How to Donate Gently Used Clothing

Gather Gently Used Clothing to Donate

• 1

  Sort through the clothes in your closets and dressers to choose gently used clothing to donate. Pick clothing that you won't miss. Good candidates for donation include clothing that has not been worn for a year or more and clothing that children have outgrown.

• 2

  Inspect the gently used clothing before donating it. Check clothing for stains, tears and damage that makes the item unwearable. If it is too damaged for you to wear, then it's not appropriate to donate.

• 3

  Clean or repair clothing items that are in otherwise good condition. If a clothing item needs a minor repair or a stain could be easily removed, then do the necessary work to make the item a good candidate for donation.

• 4

  Place the gently used clothing in clean garbage bags, making a list of each item as your go with paper and pencil. Securely close the top of each bag.

Donate the Gently Used Clothing Items

• 5

  Take the bags of gently used clothing to a donation center. Consider donating the clothing to The Salvation Army, Goodwill or a local church-sponsored thrift store.

• 6

  For tax purposes, get a donation receipt from the receiving organization. Check to make sure the receipt contains the name of the organization, the date, the location and a description of the clothing items donated. Use a Donated Items Value Guide, available from either Goodwill or The Salvation Army, to determine the value of the items donated.

• 7

  Put the donation receipt with your tax records. Your tax preparer will help you determine if you can deduct the value of your gently used clothing donation.