Declutter and do good: Clean out your closet for spring, pay it forward to others

If you are having to pack up winter clothes to make room for warm-weather outfits, it may be time to purge. Here are three ways to declutter and do some good for others.

Posted 2:14 p.m. Apr 19, 2022 — Updated 2:20 p.m. Apr 19, 2022

Tara Lynn

, WRAL contributor

As we embrace spring (pollen and all), you may be ready to spring into action and tackle some of the piles of clutter around the house. Sarah Valeri with Hello Clutter is full of wisdom and my go-to girl for home organizing.

One of my first questions: A lot of families pack up winter coats and heavier clothes and store them in the garage or attic. What’s the best way to get those out of the way when you aren’t using them?

“I am not a fan of packing away seasonal clothes," she says. "Depending on your space, if you have that many clothes that you are packing away, I would challenge you to see if you are really wearing that many clothes in a season.”

Valeri says women usually only wear a fourth of a wardrobe. So if you are having to pack up clothes to make room for warmer or cooler clothes, she says it’s time to purge.

But what do you do with those clothes or the pairs of snow pants the kids only wore once or twice?

Valeri suggests these options:

Pay it forward: Find a family or neighbor with younger children to whom you can pass down items
Make quick cash: Consider taking any high-end items to a consignment shop or selling them on Facebook Marketplace. She cautions that you should set strict limits on how long you will hold on to these items if they don’t sell and then commit to donating.
Donate: Non-profit organizations take many types of donations, but there are a lot of items they don’t or can’t accept. Make sure to check their website before showing up. This will save you time and frustration. Some places only accept clothes, while others accept furniture and some accept clothes, furniture, toys and more.

Valeri posted a list of her favorite places to donate in the Triangle to Instagram.

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