Too Much 'Stuff'? Clear Out Your Clutter And Share Good Along The Way

From selling old CDs to donating knowledge, Eco-Muslim Michael Edmondstone gives the Decluttering 101 for getting rid of unwanted stuff from your life. 

Everyone goes through a stage of wanting to clear the excess from their lives, and the best place to start this task is your home.

Even if it isn’t spring, a little cleaning can give you an entirely new perspective on life, in more ways than one.

Having clearer shelves and more spacious wardrobes can do wonders for your state of mind. But what if you could help others in the process? Donating your old belongings is the perfect way to combine these two goals. Here are some ideas for where to search in your home for goods to be donated.

Music and DVDs

Many children’s hospitals, community health care facilities, and hospices will be glad to accept your donated movie titles and music as a way to cheer up patients and take their minds off of being ill.

Or, if you want a more direct way to give to these kinds of organisations, you can sell CDs and CDs for cash, and then donate the proceeds to the charity of your choice. Either way, you get to clear some unnecessary clutter while doing a good deed.

Clothing

No matter the season, there are always organisations searching for clothing donations to provide these kinds of items to the less fortunate. You can make a fun day of it by going through your wardrobe, trying on different pieces to see if they still fit, and preparing a bag (or two) of the clothes that don’t fit to give away. Places like the British Red Cross and Clothes Aid are nationwide and easy to find.

Books

Reading enriches the mind, so it’s important to have books, especially for children. If you have finished all of the novels on your shelf, or you have updated your collection of reference books, consider donating your old ones to an organisation like Book Aid for Africa that uses your old literary gems to improve the education of African students. In the fight against poverty, knowledge and training are key weapons, and having a wide range of reading material can help these children sharpen their minds.

Food

How many cans of non-perishable food items to you have in your cupboard? What about boxes of pasta or cereal that you know the kids won’t eat? Many households hate to waste food, but if you find a food bank to donate to, you won’t have to. There’s no better way to clear space in your cupboard while making sure that doing a small part to feed the hungry is an achievable goal.

Helping yourself while simultaneously helping others doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult to do. In fact, MusicMagpie provides a way to do both by allowing you to sell old goods and then choosing which charity you would like the money to go to. Visit their site to get started.

Image + Paul Foreman

More on De-cluttering
+ Recycling Plastic - Designer Bags From The Ecoist
+ ShINE, Sheffield's Muslim Environmentalists Clean Up The Streets
+ 10 Things Every Eco-Mosque Should Have