I doubt they do either. Can you just donate the dresses on the hangers?

LALA, I've thought of doing that. Thanks for the reply!

I don't think the big ones (Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.) do much of anything to the donated clothing they receive. Although, I sometimes wonder if they steam the clothes. I very rarely see anything on the clothing racks that is wrinkled.

Some of the smaller ones, at least in my area, use a steamer to remove wrinkles before putting the clothes out on the floor for sale. I know of one that actually has a washer/dryer on site. They launder the clothing and steam/iron afterwards.

I think it's nice of you to be concerned with how your donation may be handled but honestly after your drop-off, they'll handle the stuff however they normally do. You can feel good about being helpful and that they'll make good use of your generosity no matter how you deliver it.

Drop off a check along with the clothes and they'll be even happier.

When I do a drop-off, they cram everything into large rolling bins, so...?

Much of the soft donations are sold for rags...there is no washing, ironing or steaming.

Please donate clean items. If you are worried about how they are presented for sale, donate to a local, smaller charity. See if there is an area St. Vincent Du Paul close by.

I agree with Maddielee. We have several thrift stores around town that support either animal shelters or veterans groups. I much prefer them over a Goodwill or SA. They handle items with more care and the items inside are clean. Even though it is more of a drive, we take furniture or building items to the Habitat ReStore.

I live in a county with only 1 traffic light in the whole county! In the small town of Mikado, near me, there is a St. Vincent De Paul, that is where I take things. The people in the area call it the “Mikado Mall”!

I'd check about hangers because when I was cleaning out and taking donations every day - they wouldn't take my empty hangers.

Not a crazy question. I've been wondering too. I've been tackling deceased DH's closet. Folded things in drawers were donated long ago. The day DD "helped" she insisted clean things that had been hanging in the closet needed to be freshly washed. Come on, it's hard enough to do my own wash. She took them home to her front loaders then donated. But there's more in closet.

Years ago they told me no hangers when scheduling pickup but I just couldn't do that for the coats and things that time.

Charities are being overrun with clothing. In my area, Sal Army is ill equipped to handle it all. The few times I have taken items to Sal Army, the masses of "stuff" in the back rooms were enough to make me not burden them further.

I donate clean folded clothing to our Clothes Bank, run by United Council of Churches. They don't charge qualifying patrons for the clothing and I like that. I took bedding one trip and asked them if there was a need...they were on the phone calling someone in need of bedding while I was still there unloading my car. (they tell me they are always short on men's work wear, and - clean childrens shoes)

We have an active Salvation Army but parking is ghastly, and unlike Goodwill where they greet you as you pull up and unload for you, there is rarely someone around at the rear entrance to our Salvation Army.

I work in a small thrift store. We won't sell items that are obviously dirty or have rips, or visible wear. But, we do not wash and dry what comes in ... we get thousands of pieces a month. There would be no end to the laundry!

We unpack, whether from a box or bag, check for imperfections, and sort accordingly. With no visible problems we hang 'em and put out on the floor. Within a short time, the wrinkles will tone down.

With slight problems we put on shelves in a special section for Free to those who are in need. And with significant problems, we send to a recycler.

The other day I unpacked insulated men's coveralls. There was wear only in one spot, and i bet these things retailed for $75 or more. They went in the Free section and were gone within an hour.

I never give anything that hasn't been washed but I do wonder if very much of it gets recycled. I wonder how much of it goes into bins for rags unless it's brand new with a sticker on it.

My mom, as a volunteer, ran the donations side of a hospital thrift shop for many years. Be liver me, nothing is washed, cleaned or pressed. Sometimes she’d bring things home and wash them herself if they were very nice. Dirty spotted things were donated to a guy who sent large bundles overseas or recycled them as rags.

when I donate I wash everything that can be washed and put them in shopping bags. I always seem to have plenty of those. I don’t pay for items to be dry cleaned, though.

If you buy thrift shop clothes, have the woolens and silks cleaned before they come in your house to avoid bringing in moths.

Sylvia Gordon, what a wonderful person you've described. Is there any way to offer support to her from a distance? I'd like to send her $50.

I agree Sylvia - She sounds like a very giving person with a big heart.

i usually just put the clean, bagged clothing into one of the Planet Aid drop boxes scattered about town. I believe most of what they collect is sent to underdeveloped countries. We don't have very much to donate lately since my son finally stopped growing. My DW's share of the closet could probably use some donating though!

