The end of the year often means cleaning out the closets, and that’s the perfect time to donate no-longer-wanted items to charity.

Goodwill has some simple tips to help maximize your donations:

-To keep pairs of shoes together, tie them by the laces or rubber band them.
— Rubber band or tape together boxes of games or puzzles.
— Bag up clothing and linens separate from other items.
— Tape remotes to electronic devices. Tape a note to the electronic device indicating if it fully works.
— Box or bag like items together such as putting all the clothes together or all the dishes together in one container.
— For fragile items, wrap them in paper and put them in a box and marked it “fragile.”
— For furniture that needs assembly, put all fasteners in a plastic bag and attach it to the furniture.
— Check coat pockets and drawers to make sure not to donate any items that you want to keep.

At Goodwill, store revenues from the sale of donations fund the organization’s free job training and education programs. Find the nearest donation site at https://www.goodwill.org/locator.