one of their locations or schedule a pickup for the furniture online. The Salvation Army is one of the most well-known charities in the country that picks up clothes and furniture.
The Salvation Army is certainly a leader in the furniture donation pick-up industry. They will be an excellent choice.
Keep in mind that the Salvation Army will not pick up some things, including large television sets and stereo systems. To find a Salvation Army nearby, do a Google search for Salvation Army near me. You can also reach the Salvation Army by phone. Their phone number is 1-800-728-7825.
Goodwill
Goodwill focuses its efforts on providing employment opportunities and job training for those in need. When you donate to Goodwill, they sell it in one of their numerous stores and use those profits to fund their programs. It also applies the money to job placement services for those in need.
Some Goodwill locations take furniture donations, and some don’t. You may be able to get them to schedule a donation pickup for your furniture, depending on the location you contact.
Just give them a call and see what they can do to help. Goodwill is located in many states and is an excellent company to work with if they take your furniture.
When thinking about furniture donations, Goodwill is one of the most recognizable charities in the industry. Goodwill will also not take certain items, including mattresses and box springs. They will also unlikely pick up large or bulky furniture donations.
If you would rather take your household items directly to one of the Goodwill stores, you can search their nearby locations by Goodwill near me. It is usually fairly easy to find a local store. You can also reach Goodwill at their contact page.
Habitat For Humanity
While Habitat for Humanity is well known for its work in creating and providing affordable housing for the needy, they also make furniture donations.
The furniture pickup is done by an entity known as Habitat Restore, which offers pickup of furniture donations and other large items, including appliances, building materials, and more.
Donating furniture helps Habitat for Humanity by bringing it back to the Habitat Restore, where it can be sold to someone in the area who can use it. The sale proceeds will help The Habitat ensure a good place for people to live in the local community and around the world.
A Humanity ReStore
Most Habitat For Humanity locations will accept the following furniture. Double-check locally to be sure.
- Sofas
- Dining room tables
- Chairs
- Bed frames
- Dressers
- End tables
- Coffee tables
- Entertainment centers
- Filing cabinets
- Bookshelves
- Cribs
- Collectables
- TVs
- Housewares
AMVETS
American Veterans of AMVETS, for short, assists veterans who have served or are serving in the military. Like the other charities we have mentioned already, AMVETS will pick up your furniture donations.
It will be appropriate to give the local AMVETS a call to see how they are handling donations for larger furniture items. A nice bonus with AMVETS is that they will take large flat-screen televisions, exercise equipment, and computers.
For smaller items such as lamps, small appliances, and other electronics, you can pack them up in appropriate moving boxes and leave them outside your front door.
By donating with AMVETS, they will sell your items to thrift stores to generate money for its Veterans programs. They will also take your clothing to the local thrift store as well.
You can visit the AMVETS website here to schedule your donation pick-up. You may also do an online search for AMVETS near me to deliver your donations.
If you specifically want to help out a veteran in need, you might also want to try Pickup Please, another charitable organization dedicated to helping veterans. Pickup Please specializes in picking up clothing and other household items. Donating good with them will help those vets who fight every day for our country.
Furniture Banks
Furniture Banks are located in 34 different states, making them an ideal choice for furniture donations.
One of the fantastic things about donating furniture with Furniture Banks is that they help the unemployed, women, and children who have been abused, immigrants, the unemployed, and those previously homeless.
Furniture donation pickup is also available with them. When you donate your unwanted furniture to the company, they will put your donations right into the hands of those who need it most. They take all types of furniture.
It is one of the best ways of helping those who have low income furnish their home.
Unlike some other charities, Furniture Banks will also accept cars or other vehicles even when they are in poor condition. They offer free donation pickup for these items too.
If the car needs to be towed, they will do that as well. They are one of the few who will accept a car donation.
You can visit their website to find a location near you and call to arrange a free furniture donation pick-up. It will be as easy as requesting your pickup time.
The Furniture Bank Network prevents thousands of pounds of small and large furniture from being sent to landfills every year. The furniture is instead given to those who really could use a hand. Given a second life, the furniture ends up where it can really help.
The National Furniture Bank Association of North America
FBANA offers you a way to connect with smaller organizations in your area that may need a furniture donation. They provide a database of all the places in your area that accept donations and help you decide which you want to choose.
You can find stats on each of the charities on the FBANA website and contact information to finalize your donation. Use the website link to find companies in your area that will pick up furniture donations for you.
