What is the solution to decluttering stuffed animals?

[Anonymous]

Very question: Why would you want to donate a stuffed animal? Most are not washable. It's like getting someone's unwashed pillow. A stuffed animal owned by a kid has probably been subject to drool, cough, spit up, being sit on, peed on, and dragged and thrown around. I don't like my own kid to keep a stuffed animal for too long if I cannot wash it. And the effort it would take to wash (and likely refresh or mend) is not worth it to me. I'd throw away or as a PP suggested - used a stuffing in a bean bag type chair. And then plant a tree, if you feel guilty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you think you can't donate stuffed animals? I donated mine all using greendrop.com. Stuffed animals are listed under Acceptable Items.

Greendrop converts them to fiber and sells that. It's probably not that different than trashing them.

[Anonymous]

We have one kid with stuffed animal nets in the corner and the other uses theirs to stuff their beanbag chair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very question: Why would you want to donate a stuffed animal? Most are not washable. It's like getting someone's unwashed pillow. A stuffed animal owned by a kid has probably been subject to drool, cough, spit up, being sit on, peed on, and dragged and thrown around. I don't like my own kid to keep a stuffed animal for too long if I cannot wash it. And the effort it would take to wash (and likely refresh or mend) is not worth it to me. I'd throw away or as a PP suggested - used a stuffing in a bean bag type chair. And then plant a tree, if you feel guilty.

We've always washed our stuffies. I also trash them without guilt if need be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a large collection of lightly loved stuffed animals that I donated when I went away to college - to the children’s reading room at the local library.

Please don’t throw them away before making at least a few calls to find local places that might accept them. As with anything they won’t want any that are really gross, but if they’re in good condition I’m guessing they are acceptable to some places. And yes, you can always list them on the Facebook marketplace as free to a good home and meet people in a public place to hand them off. There are a lot of really poor people right now who would love to have things to give to their children for birthdays etc. and can’t afford to buy anything.

I would add that a good place to contact would be battered women’s shelters and local family shelters. They might both be interested in having such toys on hand to comfort children made homeless by violence or poverty.

You are guessing wrong. I speak from experience - these places are inundated with requests from people trying to unload their secondhand stuffed animals. The amount of staff energy to make sure these items are clean (guess what, they’re usually not as clean as you think), safety-check, sort, organize etc these items is LITERALLY not worth it, and is one of the many many reasons why we request new items from our published lists only.

I know it feels “wrong” to throw it away. This means too much was bought in the first place, not that you need to give it to someone else to make yourself feel better.

[Anonymous]

Put them inside a beanbag.

Done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Put them inside a beanbag.

Done.

That's amazing! Mind blown...

[Anonymous]

Craigslist for free

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very question: Why would you want to donate a stuffed animal? Most are not washable. It's like getting someone's unwashed pillow. A stuffed animal owned by a kid has probably been subject to drool, cough, spit up, being sit on, peed on, and dragged and thrown around. I don't like my own kid to keep a stuffed animal for too long if I cannot wash it. And the effort it would take to wash (and likely refresh or mend) is not worth it to me. I'd throw away or as a PP suggested - used a stuffing in a bean bag type chair. And then plant a tree, if you feel guilty.

They’re all washable imo.

[Anonymous]

We left a bag of them outside of a fire department with a note that they'd been washed.

[Anonymous]

Check your local police department. When we were overrun, I contacted the local police department and they were willing to accept very gently used (like new) animals. So I had the kids go through our collection and pick out ones that they didn't want. I made sure to check over that they were gently used and we donated a large lawn garbage bag to the police force. The officers keep a few in the trunks of their car and anytime they have to deal with a child who is separated from parents for any reason (lost children, parents arrested, parents injured, etc), they let the children pick a friend to hug from the collection they have. I've mentioned to a couple of friends and they've also donated. The police only accept one collection at a time and only when they need to restock the officers' collections, but it is very appreciated by the local PD.

[Anonymous]

I feel bad knowing these things can't be donated and have to be trashed. That seems so incredibly wasteful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad knowing these things can't be donated and have to be trashed. That seems so incredibly wasteful.

Which is why we have to rethink what and how much we give our kids culturally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check your local police department. When we were overrun, I contacted the local police department and they were willing to accept very gently used (like new) animals. So I had the kids go through our collection and pick out ones that they didn't want. I made sure to check over that they were gently used and we donated a large lawn garbage bag to the police force. The officers keep a few in the trunks of their car and anytime they have to deal with a child who is separated from parents for any reason (lost children, parents arrested, parents injured, etc), they let the children pick a friend to hug from the collection they have. I've mentioned to a couple of friends and they've also donated. The police only accept one collection at a time and only when they need to restock the officers' collections, but it is very appreciated by the local PD.

Oh, this is nice! thank you for sharing!

[Anonymous]

I wish there was a device like a bug zapper for stuffed animals. Aim, shoot, oblivion.

At our house, these guys have names and personalities and no they cannot just be thrown into the trash.

Need to find or invent humane stuffed animal disposal device.