For some of us, de-cluttering isn’t just about parting with what we no longer want or need. Sometimes it just boils down to not knowing what you are supposed to do with all that stuff!
Large Appliances and Furniture:
Goodwill (www.goodwill.org) and The Salvation Army (www.salvationarmy.com) can come to your home to pick up unwanted large items. The Salvation Army even offers you the option to schedule a pick up online. They will even pick up unwanted vehicles! Drop offs should only be made during business hours. Do not leave donations unattended during non-business hours.
If you're willing to deliver the goods yourself local churches, synagogues, homeless shelters, schools, senior centers, and theater companies (think props!) may want your old artwork, books, CDs, videos, computers, furniture, rugs, and kitchenware.
The National Furniture Bank Association (www.thenfba.org) routes your donated furniture, and sometimes kitchenware, to the Partnership for the Homeless and other nonprofits that help people set up households. Donors pay for removal.
The Donation Center at www.geappliances.com lists national charities willing to cart away old models, free of charge, as long as they're in working order
Computers and Books:
The World Computer Exchange (www.worldcomputerexchange.org), Computers 4 Kids (www.c4k.org), Computers for Schools (www.pcsforschools.org), and The National Cristina Foundation (www.cristina.org) will take your old hardware, refurbish it, and distribute it to economically disadvantaged youths in the United States and around the world.
The Global Literacy Project INC. (www.glpinc.org), Darien Book Aid (www.dba.darien.org), and the International Book Project (www.intlbookproject.org) send books to libraries, schools, prisons, hospitals, and communities to promote literacy. Check each website for guidelines. Donors pay for shipping.
Other Options:
If you still aren’t sure where you would like to donate your unwanted items you can also type your area code at www.inkindex.com, a free Internet matching service, and a list of goods requested by local nonprofits pops up. If you have what they need, you contact them and arrange to drop it off or have them pick it up.
Tax Deductions:
Don’t forget to keep track of your donations for tax purposes! To better understand the value of your items you can check out the Salvation Army value guide (http://www.satruck.org/donation-value-guide). You should also check out the following site for further information. http://charitydeductions.com.
Now that you have given back to those in need, sit back and enjoy the fresh new space you have created in your home...plus the extra cash you'll see in your refund check this year!