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Step 1
Donate the clothing to a local women's shelter. Often, women who seek emergency refuge in shelters don't have time to pack a bag. Shelters keep clothing on hand to use when the need arises; and if the shelter is a non-profit organization, your kind gesture is also tax deductible.
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Step 2
Offer the clothing to an area pregnancy counseling center. Many will gladly accept donations they can distribute to low-income mothers-to-be.
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Step 3
Consign your maternity clothes to a secondhand shop. When they sell your items, you'll get a percentage of the sale with no further work than dropping off boxes at the shop's door.
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Step 4
Give your old clothes to the costuming department of a local theater. Talented costume designers can revamp and reuse the clothing as wardrobe for stage productions.
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Step 5
Transform maternity wear into rag rugs. Tear the clothing into 2-inch wide strips and braid the strips together. Sew three new strips end to end with the first three to lengthen the braid. Continue with additional strips until you have a single braid at least 20 feet long. Wrap the braid around itself in a spiral on the table. Sew each layer of the spiral to the next at 2-inch intervals. When your rug is large enough, cut the braid and sew the end firmly to the side of the rug.
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Step 6
Cut squares out of the clothing approximately 12 inches by 12 inches. Reuse these squares as dust cloths, cleaning and polishing rags. They're washable and more earth-friendly than disposable paper towels.
