The holidays are just around the corner. It’s never been a better time to think about what you can do to help out your community.

Local clothing donations pair nicely with a trip to your nearby food drive or community outreach center. They do the dual work of clearing out your closet and offering families of all shapes and sizes clothes they need to shrug off the cold. You can even do your part to help out the environment. There are better and worse ways to help charity foundations, however. Local clothing donations do even better when you take the time to gauge the quality and shuffle through the most in-demand items.

Here are five tips to make sure your clothing donation is doing as much good as possible.

Check Your Clothes For Holes, Rips Or Stains

If you’re planning on having your clothes put on the rack, take a few minutes to look over your unwanted sweaters and jeans for any blemishes. The average American today throws away nearly 70 pounds of clothing and linens every year. Compare this to a recent study that found out 45% of recycled clothing is worn secondhand. While a missing button or tiny tear isn’t grounds to skip over a potential donation, anything more than that should be considered for option number two on the list…

Send Any Unwearable Clothes To Be Recycled

Let’s say you have some old shorts or a beat-up jacket that wouldn’t be sharp enough to be taken to a thrift store, but still might be good for another purpose. Just send it to be recycled. Nearly 100% of household textiles and clothing can be recycled, no matter how high or poor the quality. This includes cotton, denim, linens, spandex and latex, among others. Nearly five billion pounds of clothing are donated by Americans each year. Even then, landfills still need a lot more help if they’re to get smaller.

Check With Your Organization For In-Demand Items

Local clothing donations are always a helping hand. You can help even more by double-checking with your establishment of choice for certain items they’re on the lookout for. Socks and leggings are particularly helpful during the winter. You should also consider donating any gloves, thick jackets, scarves, beanies and undershirts. Total giving to charitable organizations back in 2014 reached an impressive $340 billion. The holidays make for a great time to spread a little bit of cheer to your community while doing some late spring cleaning.

Save Some Money On Your Taxes

Here’s a way to spread the cheer around. You can save some money on your taxes come spring by helping out charity foundations. Any charitable donation worth more than $250 (whether they’re clothes or household items) will require a receipt to write off on your taxes, though some items are in particularly high demand. Men’s overcoats and suits, for example, are worth around $60 as a tax write-off. Helping families in need is as easy as rummaging around in your closet and determining which clothes you don’t need anymore.

Helping Families In Need With Local Clothing Donations

There are a few more tips you can use to make the process easier. If you live in a one to two-season climate and haven’t worn a certain article of clothing in six months or more, consider throwing it out and replacing it with something more your style. You can also reach out to clothing drop off locations to free up your schedule. All you need to do is bundle up your clothes in a sturdy box or thick bag, then visit any number of locations or call a free service to swing by your home and take it off your hands.

There’s nothing like a little generosity to spread the holiday cheer. Do you have any clothes you no longer wear? Send them to your nearby charity organization this week.