Setting Up a Donation Station

One quick and easy step to starting (or continuing) to de-clutter, organize, and generally say Goodbye to Junk is to set up a donation station.

 

I know, this isn’t exactly revolutionary, and chances are you may have already heard this tip somewhere else before.  But it’s worth repeating.  It truly does make a difference. 

Simply put, a donation station is just a place to collect the stuff you no longer need.

It’s a designated spot to put things that you’re ready to pass on to Goodwill or whatever charity it is you like to bless with donated items.   It makes it easy to collect things, because there is a spot ready to collect them as you come across them and decide they are no longer needed.  It makes it easy to donate, because all you have to do is wait for the donation station to fill up, and then drop it off or schedule a local pickup.

I’ve been using a Donation Station in our home for over a year now.  I love it.  In fact, it’s worked so well, that I realized it would be easier to have more than one.  Right now, I have a small one behind the door in my laundry room:

This old kids hamper is the perfect donation station collection zone.  It’s right there when something comes through the laundry and it’s too small and ready to be donated.  I just wash, dry, fold, and place it in the donation bin.  Or, if you think you might forget which piece of clothing is too small, you could always toss them in the hamper dirty, then wash them all together when it gets full and then donate.  Either way.  Convenient and easy.  Oh, and the bonus with this setup? It’s up high and out of sight…perfect for those old toys that you want to make sure STAY donated….

I have another donation station set up in the garage:

This one is definitely not pretty. In fact, it kind of bugs me that it’s so junky looking. But the point is to collect items to donate, not make the cutest box to collect them in…. So I let go of how it looks, and focus on the fact that it’s simple, and it works.
Finally, my very favorite way to set up a donation station is by re-using these brown paper bags from the store:

I love that they are re-useable, free, portable, and whatever is collected in there can be dropped off, bag and all!   I usually have at least one of these hidden as a donation station in an unseen corner of the family room.    Easy!

How about you? 

Do you use a donation station? 

What works for you?

 

Tagged as: Goodbye Junk, organize & Simplify