The world of home goods and clothing donations is changing. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, how we go about packing up and dropping off donations has changed. As individuals, we try to keep everything clean and airtight, and as employees, we strive to uphold standards and practices the government regulates. However, what doesn’t change is the importance of donations. Even more so lately, donations benefit people and organizations on the East Coast and across the nation. Put your spring purging to good use and look here to learn how to prepare your items for donation. Most of these steps are ones you should follow despite the pandemic.
Wash Clothes Before Packing
You may not be able to completely sanitize your clothes before donating, but you can—and should—still clean them. Put any clothes you want to donate in the wash before packing them up. Use bleach when you can, and once they’re washed, try to wear gloves or limit touch when transferring the items to the dryer and the container.
Wipe Down Home Goods Before Packing
Similarly, the home goods and other items you donate should also be wiped down with a disinfectant. Pots and pans, small appliances, electronics—these should all be thoroughly wiped down. If you’re thinking about donating toys, we’d suggest washing when possible. If you don’t think there’s a great way to sanitize the item, hold off on donating for a while! The health of others involved in the donation process is essential.
Store in an Airtight Container
Once you’ve cleaned all the items for donation, try to store them in an airtight container. Though plastic bags are often used, and you still can use them, the ideal route for cleanliness is some sort of airtight container. That said, if you don’t have one, garbage bags and cardboard boxes will also do the trick! Just ensure you’re limiting touch or wearing gloves when you’re packing up.
Wear Gloves
Wearing gloves is key to preparing your items for donation! Though this wasn’t a necessity before COVID-19, it is a big part of cleanliness now. Throughout the process of packing up and dropping off donations, we strongly suggest wearing gloves. The less contact you have with the items you donate, the better.
Look Into Drop-Off Location Regulations
Different charitable organizations have different regulations set in place now when it comes to donating. GreenDrop in particular is not currently picking up donations, but we have a few drop-off locations opened and ready for you. We have precautionary procedures set in place for the safety of our donors and our employees—take a look at these before you drop-off!
At GreenDrop, you can choose to donate your items (which we turn into monetary donations) to four different organizations—the American Red Cross, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and the National Federation of the Blind. We want to support our community, and when you donate to us, that’s what you’ll do as well. Bring your clothing donation to Franklin Mills or one of our other locations now!