Our local Women's Shelter is always in need of and very appreciative of clean and serviceable women's and children's clothing. I have no idea how they handle the donations as to ironing, etc. I've always made sure anything I take to them is ready to wear, clean and carefully folded in boxes.

I put men's clothing, also clean and carefully folded in bags, in a Ronald McDonald House collection box. Personally, I feel these are both organizations that actually do some good in this world.

Rusty

I generally wash everything thoroughly before sending to the thrift store. Much of the kids clothes, that have eventually been donated over the years, had mystery stains on them, so I got in the habit of doing a long oxiclean soak to get em super clean and give them a better chance at a second life.

The rule of thumb told to me years ago was to donate things in such a way that they are "shelf ready."

I can't remember the last time I donated clothing of any kind. I saw a documentary once about the amount of textile waste this country produces, and how much if not most of donated clothing ends up in the trash.

I also do not shop at thrift stores.

Me and SO do tend to wear our clothes to death. They would be of no use to anyone else if they are of no use to us. He can always use more rags for his car stuff. So that is their fate.

But if I did for some reason donate clothing, I would most definitely wash it before I did so.

I never donate anything I haven't washed first. I try to donate through Marketplace on Facebook first (just gave away a lot of my kids baby clothes and blankets: vintage at this point.... a few days ago). I know the stores here do not wash anything before putting them on the shelf to sell. And I'm leary about donating to most stores here because I know they often just send them to the dump anyway. I gave my sons clothes to the mens shelter after he passed away. Most were like brand new and I know they went to a good cause.

The world is drowning in excess textiles. It is a subject that has managed, in the recent weeks, to filter down through the massive coverage of our dire political situation. pending pandemic of disease, and unprecedented meteorlogical storms into the above the fold reporting.

Most of what we give away has little to no value to anyone else. Even the third world communities are awash with it and it is filling up landfills on distant shores.

I have seen the backrooms of the charity stores that are filled to the ceiling with stuff. Many of us have our stories how the charity has refused to take this or that when we brought it to them. There is just so darned much excess, of everything.

I have done my fair share of it. Just yesterday things went from my house to the SA, including some clothing. Right now I still have a stack of mostly unworn things that I am trying to find a home for.

When you read the business reports, one thing that seems to be happening is that retailers selling women clothes are registering a down turn in sales of clothes. There are many speculative reasons for that.

Jane Fonda has declared that she is not going to buy anymore clothes for the rest of her life. Laudable? Maybe. But, considering her age and the fact that she likely has rooms full of clothes, it can't be much of a sacrifice for her. Still, it is symbolic and I certainly hope that it resonates.

I am still pouring things that I need to get rid of out into the waste stream. But I have taken great efforts to not buy more stuff to replace it. It is hard to go against the tide of consumerism. It is such a strong tide.

As to those donated clothes. I, personally, always send things along after a fresh wash. It is a matter of personal pride and respect, even if no one but myself knows it.

There's a volunteer-run van in our city that collects donations for the homeless. That's where hubby's t-shirts, jeans, socks, underwear, deodorant and anything else I could think of went.

Other things I sold.

Everything I donate is freshly washed and folded neatly. I once bags of clothing to a Mennonite Thrift shop and handed them to the volunteer. I told her they all came from a smoke-free home and were freshly cleaned. She was very appreciative and thanked me immensely.

I donate clean clothes but have often wondered if goodwill has a small steamer they can use especially on blouses. When my husband died I asked if they needed any extra items as he had a lot at the nursing home and also here at home. They were items that were easy on, easy off. They said so many people come in the nursing home with hardly any clothes and no family to buy them more. They were happy to get everything I dropped off. Yesterday I dropped off a large garbage bag full of older towels, blankets, sheets, and a couple of old pillows at humane society. She said they go through so much with the animals.

I wish that the animal shelters had drop off places that were easy. I have looked but never found one. You would think that maybe the local vets would host something like that.

As to the clothing donations, it is hard to believe that the SA or the GW don't do something to the clothes to fumigate them. There is a pervasive smell in the stores and in the clothes and I wouldn't buy anything that can't be washed a few times before it gets worn. You would think that there might be vermin, fleas or lice in those clothes. being as how there are so many environments that they come from. Then there is mold and mildew and human body odors. Not all who donate do so with cleanliness in mind. I see these programs where they clean out the homes of hoarders and send that stuff to a resale shop. Ugh!!!

Bless you, Elmer!

Sally Poarch,

c/o The sticker place

401 West Main

Waxahachie tx 75165

Mailed $50 today. Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention, hopefully others can send her some money too.