When we first walked through our current home, we were stopped in our tracks by the master bathroom and closet. Even before we bought the house, we knew that space needed a change. When it was time to remodel the room, we had some rather large items that we didn’t know what to do with. Enter: Habitat for Humanity.
Among the items we knew we didn’t want anymore were a 10-foot-long vanity top and a large bathtub. We also had multiple interior doors that needed a new home. The end goal was to not just throw these items away.
A family member suggested we call our local Habitat for Humanity center to see if we could donate the items. So, that’s exactly what we did. The whole process from start to finish was so easy. Moving forward, they will be the first place we call if we remodel any other areas in our home.
Habitat for Humanity was unable to take everything we wanted to donate. However, they were able to take a majority of our items. It depends on the individual location’s needs at the time of donation. If you are in a season of remodel (or spring cleaning), stay with me here. I want to share with you how easy it is to find a new home for your no-longer-needed household items!
1. Make a list of ALL items you want to donate to Habitat for Humanity.
First, figure out what exactly it is you would like to donate. As we were taking our bathroom apart, we wrote down which items could potentially be donated. It was helpful to have a master list to add to as the demo progressed.
We knew right away that we did not want to just throw away the bathtub. It was in great condition – it simply wasn’t something we wanted in our new bathroom. If any items weren’t salvageable (like for instance, if it was damaged or not in great condition), it did get thrown away. What was left became our donation items.
2. Find out which Habitat for Humanity location services your area.
Since I was not sure which location was the one for us, I called both the Shelby Township and Waterford locations. You can check which location is closest to you based on your zip code by using their website. It was so easy to do and, honestly, I did not realize they had so many locations!
3. Contact the Habitat for Humanity location where you would like to donate.
Individual locations will have different needs, so it’s really important you have that list you made with you when you call. While both locations I called were able to service the area where we lived, only one of the locations was going to be able to take ALL of the items we planned to donate. So this was the location we set up the donation with.
I confirmed with her exactly what we planned to donate, and she told me that if anything changed, I needed to let her know. She also let me know that if items were damaged, they would not be taken at the pickup.
Another important thing to note is that you need to have a certain number of large items to donate in order to secure a pickup date. If I remember correctly, we needed to have THREE large items. Of course, confirm this with the location when you call.
4. Set up a date for pickup/drop off.
Once it was confirmed that we had enough large items to warrant a pickup, a date was set and I received a confirmation email. The soonest they could come to the house was a little over a month out, so we found a spot to keep the items in until the date arrived. So be sure that you have an alternate location for your items just in case you have to wait!
I also kept in contact with the representative who helped confirm the pickup. We had extra items from other rooms in the house we were interested in donating. A quick e-mail was all it took to see if I could add them to our donation. Unfortunately they were not accepting what we hoped to donate, but it was nice that there was the option to add more items if necessary.
5. Move and clean the items.
We had actually already moved the items before calling Habitat for Humanity, but now would be the time to move them if you haven’t yet. I also cleaned the items up — I wiped down the vanity top and tub, made sure the doors were in good condition, etc.
6. On pick-up day…
Be ready to say good-bye to your items! When they arrived on the pickup date, they easily loaded the items onto the truck they brought with them. I received an e-mail receipt shortly after pickup and that was that!
While donating these items to Habitat for Humanity did require a bit of planning and waiting, I definitely feel that it was worth it. Donating your large household items also presents a unique and timely opportunity to speak with your children about donation and how it helps others. This may even turn into a chance for your children to donate some of their toys and clothes to a local organization.
