Does anyone know???

[remijo]

What thrift stores do with clothes, sheets, blankets, etc that they can't sell? They have to get some trashed stuff in. I'm sure each store varies but has anyone had any luck with a particular chain? I'd like old material to make diapers and blankets out of and thought that if they just threw the stuff away I could snag it. Of course I called one and they had no idea what they did with it.

[remijo]

Not such a good idea after all. I called around and they either send them to the local orphanage or bag them up and send them overseas. Good to hear that's what they're doing but I'll have to find another idea.

[GardenStream]

Mine sells them as rags. I have never bought them, but they always have 2 or 3 boxes available (a little bigger than a paper box). I think they sell them for $1 or $2.

[ChetMC]

Two Ideas

You could post of freecycle that you're willing to take fabric items that are in poor condition. I'm sure people would be glad to pass stuff along rather than throw it in the garbage.

You could also call places that take clothing donations. A friend of mine used to sort clothes for a shelter and anything that was ripped, stained, had a missing button, etc got tossed. The idea was that people in need have enough to worry about without mending clothing. She said that people donate A LOT of stuff that really could not be given to people.

[mumm]

I never know what to do with clothes thatwe've outgrown but can't pass on due to stains, etc. We keep some for rags, glass/food cleanups, etc but with 4 sloppy kids I have more stained clothes than I know what to do with.

[Ruthie's momma]

Originally Posted by remijo

Not such a good idea after all. I called around and they either send them to the local orphanage or bag them up and send them overseas. Good to hear that's what they're doing but I'll have to find another idea.

Good to know that some thrift stores actually do something with stained/torn fabric. I have asked that very question of one particular donation center and was told that they simply toss it all out...

[coyotemist]

Sometimes these fabric items get sent into "pulp" mills where they become the blue rags at autoparts stores.

Freecycle or Craigslist might be your best bet. Have you seen the t-shirt diapers? They look soft and cozy!

http://naturalviolet.blogspot.com/20...rt-diaper.html

http://www.cloth-diapers-made-easy.c...rt-diaper.html

[urchin_grey]

I actually asked a girl that works at our local Goodwill. She said the wearable stuff goes overseas and the really bad stuff actually goes to the city and they make cement with it. No idea how, but that's what she said.

[MsFortune]

I'd put the call out to your family and friends.  I use stained ripped clothes for rags, but I still end up with more trashed clothes than I need rags.  I bet most people are in this position.  Also, I tend to get stains on the front of my shirts and kids' shirts - and they are made of cute fabric - that I don't want to donate but seems a shame to throw away.

Also, there may be a thrift store that does sell stuff in bulk.  I know there is one in Seattle that sold clothes by the pound.

[Turquesa]

I'm in the process of learning to sew.  It can be a very pricey hobby if you end up buying MIC fabric for the same price (or more!) than you could buy a ready-to-wear item.  But there is SO much cool stuff to do with unwearable articles, especially denim.  I'm using DH's unwearable jeans to line a purse that I just knitted.  You can also use denim or even another fabric to make a dog or cat bed.  I know that it's also possible to unravel sweaters and reuse the yarn. This blog also has some great ideas.  I especially like the idea of using old t-shirt jersey fabric for tissues.  I cloth diaper my runny-nosed children, so I can just throw the tissues in the diaper bag when I'm done. 

Anyway, none of this directly answers the OPs question, but it's nice to know that there are uses for old clothes that thrift stores can't sell..

[Lisoula]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

Also, there may be a thrift store that does sell stuff in bulk.  I know there is one in Seattle that sold clothes by the pound.

Yes - this.  We have several small Goodwills, but in the closest "big" city is the MAIN Goodwill that sells clothes for $5/pound.

[Momsteader]

The one I like locally in MT fills an empty truck trailer with all their cast-offs they can't sell and a semi picks it up and returns it back to China or India as the shipping containers are heading back empty. They also donate to the Humane Society most of their unsaleable towels/blankets.

The same store also puts certain things into big trash bags and you can buy for $1 or $2--towels, L/XL+ men's t-shirts, sheets, etc.  You just have to ask at the desk (in person) and see if there are any that day.  I was making upcycled clothing/diapers and they were happy to let me look through a few bags and make one big bag of things I could use and usually just $1 or sometimes even free. This same thrift store also has a volunteer policy where if you volunteer 10 hrs a month you get 50% off everything all the time. :)

You're going to have to check around to multiple thrift stores, but you should able to find one that will work :)  Craigslist and putting the word out to family/friends is a good idea as well.

At $5/pound....that is going to probably be more expensive than buying fabric if you want it for the fabric. (Knits are 8-10 oz + a yard! And you could find these at JoAnns in clearance for $2-3/yd and get full yardage.)

[Lisoula]

Sorry - I meant $1.50/pound.  I think it's even less if you buy over 20 pounds, or something like that.