Scheduling a Donation Pickup for Your Clutter

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Have you ever put a box of donations in your car and then forgot all about it? If so, you’re not alone! Driving around for months on end with a box full of clutter in your trunk is actually pretty common! Things come up and life gets in the way, causing many of us to forget all about those donations! And that’s exactly why scheduling a donation pickup is the single best choice for getting rid of your clutter.

Are you ready to save time and energy all while getting rid of your excess stuff and making space in your home? By following this tutorial, you will feel motivated to schedule a donation pickup for your unwanted items so you can actually get that clutter out of your house!

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benefits of a donation pickup

There are many reasons why a donation pickup is the single best choice for getting rid of your clutter. I’ll go over a few of the top reasons.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

If you’re practicing social distancing regulations, you may want to avoid coming in contact with others at all times. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to stay 6 feet away from others when dropping your donations off in person. Thankfully, many donation pickup services have set up special COVID-19 precautions! Simply put your unwanted items on your porch and the donation service won’t have to come in contact with you!

MOTIVATION TO START DECLUTTERING

When you know you have a deadline approaching, it can be easy to find the motivation to start gathering items you no longer want. And if you’re paying a flat-fee, it’s extremely beneficial to find as many items as possible to give away.

STREAMLINES THE DECLUTTERING PROCESS

Getting your unwanted items out of your house is typically where people tend to get stuck. You might have every intention of selling your decluttered items… But then you get preoccupied with work and forget all about that box sitting in your garage.

Or maybe you put the box of donations in your trunk intending to drop them off next week, only to keep putting it off because you would rather go straight home after a long day at work.

Whatever the case may be, a donation pickup streamlines the entire decluttering process! It saves time and effort and makes getting your clutter out of your house easy and painless. All you need to do is schedule a pickup time and set an alarm on your phone!

Then, on your specified pickup date, you can gather all of the clutter that you want to get rid of and hand it right over! It’s as simple as that!

donation pickup services in the us

There are many different donation pickup services available in the US. But some of them might be specific to certain areas.

The easiest way to find a pickup service is by googling ‘your city + donation pickup’. For Tulsa, Oklahoma, I would type ‘Tulsa donation pickup’ into Google and see a list of options that are tailored to my area.

But sometimes it’s hard to know whether or not a donation charity is reputable. So I’m going to share a little tip that will help you determine a charity’s reputation. And I’ll also share the top 6 donation services that are worth your time and effort!

SALVATION ARMY

Many people have told me they’ve had trouble scheduling a Salvation Army donation pickup. And it’s almost always because they are going directly to Salvation Army’s main website.

The best option is to go to satruck.org. You can find a drop off location, schedule a free donation pickup, donate a vehicle, or find a thrift store.

When I entered my zip code under ‘schedule a free pickup’, it opened on a new page and asked for more information on the items I want to donate.

I chose one bag of miscellaneous items and was asked to choose a pickup date as early as next week! (I think it’s pretty neat that you can schedule a pickup for only one bag/box of items!)

Based on their dropdown list, it seems like they take every household item you could imagine. From camper shells to ice chests to pillows!

In my opinion, the Salvation Army donation truck is one of the best options out there! To schedule a pickup, go to satruck.org or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.

GOODWILL

Goodwill is another common donation service in the US. They are located in over 30 states across the country, and many cities have multiple locations.

Unfortunately, there is not a reliable way to schedule a Goodwill donation pickup online. This is because their pickup service is specific to your location.

So the best way to schedule a pickup is to find your nearest Goodwill location and contact them directly.

Here’s how to find your nearest location:

When you first go to goodwill.org, you will see a drop-down menu at the very top. You want to click on ‘find a donation center’.

From there, a new page will open that prompts you to type in your location. You can enter your city, zip code, or even a specific address. If you’re wanting to donate unwanted items, you should use the filter option to the right of the search bar.

When you click on ‘filter’, another menu will appear at the bottom. I unchecked all of the options except ‘donation site’ and then I clicked on the magnifying glass within the search bar.

This will bring up a list of all the donation centers in your area.

Once you find a donation center near you, call the listed phone number and ask if they offer donation pickup services!

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA

Another option is Vietnam Veterans of America. You can donate clothes, household items, small appliances, and tools, as long as they’re in good condition.

The image below shows that they serve more than 30 states.

When you click on your current state, a list will pop up showing all of the counties they service. To schedule a pickup, call the number they give that is specific to your area.

If your city is available, you should definitely take advantage! You can schedule a pickup in as little as 24 hours! That’s awesome if you’re looking for a donation service at the last minute!

