Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question about something that’s not covered here?
We’d love to help so please get in touch.
About Us
Donate Clothes UK is part of Your Donation Ltd, which has been collecting your pre-loved clothes to raise funds for British charities since 2011. By giving your clothes the chance of a second home, you’re also helping to reduce waste and keep reusable clothing in use. Declutter your wardrobe, but leave your heart full with Donate Clothes!
We don’t put plastic bags through your door. Instead, you pick a charity to support, book a free collection on an available day that suits you and pack up your pre-loved clothes in a bag or box of your choice. No need to wait for a collection bag to arrive — we’ll collect from your doorstep and do the rest!
What Can I Donate?
We’d love your good-quality clean adults’ and children’s clothing, as well as paired shoes, underwear, lingerie and swimwear. We also accept accessories such as handbags, belts and jewellery, including gold, silver, fashion and costume jewellery, bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings and watches.
You can also donate bed linen, sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, curtains, towels and small soft toys. Perfumes, toiletries, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, small bric-a-brac items and new, sealed jigsaw puzzles are also welcome.
Please don’t include stained, damaged, wet or rag-quality clothing, as we can only collect clean, dry and reusable items. We’re also not able to take duvets, pillows, cushions, books, DVDs, CDs, video games, coat hangers, lampshades, roller blinds, carpets, rugs, plastic toys, board games, used or opened puzzles, furniture, mattresses, large electrical items, large bric-a-brac items, big soft toys or huge teddy bears.
Yes, we’d love clean baby clothes too.
Yes, we’re happy to accept jewellery as part of your donation. This can include gold and silver jewellery, as well as fashion jewellery, costume jewellery, bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, watches and similar small accessories.
Please place any jewellery in a small sealed bag, pouch or box and keep it securely inside your donation bag. As donations are processed in bulk, please only include items you are sure you wish to donate, as we may not be able to locate or return individual items once collected.
Yes, we accept clean towels and curtains.
No, we do not collect furniture or white goods. This includes items like sofas, chairs, tables, wardrobes, refrigerators, washing machines, ovens, and other large household appliances. If you have any questions about specific items, please feel free to ask.
Yes. As long as your perfume bottle is 50% or more full, we’d love to receive it.
We do! We’re happy to collect new jigsaw puzzles, as long as they’re still sealed and unopened.
As your clothes will be heading to a new home, please make sure they’re clean, dry and in good condition. If they need a wash, let them dry completely before packing them in your donation bag or box.
Small bric-a-brac includes a variety of items such as household items, antiques, clocks, crockery, cutlery, glassware, hand/power tools, kitchenware, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, PCs & accessories, soft toys, small electricals, ornaments, toys, toiletries (at least 50% full), and vases. These items should be small enough to handle easily during collection and distribution.
How Does The Collection Service Work?
First, choose a charity you’d like to support. Enter your postcode to check whether we collect from your address, then pick an available date for your free clothes collection. You can leave us instructions about where to find your donation when you book.
Our step-by-step collection guide walks you through the rest.
Yes, that’s absolutely fine. You can use a black bin liner or another bag or box you already have. Just make sure it keeps your donation together and dry, and that our driver can safely handle it alone.
Of course! Simply leave your bag outside your door or in a safe place and we’ll pick it up. Just make sure you let us know where in the comment box when you book your collection.
What can I do? That’s not a problem, just get in touch or call 0330 380 1677 and we’ll update your details.
Just get in touch or call 0330 380 1677 and we’ll check what other dates may be available in your area.
We’ll send you a confirmation email once we’ve picked up your bag. Additionally, we also send an SMS notification. Please don’t forget to check your spam folder as a small number of our emails can end up there.
Our van has the Donate Clothes logo on it. Your collector will be wearing a hi-vis vest and will carry an ID card.
We’ll be in touch on the morning of your collection day to let you know the approximate time we’ll be with you. It will definitely be between 9am and 6pm.
We collect from selected towns and cities. You can browse our collection areas to find local information, then enter your postcode when booking to check availability for your address and see the available dates.
No, unfortunately, we’re unable to accept donations directly at our warehouse. For safety reasons, our warehouse is not open to the public. Instead, you can book a free home collection. Just select your preferred charity, enter your postcode and choose an available date.
Although there have been cases where we’ve reunited members of the public with their possessions, it is generally not possible to return donated items, mainly because of the large volume of clothes we collect. However, it’s always worth getting in touch – we’ll do our very best to help!
Yes, of course. Just give us your instructions in the comment box when booking your collection and we’ll let your driver know.
Just take your bag of pre-loved clothes indoors or leave it somewhere sheltered. If your driver can’t find it, he’ll knock on your door to ask where it is. Alternatively, just get in touch or call 0330 380 1677 to let us know your updated instructions.
Just leave us a note in the comment box when you book your collection. But don’t worry, we’ll give you a call if we’re struggling to find you.
Our collections run from 9am to 6pm. If your donation hasn’t been collected by the end of the day, please get in touch and quote your booking reference number or postcode so we can look into it.
Charities & Environment
No, although we are registered with the Fundraising Regulator. Working alongside our partner charities, our clothes recycling scheme acts as a fundraising tool.
We pay your chosen charity £200 per tonne of clothing collected. On average, these charity payments represent around 82% of our profit.
Our collection service is for clean, dry clothes that can be worn again. Your driver takes your donation to our warehouse, where the items are checked, weighed and sorted, with the details reported to your chosen charity.
Suitable items are sold for reuse, including through export to Europe, Asia and Africa. Your chosen charity benefits from a payment based on the weight of clothing collected. Find out more about where your donated clothes go.
Ready to declutter your wardrobe but leave your heart full?
Pick a charity to find out if we collect in your area.
What Can I Donate?
Discover what we do and don’t collect from your doorstep.
Please give us:
Please don’t give us:
- Good-quality clean adults’ and children’s clothing
- Paired shoes
- Handbags, belts & accessories
- Jewellery, necklaces, bracelets & rings
- Underwear, lingerie & swimwear
- Bed linen, sheets, duvet covers & pillowcases
- Curtains, towels & small soft toys
- Perfumes & toiletries
- Laptops, tablets & mobile phones
- Small bric-a-brac & new, sealed jigsaw puzzles
- Stained or damaged clothing
- Rags, scrap textiles & wet items
- Duvets, pillows & cushions
- Books, DVDs, CDs & video games
- Coat hangers, lampshades & roller blinds
- Carpets & rugs
- Plastic toys, board games & used or opened puzzles
- Furniture & mattresses
- Large electrical items
- Large bric-a-brac
Why recycle your clothes with Donate Clothes?
By donating your pre-loved clothes and textiles, you’re not just supporting a British charity of your choice, helping them raise funds without the need for setting up a shop or collection centre. You’re also propelling the textiles industry towards a circular economy.
Did you know?
An estimated £140m worth of clothing is sent to UK landfill every year. That’s around 350,000 tonnes.
The average UK household owns £4000 worth of clothes.
The value of unused clothes in UK wardrobes is a whopping £30bn.
* Source: WRAP