Out of the Closet Thrift Stores may be the most famous thrift "chain" store in the World. Not only are their ads pushing items donations super sexy, they even have a Hall of Fame page on their website (celebrities who have donated their unused wares to their cause).
Locations:
The chain includes dozens of well-run locations around its headquarters here in Southern California (Los Angeles), Northern California (San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley) and the State of Florida (Miami, South Beach and Ft. Lauderdale).
Who benefits?
Many of their locations offer confidential, free HIV testing and proceeds benefit AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest specialized provider of cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay. That attracts a lot of passionate givers.
Celebs who donate:
Renowned for donations made by today's most popular celebrities and major television and film studio production houses, droppers off of gently used items include Elizabeth Taylor, Ron Howard, Bruce Willis, Ellen Degeneres, Carol Burnett, Richard Gere, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, and Elvira (Mistress of the Dark).
Out of the Closet is one of our favorite charties and we've mentioned them on this blog through case studies and a story about Kate Olsen donating her clothes to the West Hollywood location. They've even been nominated for several Los Angeles Organizing Awards in the "Most Supportive Organizer-Friendly" category.
How to pick a donation charity:
We encourage our organizing clients to pick a thrift store charity for the year, and use that relationship to feel good about their giving. So why not develop an sense of organiziation with heart?
There are a lot of choices for your donations, pick the charity that you identify with for religious, social, or political reasons. Items should be in clean and saleable condition. Depending on individual policies, some items are subject to refusal. If you drop off junk, they may have to throw it away, and your "good deed" becomes an unnecessary expense to the charity management.
Share your charity:
What is your thrift store charity for 2012? Share your charity with your friends. And, why not post a link to their website, below. What tips do you have for thrift store donations?
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Our food safety post from August 15th got some interesting comments from Facebook.
We'd like to share one of them with you:
Food Safety Comment From Facebook Paul:
"Expiration dates on shelf foods and canned foods do not mean that the day it expires, it goes bad. Lots of food is still good after that date depending on how it was stored. If it was stored in a warm or hot environment, then the food will expire much sooner than the expiration date. Do note that the FDA only has "guidelines" on expiration dates. There is no standard. my next post is taken directly from the canned food alliance regarding safety and shelf life of most canned foods.
Canned food has a shelf life of at least two years from the date of processing. Canned food retains its safety and nutritional value well beyond two years, but it may have some variation in quality, such as a change of color and texture.
Canning is a high-heat process that renders the food commercially sterile. Food safety is not an issue in products kept on the shelf or in the pantry for long periods of time. In fact, canned food has an almost indefinite shelf life at moderate temperatures (75° F and below)."
We forwarded Paul's comment to the Canned Food Alliance:
This question comes up frequently working with our organizing clients. So we took the time to forward an inquiry to the follks at HomeFoodSafey.org website. Here's what we wrote to them: "We received some interesting Facebook comments regarding some food safety guildelines on your website. Would you be willing to make a comment about this? This suggestion is really opposite from what your suggestions are. Through the high-heat process, canned food may last much longer than the 1-year you suggest. In fact, other experts are saying, the food lasts for much, much, longer; ie; years. Thank you very much."
HomeFoodSafety.org Response:
"Home Food Safety follows the guidelines set by the USDA that can be found here, along with a shelf-stable food safety chart: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Shelf_Stable_Food_Safety/index.asp#42
It's important to keep in mind that the shelf-life of canned foods is determined by many factors, including type food, environment, storage methods, treatment of cans, etc."
Remember, when in doubt throw it out!"
Image above courtesy Infinite Unknown
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Fall is here. Now may be the perfect time to take a good hard look at your wardrobe.
Why not ditch the pieces that no longer fit, are out of style or just plain not you anymore. Perhaps you have clothes that are new, in perfect condition and you have no intention on wearing them? To make yourself feel good and help others in need, gather some friends, (or better yet) some office colleagues and start a professional clothes drive.
A simple email, collection center, and designated charity will do the trick. We suggest you chose Dress for Success, where women in transition benefit from donated business outfits. if you want to check into some local Los Angeles resources, dive into our 2007 post written for a reader who wanted to lose her 1990's business suits and didn't know how to.
