With the snow all melted and sunny days becoming a regular occurrence, you may be thinking of renovating your home or apartment. You may be wondering things like, “How do I get rid of my old furniture?” or “Where do I donate my used appliances?”. If these sound like questions that have crossed your mind, then Habitat for Humanity locations across the GTA have the programs and services to help make your home renovation process as smooth as possible. Read on to learn more about Habitat’s kitchen salvage, free furniture pickup and more great services.
1. Donate your kitchen with Habitat’s free kitchen removal
You may not know where to get started when renovating your kitchen, but Habitat makes it easy to get rid of kitchen cabinets, furnishings and other items. Habitat offers a free kitchen deconstruction program. Our volunteer team will come to your home at a scheduled time and professionally dismantle your kitchen furnishings, built-in items, shelving and appliances. You’ll receive a charitable tax receipt based on the estimated resale value of your donated items, which will go on to be sold in a Habitat ReStore.
You can schedule your pickup by filling out the kitchen salvage form on our website. You can also email pickup@habitathm.ca or call us at 905-828-0987 ext. 427.
2. Donate furniture or appliances with free home pickup
In addition to free kitchen deconstruction and salvage, Habitat for Humanity also offers a free furniture pickup program. We’re happy to accept your used furniture, appliances and other home items. Simply arrange a home pickup, and Habitat will do the heavy lifting. You can sit back and relax as you make more room for your renovations by donating used furniture.
To schedule your free pickup, email pickup@habitathm.ca or call (905) 828-0987 ext. 427. You can also use Habitat’s online pickup form to schedule your pickup.
3. Donate home decor items to the ReStore
As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. You might be tired of the decorations in your home, but someone else might think they’re the perfect new addition to a space. Getting rid of home decor items can help declutter your home while you’re renovating; plus, you can make room for new decorations when your major renovations are finished. For donations valued at $100 or more, you will receive a charitable tax receipt.
Habitat ReStores accept donations of used or unwanted home decor. If it’s out with the old colour scheme or decoration theme and in with the new, let Habitat take your items off your hands.
4. Donate used clothing to Habitat
When renovating your bedroom, don’t forget about your closet. Take some time to sort through your clothing — you might be surprised by how many items of clothing you no longer wear. If you find that this is the case, then consider donating your gently used or unwanted clothing items to Habitat. Our ReStores have convenient clothing donation boxes located in their parking lots, making it easy for you to clean up your closets and drawers during your home renovation.
5. Schedule a free home pickup for other items
Habitat ReStores don’t only accept furniture, appliances and clothing. You can donate a wide variety of items that you may be wanting to get rid of while renovating. Other accepted donation items include plumbing supplies, flooring, windows, doors, lawn equipment, tools, scrap metal and lighting and electrical accessories. ReStores also accept electronic waste, printers and VCRs. A full list of accepted items, as well as items which Habitat has to say “no thank you” to, can be found on Habitat’s ReStore website.
To schedule your free home pickup, check out Habitat’s pickup form, call (905) 828-0987 ext. 427 or email pickup@habitathm.ca.
6. Drop off donations at a ReStore
If you’re hoping to donate items to a Habitat ReStore, you can also simply drop off your items at the ReStore closest to you during business hours. Before you donate, inquire ahead with staff to guarantee that your item will be accepted. Habitat’s friendly ReStore staff will be happy to help you to ensure that your donation process is as smooth as possible. As well, you will receive a charitable tax receipt for donations valued at $100 or more.
7. Shop at the ReStore
When your renovation process is coming to a close, you might be starting to redecorate your home. If you’re in need of some new furniture or decorations, or even smaller items like handles or glasses, check out your closest ReStore location.
Shopping at the ReStore is a socially conscious decision, since the proceeds from your purchase go towards Habitat’s efforts to build affordable homes for local families. Habitat ReStores have a great selection of home products. You never know what treasures you’ll stumble upon, but you can be sure that your home renovation and decoration processes will benefit from some unique finds from the ReStore.
Let Habitat help with your home renovation today
Habitat for Humanity has several locations throughout the GTA. Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga represents Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills and Georgetown. Habitat for Humanity GTA serves Brampton, Caledon, Toronto, Scarborough and the region of York. Habitat Durham represents Ajax Oshawa and Uxbridge, and Habitat Hamilton serves the region of Hamilton. To find your closest Habitat ReStore, check out Habitat for Humanity Canada’s ReStore locator.
Whether you use Habitat’s free used furniture pickup service to get rid of the old couch that you no longer want, or sign up for a free kitchen salvage, you’ll be benefitting your home renovation project as well as your community.
When you include Habitat for Humanity in your home renovation, you’re not just making your own life a lot easier. You’re also supporting Habitat’s efforts to make the lives of local families easier through affordable homeownership opportunities. The proceeds from items sold in ReStores go towards covering Habitat’s administrative costs, meaning that 100 per cent of donations to the organization are put into home building projects.
Habitat has a vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. While you’re renovating your own house, you can also give another family the chance to say “Home Sweet Home.”