Click here to learn more about the Vietnam Veterans of America or call 1-800-775-VETS.

CLOTHING DONATIONS.ORG

If the Salvation Army is not available where you live, they direct you to check out clothingdonations.org.

At the very bottom-right of their homepage, you will see an option to schedule a pickup by state.

It appears as though they serve all of the same states as the Vietnam Veterans of America. But they do have more counties available within each state. So if the Vietnam Veterans of America offer donation pickup in your state but not your county, be sure to check clothingdonations.org!

And despite their name, they do take more than just clothing! You can donate small appliances, furniture, baby items, kitchenware, and electronics.

HABIT FOR HUMANITY RESTORE

I just love the Habit for Humanity Restore! They are a fantastic place to look for building and construction materials, which is super helpful when you’re renovating your house like we are.

But best of all, they will take your unwanted building materials! If you have excess material from a home remodel or DIY project, they will gladly take it off your hands. And if your donation is large, they will pick it up!

When you first arrive on their website, you will need to scroll half-way down the page.

Once you find a location, you will see the direct website, phone number, and email address.

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are independently owned, so you should reach out to them directly for more information on scheduling a donation pickup for your unwanted building materials.

DONATION TOWN

If none of the above donation services are available in your area, your best bet will be to try Donation Town.

They are known for connecting donors with charities all over the country. And they advertise free donation pickup nationwide!

On their homepage, there is a blue graphic near the top that lists the three steps you need to take.

Under #1, click on ‘enter your zip code’. You will be directed to a new page where you need to enter your zip.

From there, you will be taken to another page to enter your contact information. At the bottom of that page is a list of all the charities near you that offer donation pickup services. Choose one charity and then click on the large yellow button at the bottom that says ‘schedule your donation pickup!’

After using Donation Town, I was quite surprised at all of the options. They definitely offer more choices than I was able to find through Google!

CHARITY NAVIGATOR

And finally, if you are still having a hard time deciding where to donate your decluttered items, try checking out charitynavigator.org. It’s a very detailed site that gives evaluations for thousands of charities across the US!

I entered in a few charity names that I first heard of on Donation Town above. Charity Navigator provided me with the website, physical address, and employer identification number. You can also find out whether or not a charity is classified as a Charitable Organization. And some charities even have a rating!

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tips for pickup day

Okay, so you’ve scheduled your donation pickup and the date is getting closer. Here are a few tips to help you make the best of it!

Once you schedule your donation pickup time, mark it in your planner, or set a reminder on your phone! Whatever you need to do to make sure you don’t forget!
It’s always a good idea to confirm your pickup time a few days before and then again one day before.
Be sure to use boxes/bags that you don’t mind parting with!
It’s also super helpful to use dark trash bags, as opposed to clear or white. This prevents you from seeing what you had previously decided to part with and then possibly changing your mind.
And don’t forget to label your unwanted items! This is a common mistake that many people run into. To avoid forgetting what bag contains what, use some masking tape and a Sharpie. I have also used washi tape and moving labels.

Most donation pickup services are free or very low cost. They make getting rid of your unwanted items quick and easy. And you rarely have to go to any extra trouble; you simply put the items on your porch and off they go!

That means that scheduling a donation pickup is a great decluttering motivator!

If someone will be coming to your house to haul away your unwanted items, you might as well take advantage and use the opportunity to get rid of as much as you can!

My family and I love to make a game out of it.

One of our favorites is the 12-12-12 Challenge. You challenge your family to see who can be the first to come up with 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to be put back where they belong. I like to announce this game in the evening when our house is already trashed. This way, I can encourage my kids to keep playing more rounds. By the end of the game, our house is tidy and we usually have a few bags worth of donations! 🤣

If you’re having trouble getting motivated to declutter, I highly recommend a donation pickup. It’s a great way to kick your butt into gear! You can also sign up for my decluttering checklist and receive a free copy of my Decluttering Motivation Cheatsheet!

final thoughts

It’s no secret that I have a few decluttering tricks up my sleeve! When I started my decluttering journey a couple of years ago, I put my unwanted items in our garage. But then they would sit there for months on end.

Eventually, I decided to try something different and I started donating my clutter. It’s easy, effortless, and almost always free. And I love knowing that my unwanted items are being put to good use! I usually choose to donate most of our belongings to our local homeless shelter. But that hasn’t been possible since the start of COVID. A donation pickup is the next best thing… And in some cases, it may even be a better choice for you!

So are you ready to start taking steps to get rid of your clutter? This post has all the info you need to schedule a donation pickup! 💪

If you need more support for your specific decluttering situation, click here to join my brand new Facebook group, The Declutter Society!

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