Spring Cleaning 101: Declutter and Donate to Make a Difference

Spring cleaning is an annual rite of passage for many as they get set for warmer weather. But did you know that spring cleaning can also help others in your community get a fresh start? When you clear out the items you no longer need and donate them to Goodwill®, they are sold in stores and online to create employment and training opportunities for people who are looking for jobs or want to advance in their careers.

This year, Goodwill teamed up with downsizing and decluttering expert Matt Paxton to demonstrate how donations to Goodwill translate into programs and services in northwest North Carolina. Plus, he’s sharing his tips for organizing your decluttered space. And there’s no better time to downsize than when you see those first hints of spring.

“Spring is an ideal time for families to declutter their homes,” said Paxton, who wrote Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff. “I always remind people that it’s the stories they should hang onto and not the stuff. Why not take it one step further and help someone else write the next chapter of their story with a new job simply by donating items to your local Goodwill?”

Goodwill, a leading nonprofit workforce provider in North America, reminds people to follow the Paxton-approved ‘Three Ds’ when tackling their spring cleaning this year: Declutter, Donate and Make a Difference.

Declutter: Take it one room at a time. Enlist the help of family members to go through each room and separate items into keep, toss, or donate piles. Take the time to tell stories about each item you are removing from your space so that you can keep the memories alive. Before throwing away any clothes or functioning household items, consider whether those items can be donated.

Donate: After taking inventory of bedrooms, storage closets, the attic or basement, and even your car’s trunk, take useable items to your nearest Goodwill donation site so that others can enjoy them.

Make a Difference: Donors can take pride in giving to Goodwill, as the sale of donations supports employment programs that help people find jobs and build careers in their communities. Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina devotes 89 percent of revenue from the sale of donated goods to supporting its community-based programs and services, such as digital skills training, credentials and certifications, transportation, mentoring and more.

Together with Paxton, Goodwill encourages people to clear their homes of unwanted items and put them to good use by donating them to help their local communities. Every instance of decluttering and organizing inspired by Paxton’s work will help create tangible donations for Goodwill.

Visit Goodwill Industries International’s site at www.goodwill.org for more spring cleaning tips. You can also use Goodwill’s donation impact calculator to find out how your donation can help move your community forward.

About Matt Paxton

Matt Paxton is a leading downsizing and decluttering expert and author of Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life (Penguin Random House/AARP, February 2022). He started on this career path after his father, stepfather and both grandfathers died in the same year, leaving him with several estates to settle at once. He and his network of experts have been working with families struggling with settling estates and cleanouts for almost 20 years. He is the host of the Emmy-nominated public television series “Legacy List with Matt Paxton,” which launched its third season in January 2022. The series is produced by MY Entertainment and Shipyard Entertainment in association with VPM, Virginia’s home for public media, and distributed by American Public Television (APT). He has also been a featured expert throughout 13 seasons of the hit A&E TV show, “Hoarders.” Paxton appears regularly as a public speaker and television and radio personality, helping families find the upside of downsizing. Matt can be found online at www.LegacyList.com.