Donation Town
Donation town is another resource for those who are looking to donate furniture in good condition. The company was founded in 2008. It is an online directory of local organizations that will do free pick up of things you no longer need or want.
Donation Town does clothing and furniture donation pick-ups, along with household items. The company works hard toward helping charities get more donations.
Donation Town’s free service makes it super simple to connect with the non-profit organization of your choice. By donating old furniture through Donation town, you can be assured it will be going to a great cause.
All of the above charities are outstanding nonprofit organizations,
Where Can You Donate Used Clothes?
Below are the charities where you can donate clothes. They all have national programs in place. These companies will do clothing donation pick-up too. When you’re moving is a great time to donate clothing.
Goodwill
Clothing is one of the biggest categories of donations for the Goodwill organization. Everyone knows you can go to Goodwill to find some inexpensive used clothing and support a good cause in the process.
Your charitable donations will be sorted and displayed in one of their stores for sale. All of the profits from your donations’ sales go towards their organization, including providing job training and job placement services.
Use this excellent resource that has donation guidelines for Goodwill. It provides all the information on acceptable donations.
As mentioned previously, Goodwill offers a pick-up service.
The Salvation Army
Clothing donations are another major type of donation for the Salvation Army as well. They will take your clothes to reuse and sell them in their stores to fund their various charity operations, including drug rehabilitation, domestic abuse, and disaster relief.
Here is a handy tool you can use to find The Salvation Army donation locations nearest you. Just plug in your zip code and go.
The Salvation Army will do free pick up.
Vietnam Veterans of America
The Vietnam Veterans of America organization works to support the veterans of every U.S. war and their families.
They make it very easy to donate because they will actually come and pick up your donations at your home as long as you put them in boxes labeled for donation.
See information on how to donate clothes to the VVA.
Project G.L.A.M.
This organization has a more focused goal than some of the larger charities out there. They accept donations of formal dresses for girls in need.
They take any formal dresses you may no longer want or need and provide them to girls in disadvantaged communities so they can enjoy special events in style. Donating to them is a great way to help out a less fortunate kid in the clothing department.
Unfortunately, Project G.L.A.M has been canceled for 2020 due to the Corona Virus outbreak. Regular clothing donations will resume for the 2021 calendar year.
Busy? Consider Scheduling a Donation Pick Up
If you are moving, you probably have a lot on your plate right now. It might be all you can do to sort through your things to decide what to keep and what to give away. Making a trip or multiple trips to the donation center might be more than you can handle.
Fortunately, many of these organizations will help you out when you need a pickup. You can go on their websites or give them a call to determine if they offer donation pickup services and schedule one for your donations.
Just remember that not every organization is equipped to do donation pickups, and even if they are equipped to pick up your furniture or clothing donations, they may need to do it sometime in the future. So, try to be patient with them as you manage the logistics of the pick-up service.
Other Moving Resources to Help With Your Relocation
Have a look at a few additional moving resources that are full of great advice.
- How to pack your home when moving – get some helpful tips on making your packing far more efficient. Use the advice to ensure your move will go that much smoother.
- Tips for picking a storage unit – see some of the best advice on how to go about choosing a storage facility that will best serve your needs.
- What should I tip a moving company – one of the things many people forget about when trying to figure out moving expenses is a moving tip. If the movers do an excellent job, you should plan on giving them an appropriate gratuity. Use the information found at Maximum Real Estate Exposure to guide when to tip and how much.
- How to organize your things for storage – discover some of the best tips for getting your possessions to be placed into storage.
Final Thoughts on Where You Can Donate Furniture and Clothes
Donating furniture, clothes, and other things around your home can kill two birds with one stone. Not only will you be making your home feel far more spacious and uncluttered before selling, but you’ll also be helping others in need.
Remember, if you have no luck with furniture donation pick-up due to Covid-19, you can still drive to a local donation center near your home. Free donation pick-up has been much more challenging during the pandemic. Lastly, don’t forget to get your donation receipt for tax purposes.
Hopefully, you have found this guide on donating furniture and clothes to be helpful.
About the author: The above Real Estate information on where to donate furniture and clothes was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 35+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
Summary
Article Name
Furniture Donation Pick Up: Donating Furniture and Clothes Free Pickup
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See where to donate furniture and clothes when you will be moving. Get tips and advice on what you need to know about donation pick-up.
Author
Bill Gassett
Publisher Name
Maximum Real Estate Exposure
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