Here are some tips we put together recently for a Professional Clothes Drive for one of the world's largest professional services firms in Downtown Los Angeles:
Clear Out Your Closet:
Let's face it, everyone knows it's hard to let go of clothes that you really like even though you have not worn. Below are three closet-clearing tips from fellow CLARE Foundation volunteer and organization expert, John Trosko of OrganizingLA. John has a few tips up his sleeve to help you clear out the old, to make way for the new, and in the meantime, help make a difference in someone's life:
The 15-Minute Rule:
If you want to make a difference in your closet and don’t have a lot of time, set a time limit and “go shopping” for things that are ready to be donated. But keep your focus on this specific task and don’t allow yourself to be distracted. It helps if you can carefully choose a friend to help you clean out your clothes closet. You’ll want a person who will constructively criticize your taste, but with a sense of humor to make it fun.
Suits That Are No Longer Suit-able:
Nostalgia’s tug is strong— but use this opportunity to clear out the larger key pieces such as men’s suits, ties, dark belts and dress shoes. For women, perhaps you have a dress-for-success ensemble that isn’t suitable for your current work environment—why not donate it along with some sensible low-pumps and simple jewelry? Never donate another person’s clothes, always check with them.
Stop Tripping Down Memory Lane:
3.) Remember, avoid keeping items in your closet as a benchmark of your achievements. Professional Clothes Drive for the Clare Foundation honors needy individuals with basic essentials and you’ll want to donate good, clean, gently-used or new clothing. You’ll feel better knowing your unwanted clothes will benefit others!
If you're putting together a professional clothes drive, feel free to use the tips above, just give us credit. O rcontact us if you'd like to explore something more.
What ideas have you implemented for your clothes donations? Please share them below.
Image above courtesy J Crew and Uncrate.
Reinvent yourself with Closet Therapy's Barbra Horowitz (9/05)
What do I do with 1990's business suits? (2/07)
Build a connection with a charity (3/06)
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Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Tory Burch, Christian Louboutin and Tiffany.
These names bring up thoughts of luxury, success, quality, beauty and prestige, for the organized home?
We were checking out The Peak of Chic this weekend and got inspired by Jennifer Bole's view of decorating with luxury good logos. She points out that decorating with luxury goods divides people (some hate, some love). You can purchase a tray painted with the Hermès logo, a pair of Louis Vuitton lamps (pictured left), an LV Kleenex tissue box holder (a friend of ours has one), a dressing screen, a Fendi couch... well, you get the point.
No matter what people think about the use of luxury goods logos, what seems appropriate is the use of logo boxes. This got us thinking, could you organize your entire home (or at least bits and pieces) with these boxes, bags, covers, protectors and pouches you seem to acquire but never really know what to do with? They're too nice to toss. Besides, some people feel half the retail cost of luxury goods is for the packaging. So why not try and re-use them as organizing accessories around your home or office?
So where could you use your boxes? Try these, to start:
So when you're yearning to get organized, reuse and recycle, why not make it fun and think outside the box?
Image of Louis Vuitton residence in Mexicali, Mexico courtesy Guanabee.com. LV wrapped lamps courtesy John Vaccari Antiques.
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Thanks to a reader, we discovered some press from our Alliance for Universal Power Supply Conference speech at PG & E headquarters in San Francisco this past summer.
From CNET News, a popular website for news and commentary on energy innovation and environmental technologies:
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when plugging in and powering personal electronics whose chargers are so varied that they typically end up balled up in rat's nests beneath our desks."
"Help, albeit slow, is on the way, according to members of consumer electronics companies, green-tech start-ups, and venture capital firms at the Alliance for Universal Power Supplies conference Friday."
"Attendees charging ahead to create power supplies that cause fewer headaches and wasted energy found hope when Westinghouse announced that it will support standards from start-up Green Plug, whose Greentalk protocol enables devices and power sources to "talk" to each other."
"John Trosko, a professional personal organization consultant in Los Angeles, said his clients stash useless cables in drawers indefinitely because they feel guilty about the potentially toxic trash and aren't sure how to recycle it."
Tech companies aim to untangle power supplies - CNET News
AUPS San Francisco Conference - Press Release May '08
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