How to Get Rid of Things You’ve Decluttered

The final act in the decluttering process is to get items out of your house. The list here is a general first step to choosing the method (or methods) that can help you get rid of things you've decluttered.

When I’m asked questions about decluttering, inevitably people want to know what to do with the things that they’ve decided to declutter. And they don’t want a generic answer. I’ve had people who hope that I can pull out the address of the best organization to donate to … and bonus if that organization just happens to be right around the corner from where they live.

And then there are the people who want to be told how to sell their possessions in a way that doesn’t require their time or cost them an exorbitant fee.

Alas, I can offer no suggestions for the “best” possible way for you to get rid of things that you realize you no longer need or want. However, I will offer suggestions below that will help you narrow in on a method that could work for you.

There is no perfect method. The ideas below are general and can help you determine what avenues you'd like to explore more. Since people from around the world read these blogposts, I don't suggest specific organizations or businesses. Ask friends and family who live locally for suggestions that they've used.

How to Choose What to Do with Your Unwanted Items

Before you fall down the rabbit hole of Internet options, consider how you want to clear unwanted items from your home. Are you willing to put in the extra work (and perhaps incur a cost) to get specific groups of items to groups that only want winter coats, evening dresses for girls attending prom, children’s clothing, or interview-appropriate suits?

Or do you want to locate a charity that will take most of the items you’re clearing from your home because convenience ranks higher than any other quality?

Do you want to donate to a group that will give items to individuals or that will sell the items in a shop, so the organization has the funds to do what they need to do?

If you want to sell items, do you know how to or do you need to learn? Are you willing to make less money to hire someone who can do the work for you?

If you want to give items to people in your community, do you feel comfortable giving people your address or will you meet them in a public space?

Some things to consider narrowing your options:

• How do you want to get rid of items (give away to individuals, donate to an organization, or sell)?

• Do you have the time and energy for the method you’ve chosen?

• How far are you willing to travel to get items to a group?

• Do you need space in your home to hold onto items that you need to collect? (A space to organize items you’re selling online, a place to keep items you’re gathering for a yard sale, an area to keep items until a scheduled date when a charity will pick up the things, etc.)

• Have you researched the types of items the organization or business will take?

• Are you looking for a tax deduction, cash in your pocket, or the feeling that the Universe will get items to the person in need?

  
  

And remember that you aren’t stuck using a single method for getting rid of everything. However, having a sense of what you want to do with your things has a few benefits –

1. It can help you make decisions about letting go of things. You know you’re not using something, but you know how you can get things to someone who will.

2. It saves you from “false decluttering.” This is when you put things in bags and boxes … that get moved to the garage or basement because you don’t know what to do with those things. The items are still taking up space in your home, but you’ve cleared them from your living spaces, so you feel the benefits of decluttering. But the stuff if still in your home.

How to Use the Internet to Get Rid of Things You’ve Decluttered

First, know that there is no ultimate, all-comprehensive website that will tell everyone how to donate or sell or recycle what they own in the best way. Even if you find a site that lists a variety of resources, they may not apply to your country, state, or local area.

And even if they do, they might not reflect the way that you want to get rid of things.

Unfortunately, this means that you’ll need to do some research. Go online and search for “how to donate clothing near me,” or whatever items you have. You can be specific if you want to donate to a particular group like women, veterans, or the homeless.

If you want to sell items, you can do the same thing. For example, “where to sell handbags online,” “consignment shops near me,” or whatever applies to you. You can start off being specific, and if that doesn’t give you the results you were hoping for, go a bit more general.

Questions that Can Help You Narrow Your Options

• Will they take what you have?

• Where are they located? Will you really take the time to go to this location?

• What days of the week and times can you bring items in?

• What other details do you need?

Take notes, circling or highlighting the name of the shop, charity, or website so you can find it with ease as your notes grow.

Also, consider limiting yourself to the number of sites you’ll explore (a list of a dozen possible options will only make it more difficult to make a decision. Remember, there is no perfect place to sell or donate items to, so after three or five possibilities, stop looking.

Use your qualifiers to eliminate possible options. So, if a thrift shop looks perfect but they’re only open on Saturdays from 9am to noon, when you normally have a million other things to do, consider the reality of donating to that shop.

Toss the Items

In some cases, the best thing you can do with an item is toss it. You may be thinking that someone creative will figure out what to do with those scraps of gift wrap or that a handy person will transform that dingy, chipped item into something new and trendy.

You don’t want to feel responsible for adding to landfills, however, sometimes, that’s the appropriate place for an item. Consider this, if you saw the item at a yard sale, flea market, or thrift shop and it had a price tag of $0.25 on it, would you pay those few cents for the item. No? Toss it. Don’t turn your home into an annex of the local landfill.

Recycle the Items

Go to the website of your local recycling service to get the definitive answer to what you can recycle. I also found this website, Earth911 that can help people in North America identify recyclable items.

Repurpose Items

With this option, you may or may not be getting rid of items. Instead, you are giving them a new use. This could involve bringing food to a potluck using a plate or bowl you don’t want returned to you. Or you transform tee shirts that don’t fit into reusable shopping bags.

You’ll find endless options online. However, the challenge here is to avoid holding onto more items than you have the time to transform into a new item. And consider how you’ll use those items … will they just become a new form of clutter?

