by Susie Hairston

Spring has sprung! The Carolina Jessamine vines, crossivines, and azalea bushes are in full regalia, many flowering plants are starting to bloom, buds are coming out on the trees. Birds are migrating through H-town and some are staying to build nests and start families. Squirrels, opossums, raccoons and other urban wildlife are busy having babies. And for many of the humans among us, this display of lush blooming life signals it is time for spring cleaning.

There is really nothing quite like getting our house in order before the oppressive and motivation-killing heat of summer arrives. We revel in making everything all spick-and-span and shipshape while the weather is still decent outside. But in our zeal to make our own space pristine, we need to take care not to pollute the rest of the planet. 

Of course, it is easy to do the actual cleaning part sustainably — use reusable cloths instead of paper towels. Buy non-toxic cleaners. or make your own from household supplies such as vinegar and baking soda. Environmental Working group has a guide where you can search by brand, category or ingredients to find safe cleaning products for every room in the house. If you’d like to make your own supplies, here is one of many sites with recipes for safer alternatives for everything from glass cleaners to pesticides.

Sustainably decluttering takes a slight bit more coordination than just shoving everything you are tired of in a plastic bag and putting it at the curb, but it is relatively easy to give away a lot of clothes, household items, and toys with very little effort on your part.

Clothes and other textiles — So many options exist to responsibly divest of clothing and textiles that the question is not how, but which of the many choices should you go with? 

For clothing in good condition, you can make some money by dropping it off at a consignment shop such as:  The Charity Guild of Catholic Women, The Guild Shop of St. John the Divine, The Bluebird Circle, Buffalo Exchange, Preloved, and More that You Can Imagine, to name a few.

You can also drop clothing off for donation at Goodwill and Salvation Army. Specialty used-clothing stores such as Dress or Success (for women) and Career Gear (for men) take professional attire that helps individuals trying to reenter the workforce. The Giving Gown Foundation takes good-condition formal wear to provide teenagers the opportunity to go to prom when they would otherwise not be able to afford to.

Many donation places will pick up clothing. Green City Recycler will take everything from pristine – ready for a new owner clothing to torn and stained clothes. They sort it all, sell what can be sold, donate what can be donated, and recycle the rest into things such as cleaning rags, and carpet pads and couch stuffing. They have drop-boxes, but you can also schedule a free pick-up right at your door.

Have left-over wire hangers after divesting of all those unwanted clothes? Try your local dry-cleaner. If they have more than they can handle, the City of Houston’s Environmental Service Centers takes them, along with a myriad of other materials we will discuss in another article.