They say that you wear 20 per cent of your wardrobe 80 per cent of the time, and this is especially true for me. My overstuffed wardrobe is full of unique ‘finds’ that I still haven’t found the ‘perfect’ occasion to wear, doesn’t fit perfect or I have an emotional attachment to.

So it’s time for a clean out. And with spring is almost here, there really is no better time to purge your surplus and give to charity shops that are currently  in desperate need of quality stock.

But before you indiscriminately dump everything you haven’t worn the past year, op shops are also urging people to think twice about what they donate.

Out of the 95 million kilos of clothing donated ever year to charity shops, 25 million of that is unusable and has to be sent to landfill, essentially diverting funds raised for welfare programs into waste disposal costs.

So how you decide between what to give, and what to send to the tip?

Here are some guidelines that should help:

• If you wouldn’t give it to a friend, don’t give it to an op shop.
• Make sure items are clean, and undamaged.
• Take off the coat hangers

When it comes to donating, you can help out charity shops be doing the following:

• If you have matching sets, such as earrings or shoes, make sure they’re fastened together
• Can the op shop sell it for a good price?
• Put your donation in the bin (not outside), or better yet, take it into the store during open hours so you can check your donations will be accepted.
• If you have something large (like furniture) or fragile, some charity shops will pick up

For more information on National Op Shop Week, visit www.dosomethingnearyou.com.au/op-shop-week