Rules for Donating Clothes to Charity
Donating clothes to a charity involves deciding which clothes to donate, organizing and cleaning them and then picking the proper charity to donate them to. Although it is not a requirement, if you haven't worn an item of clothing in a year, choose to donate it. Find a charity near you that accepts the types of clothing you have to donate.
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Separate by Type
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Separate the clothes you have by type, for example, women's pants, women's blouses, T-shirts, men's jeans and children's clothing. Further, separate winter clothing from summer attire. Match outfits together, such as clothing that has more than one piece. These can include vests that came with a certain blouse or blazers that came with a matching skirt.
Clean the Clothing
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Always clean the clothes you're about to donate by washing the items according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fold any items of clothing that can be folded for easy transport. If you can spare dry cleaning bags or hangers, consider placing things that cannot be folded on the hanger or within a dry cleaning bag to keep the clothing in better condition prior to reaching its destination. Place the rest of the clothes in boxes or bags and clearly label the outside of the container to assist store personnel in sorting the items.
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Appropriate Clothing Type
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Double check that the charity you want to send the clothes to will actually accept the clothing types you have to donate. For example, charities that are specifically geared towards helping women in need by providing work clothing only may not accept clothing such as sportswear, underclothing or accessories like pantyhose. Other charities may be overstocked with certain types of clothing but not others.
Tax Deductions
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Donating clothing to charities can sometimes be considered a tax deduction. When you drop off the clothing to the charity, or when the charity comes to pick it up, ask the store representative to provide you with a receipt that indicates the fair market value of the clothing you donated. Some do-it-yourself tax software have tables that include what fair market value can be for donated clothing items. However, to be certain, talk with your tax adviser to learn what is considered fair market value and whether or not you are actually qualified to receive a tax deduction for the donation.
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References
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