Spring Cleaning and Charity

It might sound like an odd combination but in truth it isn’t. Think about it, every time you do spring cleaning you end up taking out a pile of stuff which you no longer use.

What’s the best place to put it away? The garage is already overflowing and the things are usually still in a good condition and so don’t belong in the dustbin.

Bingo…Charity!

Give the stuff away to someone who can make use of it. You don’t have to go to a formal organization to make the donation, just find a person who is in need and pass it on.

Take stock of the stuff you have segregated. Clothes are usually the easiest to deal with. If it is childrens’ clothes, look for friends or siblings who have kids younger than yours.

Ask them if they won’t mind taking on some of your child’s old clothes. In my experience, most people don’t. As it is kids outgrow stuff so fast most of the clothes don’t even have a “worn” look. For most parents it’s a relief to get some add-ons from friends and family.

For adult clothes pass them on to hired help. For some of the more expensive stuff that no longer fits, ask your slimmer and trimmer friends if they would like to have it. If you have a largish pile you can think about the salvation army or the Missionaries of Charity.

Besides clothes there can be a lot of knickknacks that you no longer use which are just lying around the house. Spring cleaning may see these things added to the pile of stuff to get rid of. Be ruthless as you clean your shelves and untangle your home.

If it is broken and you haven’t got around to fixing it for some time now, truth is you no longer need it. Junk it. Don’t put it back saying that you will get it fixed tomorrow. Remember in such matters more than others tomorrow never comes.

If it is still in working order but you haven’t used it in more than two years…give it away. You are doing fine not using it, and you obviously have no intention of using it now if you have not got around to it for the last two years.

This is especially true of exercise equipment. If you have not used it in the last two years no amount of guilt now is going to make you use it in the future. Be it a skipping rope or a stationary cycle, give it away to someone who needs it and will use it.

Same with Sports equipment. Just let it go. Sports equipment can be passed on to schools or local clubs who need to keep purchasing these items on a regular basis. The added advantage here is you can go to the club and use the equipment if you really have a mind to do so.

By now your pile should be considerably reduced. If you are still left with somethings that you feel you can not give away to an individual and don’t have the heart to throw away, make a nice big bundle out of the lot. Now drop it off at any charitable organization which regularly holds jumble sales and fetes. They will be able to use these things to raise some money for their charitable concerns. You won’t feel too guilty over letting the things go as well.

So here’s how you link up Spring Cleaning to Charity. Hope you get your houses done in time for Diwali! Have you ever though about this? In India we do “Spring” cleaning in the “Autumn”. So why don’t we call it Autumn Cleaning?