10/29/2026
7 pieces of clutter you should actually donate, organizing pros say
Story by Nishaa Sharma
Toiletries & Beauty Products: Unopened and in-date items like shampoo, lotions, and sample sizes can be donated to thrift stores or women’s shelters for hygiene kits.
Old Glasses & Electronics: Outdated glasses and working electronics (phones, tablets, printers) can be refurbished or reused for those in need.
Home & Pet Supplies: Worn towels, linens, furniture, and leftover construction materials can be given to animal shelters, Furniture Banks, or Habitat for Humanity.
Key Points
Old glasses, unopened toiletries, and art and office supplies should be donated, not thrown away.
Worn-out towels, linens, and excess pet supplies can be given to animal shelters.
Give construction materials to Habitat for Humanity, and furniture to a Furniture Bank for families in need.
There are few things more satisfying than a whole-home decluttering session—but once you’ve cleared out everything that no longer brings you joy, knowing where to send it all is just as important.
Gently-worn clothes, board games, and books aren’t the only items that can go to thrift stores. There’s plenty of “clutter” worth donating instead of throwing away, and our organizing experts are here to explain exactly where to drop off your unwanted things.
Receiving a personal care gift box during the holiday season is super common, but this well-meaning present tends to lead to bathroom cabinets full of shampoo bottles, lotions, and more shower gels than we can possibly get through.
If you’ve found yourself with an excess of toiletries and beauty products, fill up a box and bring them to the thrift store or a local women’s shelter—just make sure they’re unopened and haven’t expired.
“Many times, these items can be donated to charities or organizations that make hygiene kits,” KonMari consultant Kim Shiu says. “Sample sizes are especially helpful.”
Worn Glasses
As prescriptions and trends change year-on-year, we often find ourselves with multiple pairs of spectacles on our hands. Old glasses might not be of use to you anymore, but they can actually be donated to someone in need.
“Glasses with outdated prescriptions may seem useless, but there are programs that will reuse them for those who can’t afford eye care,” professional organizer Dana Jordan explains.
Old Electronics
Once you’ve upgraded to the latest phone or replaced an old laptop, it’s important to make sure your older electronics don’t end up in landfill.
As long as the piece of tech is still able to turn on and run—even if it’s majorly slowed down—it can likely be fixed and redistributed in the community.
“Many lower-income families can have old electronics refurbished for a fraction of the price of new items,” organizing pro Kim Shiu says. “This includes cell phones, tablets, printers, and more.”
Some of the places you can donate your old devices include Goodwill, Digitunity, and Computers with Causes.
Partially-Used Office and Art Supplies
You might think that if a palette of paints or set of gel pens have been opened, they can’t be given away, but even used these items still be given a second life.
“Random craft supplies like half used paint, fabric scraps, and other craft materials are generally tossed but can easily be donated to local schools and community programs,” Jordan says. “They are genuinely delighted to receive these items, because they run on such tight budgets.”
Our pros also suggest donating office supplies such as printer paper and stationery to schools, and dropping off any half-finished hobby projects at creative reuse centers like thrift stores dedicated to crafts and DIY supplies.
Old Towels and Linens
Whether you’ve accidentally washed colorful towels with bleach, spilled coffee on your sheets, or your linens have simply seen too much wear and tear to keep using, they’re still actually worth donating (even if they can’t go to the thrift store).
“Old towels are often tossed because of stains and holes, but animal shelters are in constant need of towels and linens for bedding and cleaning,” Jordan shares.
Tip
Toys, unopened and in-date bags and cans of pet food, and cat litter can also be donated to animal shelters.
Construction Supplies
One of the first rules of renovating is to buy more materials than your project calls for—but what happens to the leftovers after you or your contractor are finished?
Instead of throwing those construction and redecorating supplies out, Shiu recommends bringing them to an organization that can reuse them for a good cause.
“Home building and construction materials such as unused tile, paint, or flooring can be donated to your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore,” she says.
Worn-Down Furniture
At first, a broken chair, stained sofa, or damaged dining table might look like it has a one-way ticket to your closest household recycling center.
However, according to Shiu, these can actually be taken to a local Furniture Bank for repairing, reupholstering, and refurbishing. Once your old furniture items have been fixed, they’ll go to a family experiencing housing insecurity.
Read the original article on The Spruce
