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If you’re anything like us, you’ve got the spring cleaning bug right now. The urge to purge your closets and basement of clutter is strong, and you’ll probably consider donating a lot of it to second hand shops. But despite good intentions, there are some things that thrift stores absolutely do not want in their donation bin.
Here are some items you should never donate.
When you’re cleaning out your pantry, you might be tempted to donate canned goods that are slightly past their best-by date, or expiring shortly. But if you don’t want to eat those foods, why do you think they’re appropriate for anyone else? If you want to donate to a food pantry, do the right thing and purchase new cans and packages, or at least only donate ones that still have a few months left before the best-by date.
If you know something is on a safety recall list, don’t donate it and make it someone else’s problem. Depending on the item, it could be dangerous to pass it along to someone who isn’t aware. If you’re unsure, you can check the list of recall and safety notices from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Car seats for children have expiration dates. The materials it's made out of can degrade over time — especially in extreme hot or cold temperatures in a car or garage — so it may not work as well as intended. Plus, advances in technology may make a car seat less effective at preventing injuries compared to a new model.
Many thrift stores and charity shops don’t accept mattresses. That’s because they can be very difficult (if not impossible) to clean thoroughly. They also can bring in bedbug infestations, something that thrift stores try to avoid at all costs. Only if your mattress is in pristine condition should you consider donating it, and then you need to call around to see if anyone will accept it.
Many cleaning products are considered hazardous chemicals and shouldn’t be donated. Most thrift stores won’t take them, along with other household chemicals like pesticides or fertilizer. In many places, there may be legal restrictions on owning or disposing of such chemicals as well.
Remember those giant, extremely heavy TVs? If you’ve got one languishing in the attic, here’s a newsflash: no one wants it. There’s so many small, light televisions floating around now that they’re plenty cheap on the secondhand market, so no one will want your old 25-inch, 60-pound behemoth.
Similarly, there are probably very few people in the market for your ancient speakers or that box of unidentified power cords. Some things may have value to people, like an alarm clock or stereo, but things like your busted small kitchen appliances should just be disposed of safely and properly.
Just in case it needs to be said: Don’t donate used underwear. It’s gross, it’s unhygienic, and employees absolutely do not want to sift through your lingerie drawer to find things of value. Most thrift stores won’t accept it.
If you had a half gallon of extra paint leftover from your latest project, either keep it for touchups or dispose of it properly, because thrift stores aren’t going to accept it. It falls in the hazardous material category of household goods.
Batteries, too, are technically hazardous household items. Old batteries can leak, as we all know from finding a forgotten pack of batteries behind something in the garage. If you want to donate a useful electronic or toy, take the batteries out first.
There’s no shortage of secondhand clothes, so be selective about what you donate from your closet. Anything with holes, lots of stains, or heavy wear and tear should be thrown away or recycled instead of donated. That includes shoes that have holes or worn down soles, and mismatched socks. And unless you’re donating a pair that you got as a gift and never wore, slippers are a pass, too.
Computers with hard drives are tricky to donate because of all the personal information that could potentially be stored on them. But other things have personal information, too, like notebooks, old diaries, appointment books, calendars, planners, and anything you might have written important things down in.
Did your basement have a minor flood? Throw things out instead of donating them if they came from an environment where there was a high potential for mold. You don’t want to spread those allergens to other places like the thrift store or someone else’s home, even if you can’t see the mold.
