Have you opened your cupboard at the start of the year and realised that you have a lot of clutter? Perhaps you have a large amount of clothes that you bought with the intention to ‘wear it someday’, but that day hasn’t yet come. Maybe you’ve been gifted items that you don’t use or have things you no longer use.
HospiceWits Shops would be delighted to help you find a new home for all of your unwanted items. Not only will you be helping out a wonderful cause, you’ll also be helping the environment as thrift shopping has gained popularity over the past decade.
Don’t know where to start with clearing your home of clutter? HospiceWits has these five handy tips to get you started:
- Start with your clothing and linen cupboards.
The rule of thumb here is that if you haven’t worn it in six months or a year, it’s got to go. Weed out all those outfits that are just lying there reminding you that you’ve never worn them. That summer dress you wanted to wear if you got invited to a wedding two years ago? Let it go. The formal tie you bought in the early 2000s ‘just in case’ that’s never been worn? That has to go too. If you’ve not worn it at all, or if it hasn’t been worn for some time, pack it into a bag or box to donate. HospiceWits accepts clothing, linen and shoes that are in good condition at their charity shops.
- Kitchen clearing
If you have an appliance that you no longer use, but it still works, it can definitely find a new home through the HospiceWits shops. We often upgrade appliances such as toasters, irons or microwaves, but have no idea what to do with the old ones. Donating them not only keeps them out of landfills, but allows someone else to make use out of them. Dinner services, cutlery, serving dishes and braais in good condition are all candidates for donation. Now that Christmas is over and you don’t know what to do with that chafing dish that you were gifted, donating to the HospiceWits shops will ensure your unwanted and unused items will find a new home.
- Share the gift of reading
We all have that box of books or that bookcase that we keep promising ourselves we need to clean out. This is the perfect time to go through them and sort out the books that you wish to donate. HospiceWits shops love books! Whether it’s a cookbook or textbook, novel or DIY manual, these can all benefit someone else. Set some time aside over a weekend and get your whole family involved in sorting through your book collection.
- More knick for your knack
Ornaments, antiques, and bric-a-brac need to be sorted through on a regular basis. Styles change and so do tastes. It’s time to take stock of what is on your shelves. Be ruthless in deciding what to keep and what to let go of, especially when it comes to knick-knacks. The old adage that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure is true. Remember what Mari Kondo says: “if it doesn’t spark joy, it has to go”. Make sure that you wrap your breakable items carefully when you pack them before you donate them to HospiceWits shops so that they don’t break in transit.
- Do you really need so much furniture?
Go around your home and assess if you are experiencing furniture overload. Sometimes we keep items of furniture we don’t need or use, hoping that you will indeed use it ‘one day’. In the meantime, that old cabinet or coffee table is simply taking up space you could use in your home for something else. Lighten up your living space by donating furniture items to the HospiceWits shops. You will find that having more space in your home not only means less dusting, but also creates mental lightness. (HospiceWits can collect furniture items, so don’t worry about how you might get your donation to them.)
HospiceWits has charity shops in Orange Grove, Parkmore & Kensington.
Visit www.hospicewits.co.za/our-shops to find the one closest to you.
