Spring Cleaning With a Purpose
Daylight Saving Time is here, and with that comes spring! While many people find joy in spring cleaning, the warmer weather can be a good excuse to put it off. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore gives you another incentive to prioritize decluttering: your unwanted household items can be used to provide opportunities for local families. We are sharing a spring cleaning guide to assist you in clearing your clutter and helping the community!
Click here for a list of what the ReStore does and does not accept.
Declutter: A simple spring cleaning checklist for every room
The bedroom is one of the most commonly prioritized rooms for spring cleaning, so it seems like a great place to start.
Everyone’s garage or basement or shed is different, and we’ve put them all together because what we are really referring to is the place in or around the house where extra stuff tends to pile up. This can be a closet, a finished basement, an outdoor shed or any place in between.
Bedroom | Living room | Kitchen | Garage/basement/shed |
SurfacesExamine items on all flat surfaces – the tops of dressers and nightstands, for example – and make sure they all are something you use regularly. | CabinetsPerform a thorough cabinet sweep. Match containers and lids. Take stock of the dishes you need (and those you don’t). Remove expired items, and be sure to check that all spices are fresh. | Entertainment centerSort through Blu Rays, DVDs, and CDs and donate anything you no longer watch or want. Recycle any empty cases you find. | Donation pilesThese spaces can seem overwhelming, so start with the easiest of all: donation piles. You’ve spent all year collecting items you need to donate, and it’s finally time to load them up and take them to the various donation centers around town. |
ClosetTake a close look at your clothes and shoes. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t worn it in a year, you probably won’t wear it again. The closet hanger experiment is a great way to examine how often you wear each item. | RefrigeratorClean out any old or unused items in the fridge and the freezer. | DrawersGo through any drawers to remove trash and other unneeded items. | CategoriesDivide everything left into categories and go through each category one by one. Tools, building materials, cleaning supplies, whatever it may be. Check for duplicates and get rid of anything that’s broken – throw away if necessary but donate or recycle if possible! |
Under the bedYou never know what’s accumulated under there – and it’s time to find out! | DrawersIs the infamous “junk drawer” located in the kitchen of your house? If so, take out all items to assess what you really need. | Shelves
Organize all shelves, getting rid of any unneeded items. | ReorganizeFor everything that you are keeping, organize it by the same categories to help keep it organized year-round. |
Donating to the Habitat ReStore
- Beds
- Dressers
- Nightstands and more!
- Sinks
- Refrigerators
- Other appliances
- Furniture
- Antiques
- Rugs
- Bookcases
- Bricks
- Pavers
- Doors
- Lumber
- Windows
- Paint
- Tools
- Light Fixtures
- Building materials
Please neatly pack any smaller items in containers or boxes.
Both ReStores have donation drop-off availability from 10 am to 3 pm from Monday to Saturday. No appointment is necessary.
Please call your local store to see if your donation qualifies for free pickup. We cannot accept every item, and our pick-up drivers have the final say on whether we will be able to accept your donation or not. Thank you for understanding.
We issue tax receipts for ReStore donations valued at $50 or more.
The ReStore is Habitat for Humanity’s social enterprise. Donating to the Habitat ReStore is a socially conscious decision, as funds generated are used to fund local Habitat homebuilding projects. It’s also an environmentally conscious decision, as much of what is sold is product that is new, gently used or customer returns that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
