Americans own and buy a lot of clothes!
Clothing sales in the United States is soaring. Per global data company Statista, in 2024, the revenue in the apparel market in the U.S. amounts to $358.70 bn. Additionally, people living in the United States typically own multiple clothing items. Statista also shares that the average volume per person in the apparel market is projected to be 89 pieces in 2024.
How does this affect individuals?
Owning high volumes of clothing and having to store them can contribute to disorganization within the home. It can be challenging to maintain households with clothing clutter. Removing unwanted clothes is an essential step to decluttering one’s closet and achieving household organization.
Benefits of donating clothing:
Excessive clutter can harm people physically, financially, emotionally, and socially. There is value to be gained when donating unwanted clothes.Let’s examine the benefits of donating clothes and tips to make the process easier.
- To maintain order within the home – Keeping excess clothes that one does not wear takes up valuable closet space. It makes it harder to locate, use, and maintain wearable items. Regularly donating unwanted clothing helps to rid the closet of unnecessary items, thereby reducing clutter.
Tip: When organizing a closet, separate the wardrobe into categories. Hang or fold similar items together for easy retrieval.
- To support your local community – Donating clothes that are in good condition (clean, wearable, and defect-free) benefits others. Some charities give clothes directly to individuals in need, such as to the unhoused. Others resell clothing at discounted and affordable prices. This gives youth just starting out, families on tight budgets, and elderly folks on fixed incomes access to nice clothes. Companies that resell clothing at discounted prices also support the community in terms of employment, job training, and contributing to community-based programs.
Tip: Rather than focus on the money you wasted on something you bought but never wore, view donating clothing as an act of kindness. Keep a positive mindset. You are generously providing someone with the ability to dress in dignity.
- To save money on taxes – Per Moving.com, “When you donate to an IRS-qualified 501 (c) (3) public charity, you can take an income tax charitable deduction.” Check with your accountant to see if you qualify or head to IRS.gov to learn rules which apply to donations. The IRS supports tax deductions for charitable purposes to benefit both the giver and receiver. The individual making the donation gets the tax deduction. This benefit promotes donations which ultimately helps the charity.
Tip: If you qualify for an income tax charitable deduction, and your donation exceeds $250, you require a written receipt for tax purposes. Be sure to ask for the receipt when you make your donation.
- To prevent waste from reaching landfills – The act of repurposing or reusing clothes prevents them from reaching landfills and gives them a second life. Clothing that is donated can also be downcycled or upcycled. Downcycling means repurposing old items to create something of lesser value. An example is shredding old clothing to use as packing material. Upcycling means repurposing old items to create something of higher value. An example is using fabric from clothes to create a handbag. Clothes can also be recycled. For example, artificial textiles can be shredded and sent to manufacturers to create polyester fabrics. Older clothes can also be used to make carpets, car seats, insulation, and more. Per Businesswaste.co.uk, only about 12% of clothes are recycled around the world.
Tip: Some communities offer clothing recycling bins so that garments can be responsibly discarded to reduce one’s carbon footprint and the amount of waste in landfills.
Helping the world
Many Americans own a lot of clothing items – above and beyond what’s necessary. A substantial number hold on to things they no longer want, need, or use. Donating excess items to a charity in need can help homeowners get organized. Additionally, when you donate, reuse, or repurpose excess, you can feel good about taking positive steps to help others and the environment and even benefit from tax deductions when eligible. It’s a great thing. If you would like to learn more about home organizing, visit Benefits of an organized home.