What to Do With Old Clothes

Unless you’re a hoarder, you probably have a few items in your closet that you’d like to get rid of. Maybe that sweater has one too many holes or those designer-brand jeans just don’t fit anymore. Some pieces should be thrown away, while others could possibly lead to some extra cash in your pocket. Every season, I clean out my closet and make 4 or 5 piles in my room to help me decide what to do with each. Here are just a few things you can do with old clothes and accessories.

Donate them

For items that are old, worn-in or just out of style, you can donate them. My town has bins for used clothes in the parking lots of certain businesses, so sometimes I’ll drop them off there since they’ll be distributed locally. Other places to donate used clothes include battered women’s shelters, local clothing drives (these are usually held after natural disasters or during winter/prom season when people need coats and dresses), and possibly hospitals. If the item is in good enough condition to be worn by someone, it’s best to donate it instead of just throwing it away.

Reuse them as rags

If the item is beyond repair or stained, you can re-use those T-shirts and sweaters as rags. I use delicate items like camis for dusting my room and house. My dad uses them to clean his lawn mower and other things, since it’s not big deal if the items get greasy and dirty. We also used to use old blankets to line our dog’s dog-house in our garage. You can really use old tees for almost any type of cleaning- the best part is you can just throw them away after.

Bring them to a consignment store

A consignment store is different from a Goodwill or Salvation army in that the items are of higher quality, worn far less, and usually have to be a higher-end brand. The owner will price your item and then give you a portion of the sale (usually 50%) once/if the item is sold. I recently brought a few items to my small town’s consignment store and in one month got a check for $15 (which means $30 of my clothing sold, which comes out to probably 4 shirts and a pair of shoes being sold). Obviously if you have a large variety of items or items that are worth more, you will make more money. Consignment stores are ideal for those items that you paid a larger amount of money for and don’t want to just donate. Examples include a J Crew sweater that shrunk in the wash and no longer fits (worn once), a pair of heels you wore to a wedding and never will wear again, and purses that you no longer use. Check your local listings for consignment stores, or see if there are chains like Plato’s Closet near you.

Sell on eBay

I’ve dabbled in selling some items on eBay (a pair of shoes and a purse), and for me, it’s not worth it. With the costs of shipping, the time it takes to upload and describe everything, and then the seller fee you have to pay (which is WAY more than I imagined), I think I’ll only use it for large or expensive items. However, I know a lot of people who successfully sell all their old clothes and jewelry on eBay and love it. I think it’s great for specific items people will be searching for, like a certain sport team’s jersey, a name-brand handbag from last season, etc.

Swap with a friend

Sadly, not too many of my friends and I are the same size, but if they were I’d totally do this! bring some of your items over to a friend and raid each other’s closets. You’ll get rid of old items and get a few in return, too!

What do you do with your old clothes?