Give the Items to Friends

The challenge here is to offer items that you think the person will love. Make it clear that they can say “no” to your offer. Avoid foisting items on another person just because gifting the items makes you feel good about what you’re doing.

Also avoid checking on the person’s use of the items. Don’t ask if their kids loved the clothes or where they put the lamp that they agreed to take.

Also consider bundling items. For example, if you have a lot of kitchen items in great condition, see if you know someone who has an adult child who’s moving into their own place and needs a variety of items.

Host a Swap Party

Invite family and friends to a swap party featuring a particular item or group of items (clothing, books, craft supplies, etc.), offer food (or make this a potluck), and turn this into a party. While this doesn’t necessarily reduce the number of items you have, it gives you the opportunity to clear out things you’re no longer interested in while bringing in things that are new to you that you can use.

Be prepared with a way to get rid of items that no one claims and that get left behind so you don’t add clutter to your home.

Give the Items to Strangers in Your Community

Look to see if your community has a Buy Nothing or Freecycle group where you can post items that you’re willing to give away. Make safe decisions if someone comes to your home to collect an offered item.

Know that some people will take these items and turn around and sell them. This may be a business or side hustle that supplements their family’s income. You can ask about someone’s intentions, but after you give away the item, it’s no longer your concern.

Leave Items on the Side of the Road

If you live on a well-traveled street, you may be able to leave items at the edge of your property with a “free” sign. Check the weather so items don’t get ruined in the rain. Also, know that pickers will often travel your street on trash day, looking for items they can sell at flea markets. Set the free items a distance from the trash barrels.

A related option, if you live in an apartment building, is to ask the superintendent if there is a space that can be used to set items that residents are giving away.

Give the Items to a Local Group

Your town library may take books that they will sell to raise funds for resources. Your local school or camp may accept art and craft supplies. The senior center may allow accept books, craft supplies, and other items that they either give away or sell.

You can also watch your community newspaper or Facebook page for organizations or business collecting items for rummage sales or auctions they host to raise funds for a local charity.

Donate Items to a Charity

Some charities will distribute items to those in need while others will sell things to raise funds. All charities have a group they are supporting, so if this information is important to you, you can look up the group online.

Sell Items Online

You’re no longer limited to options like eBay, Craigslist, Replacements, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace. Which to choose? Ask family, friends, and coworkers how they’ve sold things online and request an honest opinion of the effort involved in selling their things.

Yes, I’m sure you can find someone’s blog post where they talk about making thousands of dollars a month reselling items, but they are a business and not a home declutterer.

If you aren’t familiar with the work involved in using a site, consider if you have the time and inclination to learn how. Also, do you feel confident in your ability to organize items you’re selling so you can keep track of them? And how much time will you allot to selling something before you donate it.

You can hire a trading assistant who will post items for you, but they will take a cut of the sales, so you need to decide if you’ll make enough to justify this as an option.

Sell in a Consignment Shops

A consignment shop will understand what their clientele are looking for, so don’t expect that a shop will want everything you have. Some shops will pay you outright for the item, others will give you a store credit toward purchases in the store, while most will sell the item and split the funds with you.

Consider how far you are willing to travel to the shop. Also, if items don’t sell within an allotted time, will you want them back or will you allow the shop to donate the items? Often, you’ll have to keep track of this yourself if you want to take back your items.

You likely won’t have a say in how they price your items and every so many days, they’ll discount the price. Will you be happy with the amount of money you’ll receive?

Work with an Auction House

If you’re uncomfortable with online auctions, you can look to see if there is an auction house in your area that sells what you have. If you have hard-to-find or desirable collectibles, you’ll have a better chance of working with the auction house.

You can check their reviews and reputation online. Also, they may host the sale of certain types of items at particular events, so you need to decide if you want to hold onto items until that time. And, of course, they will take a portion of the sale.

Use an Estate Sale Company

Did you know that estate sale companies don’t limit themselves to selling the possessions of the dead? If you are moving or downsizing and are getting rid of a significant number of items, these businesses will come into your home and price and display items for sale. For a fee, they will manage everything for you.

Host a Yard Sale

A yard sale can be a lot of work and will require help. It can help to know that you’d like to host a yard sale before you start decluttering so that you can group similar types of items in boxes to make setting up the sale easier.

You’ll need to check with your local government to find out if they have set limitations on yard sales. (I did a yard sale when emptying my parents’ house and I needed a permit from the town. They’d also only allow two yard sales a year at a particular address, likely to avoid people trying to get around having a business license and opening a shop every weekend.)

If you have neighbors who are also decluttering, you may be able to coordinate your efforts and hold a multi-family yard sale that will draw in more buyers.

You’ll also get people who buy items at yard sales so they can resell them.

Takeaways

There are a lot of options for getting rid of the things that you’ve decluttered, which means that you can choose those that will work best with what you’re getting rid of, the time you have to rehome these items, your energy level, and what is convenient to you.

Some methods will require more effort than others. Remember, your goal in decluttering your home was to get things out the door so you can enjoy a calmer and more functional space. Avoid getting tied up in the idea that you need to use the “best” method or find the “right” person or organization to give items to.

If a method doesn’t appeal to you, don’t bother trying it just because you think you should. Use methods that seem like they will be easiest for you because those will be the ones that will help you get decluttered items out of your home.

Did I forget a method? Share in the comments!