Whether it’s literally in the spring or at another time of year, everyone gets the urge to clean out the old so that they can free up space — and perhaps bring in the new! What surprises a lot of people is the fact that much of the unneeded clutter in their homes is made up of clothes. In fact, it’s estimated that Americans take in nearly 20 billion articles of clothing each year. This breaks down to each person buying 68 garments and 7 pairs of shoes each week!
Now, you could simply throw away all of the clothes you don’t like. The EPA indicates that, in all, Americans throw away an average of 10 pounds of clothing per year. But there is a downside to throwing away clothing. For one thing, many people consider it wasteful; they don’t like the idea of throwing things away that others could use. For another — on a practical level — tossed clothing builds up, and gradually it, like any other form of trash, has a negative impact on the environment.
Luckily, there is a way to get rid of your unwanted clothes without throwing them away. Clothing donations — like Red Cross donations — are a great alternative to throwing away old clothes. Not only do people end up using clothes that are given up in Red Cross donations, minimizing the waste, they also raise money for charity. Now — there are plenty of reasons why some may hesitate to donate old clothing. But there are plenty of advantages to doing so; and it’s much easier than you may think!
The Financial Advantages of Used Clothing Donations
Of course, there are plenty of moral benefits to making Red Cross donations. There is a reason why a reported 63% of donors with a high net worth cite giving back to the community as a major benefit of donating to charity. But the fact is that there are also financial advantages to doing the right thing.
The government has made clothes donations eligible for tax deductions. This means that if you keep track of your Red Cross donations, you can potentially write them off when tax season comes around! Yes — you can deduct the value of the items you donate, and you can also ask for a receipt when donating clothing, to help you better keep track of your donations. That way, you won’t feel like you’re losing when you donate clothes that you barely wore.
Why Donating Is Easier Than You Might Think
A lot of people are put off by the perceived difficult of making Red Cross donations — and nobody can blame them. We all lead busy lives, and when you’re donating a lot of clothes at once, it may be difficult to physically move them into Red Cross donation centers.
Luckily, clothing donations are easier than every thanks to Red Cross Clothing pickups. A pickup means that you don’t have to worry about dropping clothing off — rather, the dropoff center comes to you! They make it simple; all you have to do is call ahead and schedule a pickup. That way, a driver will arrive to pick up your donated clothes. This takes the physical labor out of the process. You’ll be done as soon as you have your clothes organized and bagged!
It’s impossible to ignore the real social benefits of donating clothing to charity. The money made off of your donations goes on to help thousands of homeless people across the country — including those considered “chronically homeless”, which comprises about 15% of the homeless population. All day, every day, the American Red Cross gives relief to homeless individuals and families, and this cannot be done without the help of donations.
But for that matter, it’s important to remember that donated clothes are often more affordable to those who may not be homeless, but do have tight finances. While you may not need your old clothes anymore, they could be exactly what someone else needs. Donating clothing is a multi – faceted way of giving back.
