Any suggestions about where to donate clothes that Goodwill won't take?

Homeless shelters. There’s one near us called InnVision. They supply clothing and housewares to people who come and ask for them. And the stuff that’s not good enough for that—well, they bundle it into garbage bags and ship it to Third World countries. I spent a day there as a volunteer, part of my company’s community service effort, and those were our instructions for sorting donations.

Homeless shelters maybe?

I second @Jeruba‘s answer – homeless shelters are your best bet, as long as they aren’t totally ripped or stained.

Definitely homeless shelters…the one Jeruba discribed sounds great! It’s awesome that they ship away even the stuff that isn’t good enough. Even some really torn clothing or scraps could really help someone in a Third World country.

@Jeruba‘s suggestion is great. You could also donate it to the Salvation Army.

I donate all my old clothes to the San Francisco Veterans Administration hospital (where I work sometimes). Essentially, the clothes go to homeless veterans who come through the emergency department. I feel an added bonus is that these are veterans, and, since they have served our country, the least I can do is help cloth them in their time of need. I especially like to give suits and sports jackets/nice pants that I can no longer wear. Sometimes all it takes is for a down-on-his luck veteran to walk away with a suit to brighten his day (and perhaps, help him get a job to get back on his feet).

May as well throw them out. That is where they are going to end up anyway. But this way they will end up in a landfill near your house instead of a landfill in Africa.

Oh, and clean towels and blankets are of great use to folks at the animal shelter. When our old cat came home from there in a box, we found him laid gently on a soft pink blanket that had probably been a baby blanket. I can’t tell you how comforting that was.

Also, old/rag cotton clothing can be recycled- look for websites advertising this near you. Better that than a landfill.

You have all forgotten the obvious answer. Take them to the Goodwill after hours. They bundle these up along with the unacceptable donated items and sell them for rags to make newsprint.

I have heard (and read) that just about any thrift store will take clothing in any condition, and sort it into three categories: Sell in the shop. Send to third world countries. Recycle/Rags. Goodwill’s main mission is not selling clothes to poor families, it is providing work/training for developmentally disabled individuals. Part of their work is sorting through donations, so look at it that way :)

Your local jail will take donations for their clothing bank. You’d be surprised how many naked people are brought in. People treated at the hospital arrive with only the hospital gown on. Others are in custody a long time and outgrow the clothes they were arrested in, or they were arrested in the summer and get released in the winter. Shoes are appreciated, too.