What to do about worn-out, shabby clothes?
If you have old towels and sheets or any shabby clothing for that matter, why not consider donating them to the Salvation Army. Their thrift stores generate a lot of money for shelters and social programs and at the same time diverting tons of textiles from the landfill. Unless fabrics are extremely contaminated with oil or chemicals, they can be donated. If the Salvation Army cannot sell the items in their stores, they get sent to textile graders, mainly in Toronto or Montreal, where they are either turned into rags, sold for their fibre content (like stuffed animals) or sent overseas.
They even take old pantyhose and underwear! Before donating, however, please check and see that they are not soiled!! The Salvation Army also takes stained comforters and blankets to line shipping boxes. So, now that you do have this information please do NOT throw any of the items in the garbage anymore. For more information see this Toronto Star article or visit the Salvation Army website.
Uli, what a great idea. Last weekend I went through my clothes closet and filled two full-sized garbage bags with perfectly good clothes. I also went through my linen closet and filled up another bag. I really like idea of giving these to a good cause and the added benefit of unsold items being recycled – which I didn’t know even happens! Thanks again Uli for your valuable ideas.