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What to do with old clothes: 11 tips to recycle, repurpose, and resell

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Whether your old clothes are outdated, worn, or no longer fit, we put together the best ways to get rid of unwanted clothes — and maybe earn a little cash in the process:

What to do with old clothes that are wearable

If your old clothes are still wearable — meaning they’re free of any significant stains, rips, smells, or other wear and tear — here are a few things you can do:

1. Give them away

Do you have a friend or family member who is about your size? Ask them if they’d like the clothes you’re clearing out. You can tell the person to donate whatever they don’t want to keep, or you can give those clothes to someone else. 

Find a Goodwill or another thrift store nearby to donate anything you can't give away:

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2. Resell your old clothes at a yard sale

Price your clothes at a few bucks per piece and sell them at a yard sale. You can also package similar style or same-sized clothing and sell as a bundle.

Some neighborhoods and communities organize yard sales where anybody can participate. However, you can also create and advertise your own yard sale. 

Put up signs on surrounding roads to advertise your sale, or create a social media event. There are also a few websites and apps where you can list your garage sale to people looking for garage sales in your area: 

  • Gsalr – You can post information about your garage sale and pictures of what you’re selling for free on Gsalr’s website or app. Gaslr sends out a daily digest to its subscribers with upcoming local garage sales.
  • VarageSale – VarageSale is a website and app that acts like a virtual garage sale. You have to have a Facebook account to join and connect with other people in your community. Users post their items and arrange pickup with buyers. 
  • Craigslist – Post photos of some of your items on Craigslist or advertise your garage sale. Check out these other sites like Craigslist

3. Resell your old clothes at a consignment shop

When you sell your old clothes at a consignment shop, the shop will either pay you upfront for the items they accept or pay you a percentage of the sale price once an item sells. 

Every consignment shop sets its own commission rates. For example, Plato’s Closet sells merchandise at about 60-70% off its original retail price and offers the seller about 1/3 of that projected amount upfront. 

You can find nearby consignment shops by searching for “consignment stores near me” online: 

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4. Resell your old clothes online

You can also resell your old clothes through an online consignment store or marketplace. These are some popular sites to sell your clothes online:

Check out this post with 21 apps for selling stuff online.

5. Donate your old clothes

You can donate your clothes to a thrift store or nonprofit organization like Vietnam Veterans of America, which will come to your home and pick up bags of unwanted clothing and other household items. 

These are some other organizations where you can drop off or request a pickup of your unwanted clothes:

  • Salvation Army
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Goodwill
  • AMVETS National Service Foundation
  • The Arc
  • GreenDrop

While consignment shops are generally for-profit businesses, thrift stores normally benefit a charity or nonprofit and do not pay you for your clothes.

6. Participate in a clothing swap

Organize a clothing swap where you get together with a group of friends and everybody brings a bag of clothes they no longer want. Obviously, everyone who participates should have at least one other person who wears the same size.

You’ll go home with a fresh closet, and any leftover items that nobody wants can be donated.

7. Upcycle old clothes

Get more use out of your old clothes by upcycling them. If you can sew, great — but if not, don’t worry! There are still plenty of creative options. Your clothes could become a:

  • Throw pillow
  • Quilt or blanket
  • Dog or cat toy
  • Wreath
  • Rug
  • Scrunchie or headband 
  • Handbag or tote bag
  • Infinity scarf

Find a tutorial online and have some fun. Then save your creations for yourself, or sell them to others for a few extra bucks.

What to do with old jeans

If you’re wondering what to do with old jeans, denim can be sold or donated if it’s in good condition. But there are also several creative ways to recycle or repurpose your jeans. For example, try turning your jeans into:

  • Purse or wallet
  • Organizer 
  • Apron
  • Throw pillow
  • Rug, blanket, or quilt 
  • Slippers
  • Jewelry
  • Upholstery 
  • Pet toy

Or recycle jeans through a nonprofit like Blue Jeans Go Green, whose partner stores offer discounts on future clothing purchases for dropping off your jeans. 

What to do with old clothes that cannot be donated or worn

If your clothes are in such bad shape they can’t be donated or worn, here’s what to do with them:

8. Repurpose those clothes

Keep old clothes around the house to wear when you’re doing messy projects, like yardwork or painting. If the clothes are unwearable, grab your sewing kit and mend whatever you can or transform old clothes using one of these ideas:

  • Turn old socks into sock monkeys or coffee cup cozies 
  • Turn old sweaters into socks, a beanie, or boot cuffs
  • Turn a baby hat into an infinity scarf 
  • Add paint or other embellishments to old shoes
  • Give old clothes to your kids to play dress-up

9. Give them to an animal shelter

Call your local animal shelter or humane society and see if they need any old clothes. They might accept items like sweaters or T-shirts to make beds and blankets for the animals.

10. Recycle old clothes

Recycle old clothes at any of these textile recycling facilities:

11. Compost old clothes made of natural fibers

If your clothes are made of natural fibers, you can compost them. Any of the following fabrics get the green light for composting:

  • Pure cotton
  • Linen
  • Hemp
  • Silk
  • Wool
  • Cashmere
  • Jute
  • Rayon
  • Bamboo rayon
  • Lyocell

Remove any stains, buttons, zippers, and labels from the garments and cut the fabric into small pieces. Then, put the pieces in your compost bin.

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What to do with old clothes FAQs

These are some tips if you want to get rid of old clothes you no longer wear:

Should you get rid of old clothes?

World-renowned organizer Marie Kondo once said: 

“To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. To throw away what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful.”

Clothing that no longer fits you or that is overly worn or outdated is just taking up space in your home that could be used for other things. 

If your old clothes are in good condition, you can get rid of them by reselling through an in-person or online consignment shop, or you can donate to a thrift store or nonprofit organization.

You may be able to recycle or compost old clothes that cannot be donated.

What do you do with lots of old clothes?

If your clothes are in good condition, you can bring them to a consignment shop and try to make some money.

If you don’t care about making money on your old clothes, you can request a bulk pickup from a nonprofit organization like AMVETS or drop them at Goodwill. 

If your clothes are unwearable, you can also recycle them at places like Terracycle or FABSCRAP.

Can you recycle old jeans for cash?

There are a few stores that will recycle old jeans and give you coupons for your donation: 

  • Madewell accepts old jeans and recycles them into insulation via the Blue Jeans Go Green program. They’ll give you $20 off any full-price pair of Madewell jeans in the store for your donation.
  • Anthropologie accepts jeans and other old denim items as long as they’re at least 90% cotton. They occasionally run promos for $20 off a $100 purchase in exchange for your donation.
  • American Eagle Outfitters recycles clothes to benefit people in rural India via the Clothes Box Foundation and through Blue Jeans Go Green. For your donation, you’ll get money off a new pair of jeans (promotions vary).
  • H&M accepts bags of old clothes (not just jeans) in exchange for a 15% off coupon.

You can also box and ship your jeans directly to Blue Jeans Go Green.

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Should you get rid of old clothes?

Clothing that no longer fits you or that is overly worn or outdated is just taking up space in your home that could be used for other things.

What do you do with lots of old clothes?

If your clothes are in good condition, you can bring them to a consignment shop and try to make some money. If your clothes are unwearable, you can also recycle them at places like Terracycle or FABSCRAP.

Can you recycle old jeans for cash?

There are a few stores that will recycle old jeans and give you coupons for your donation: Madewell, Anthropologie, American Eagle Outfitters, and H&M.

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