We've been talking a lot about Spring cleaning, and decluttering, and the ways to circulate resources through your community that you might be finished with. Going through your closet is a great way to start, identifying items you may have worn last year that don't fit, don't meet your aesthetic, or that you maybe even never wore.

And donating those items is a great way to keep shopping down and clothe people who can't afford, or don't have time to refill their closets right now. After spending time with a few groups in the Philly area who collect clothes to distribute to different demographics, here are a few tips to help you decide what gets recirculated and what gets recycled.

Patch or recycle clothes with holes

Let's get this out of the way: If it's too damaged for you to wear, it's too damaged for someone else to wear. A quick stitch or patch might make an unworn item useful for yourself, or donating. But if the item is worn through, unfixable or tattered, the recycle heap is the best place for it. Damaged items might make great linens donations to animal shelters like the ACCT, or check the Philly recycling map for the closest textiles recycle center.

Extra small and extra large sizes are in demand

For people in rehabilitation or battling illness, donations of smaller sizes save the time and energy that might go into tailoring their existing clothes. Similarly, extra large sizes can be few and far between in donation hubs. In fact, there are mutual aid groups who do drives for only large sizes at different points in the year. If you have clothing in these sizes, consider giving your closet a walkthrough for anything you aren't in love with anymore. The Wardrobe is a great place to bring business casual items, which will go to folks who need office outfits. They have several locations across Philly.

Clean your clothes before throwing them in that donation bag

Many people toss clothing from their closet directly into the donation bag, and that can mean people receive soiled and unwashed items. Do a wash before you donate so that you know you're giving clean items away. The added benefit here is that anything in your pockets will fall out in the wash cycle. Homies Helping Homies is another Philly mutual aid group that will collect and distribute clothing to folks on the street. They accept lots of items for donation, so check their list before you arrive at a drop-off location. And if you're in South Philly, Punks With Lunch accepts drop-offs at Mifflin Park on Fridays, and I can help facilitate that if you need it.

If you have a large donation and can't bring it to these locations, reach out and I can help connect you with a mutual aid group that can pick up items. And if you have something in good condition that you aren't sure about, let's talk about it.