👕closet audit before you bag anything for donation

so it doesn't just go straight to landfill. learned most of this the hard way from a consignment shop saying no to half my bag

smell test every piece, not just the pits

smoke and mildew are the two rejections i see most and neither comes out in one wash

check stains under a bright light, not the closet bulb

yellowing pit stains basically never come out, i learned this the hard way with a whole bag of shirts

count missing buttons and broken zippers

consignment shops want it wearable as-is, not a mending project for them

sort by destination before you even start a bag

consign / swap / recycle / trash - one pile each, otherwise everything ends up in the donation bag by default

pull anything bought in the last year you never wore

tags-still-on stuff sells the fastest and fastest tells you what you actually don't like

check for a manufacturer or brand label

no-label pieces (a lot of amazon/shein basics) get turned away at intake almost everywhere

skip anything that's been in a garage bin over a season

silverfish and damp get in there and you won't notice til it's on someone else's hanger

separate out-of-season stuff into its own pile

consignment shops mostly buy current season, off-season sits in their back room and then gets returned to you

check elastane/waistbands for stretch-out

leggings especially - loose in the store means it's not bouncing back, still going strong is not a thing waistbands do

no garbage bags, ever

sounds petty but it's an actual rejection reason, they assume the worst about what's inside

photograph anything nice before it leaves the house

for my own records honestly, not the shop's. i regret not doing this with a coat i loved

double check kids and maternity go to a separate specialty spot

Or start a list of your own. Free, it takes a minute.

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