What to Do with Old Clothes That Don’t Spark Joy

If you’re following the Marie Kondo home organization method, you may be familiar with the term “spark joy.” According to a recent Good Housekeeping article, the proper steps of Marie Kondo’s Konmari method are:

1. Commit yourself to tidying up.
2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
3. Finish discarding first. Before getting rid of items, sincerely thank each item for serving its purpose.
4. Tidy by category, not location.
5. Follow the right order.
6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy.

One of the unique aspects of this method is that Marie Kondo places emphasis on respecting the items you own, even if you plan to donate them. She encourages people to “thank” each item for the joy it has given them before placing it in a donation pile.

Each person in your household should commit to cleaning out their own closet. Designate an area in the room for donations. Each item you place in the pile should be thanked before it’s tossed aside. Before you know it, you’ll have piles of trash bags ready to donate.

At Goodwill, we receive donations from the community every day, so our racks are always stocked with tons of unique finds. If your clothing doesn’t spark joy for you anymore, chances are it will spark joy for someone else. In addition to donating your clothes to Goodwill, there are other ways to share the joy.

Plan a Neighborhood Joy Swap

If other houses in your neighborhood are also using the Konmari method, plan a neighborhood “joy” swap. Everyone brings their piles of clothes they no longer want. Then, everyone can grab what they want. Anything left over can be brought to Goodwill!

Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona is deeply rooted in the local community. When you choose to drop off your no-longer-needed items at Goodwill, you give new life to clothing and other items that would otherwise be thrown away.

Thinking about donating your gently used clothes to Goodwill? Find location near you.