Used appliances and furniture are great items to donate and are much needed by some organizations.
Donating your used furniture and appliances is not only the environmentally responsible thing to do, it also keeps the unwanted clutter in your house at bay. Organizations that take the unwanted items that you have lying around will sell them at a discounted price to people who cannot buy them new. Sometimes these places donate the items again to organizations that need them badly for the unfortunate. Whether you are remodeling the kitchen or simply updating a room in your house, think about donating the appliances and furniture before they end up in a landfill. Places and ways to donate your used items are numerous and the value of the donated items can be taken as a tax deduction with the proper paperwork.
Instructions
1. Do your research. Get out the phone book and find the numbers of thrift stores, such as Goodwill Industries, The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity Restores or Turning Point for Women. If you have access to the Internet, type " donation sites" and your city or county into a search engine. Schools, churches, homeless facilities or orphanages may be in great need of any donated appliances or furniture. Look for charities that you would like to contribute to. Some may be looking for the things that you have to donate. Spend time looking through the options and making a list of places that interest you and support your worldviews.
2. Check requirements. For instance, some places require that the furniture and appliances be clean and in working order. Others will take whatever is donated. Some places need the items to come from a nonsmoking household, and some prefer things that come from a pet-free environment. Larger commercialized organizations such as Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity have trucks and pickup staff who will gladly come to your house or specified site to load and carry away the items. Smaller organizations, such as orphanages or women's centers, may need the items dropped off at their locations. Research these requirements as well. If you do not have a way to transport your items, evaluate your situation before promising to donate them.
3. Call the places on your list and discuss options. Ask questions like," What will the items that I am donating be used for?" or " If you sell these items, how will the profits be used?" See if the place or organization has a pickup staff or if you are responsible for dropping off your items. Schedule a time for pickup or drop-off according to your findings.
4. Get a receipt. Many charitable donations are tax-deductible. If you have a signed receipt for the items that you have donated, the discounted value can be taken off as a deduction when tax time rolls around. Place the receipt in a labeled envelope for use at tax time. In some instances, the deduction is greater than what a personal auction or yard sale would have fetched. The results of donating your unwanted appliances and furniture are heartwarming as well as environmentally responsible. You can rest easy knowing that your items are being used and have been given a new life and purpose by people who really need them, instead of rotting in a landfill or junkyard.
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