Donating used duvets/doonas/comforters/whatever

December 23, 2023 3:21 PM

We have several used doonas (Australia), duvets (UK)/comforters (US, I think) that we no longer need. What can we do with them other than send them to landfill?

We recently moved from England to Australia (specifically, to Brisbane, so subtropical climate). We have a number of used doonas (AKA duvets, comforters or quilts, depending on where you live) that are far too heavy for Brisbane's climate, even in winter. I hate the idea of just sending them to landfill, but I haven't yet found a charity that will take them. Even the animal rehoming centre doesn't want them: apparently some dogs rip them apart and then eat the stuffing.

Suggestions need to be specific to Brisbane.

Anyone?

posted by Logophiliac to Grab Bag (13 answers total)

Best answer: I'm in Sydney and recently had the exact same problem - nobody in the city would take a set of clean, nearly-new pillows and duvets. I brought them along with me on a trip to the Central Coast (NSW), where there are some small towns where the economy has faltered a bit in recent years. I was able to donate them to a Goodwill just by walking in with them.

So you might have some luck in a smaller town than in Brisbane.
posted by lulu68 at 3:40 PM on December 23, 2023

If they're filled with synthetic stuffing (i.e., not feathers), and it's still in good shape, and you know any crafters or people who sew, maybe someone would be interested in using it to stuff toys etc, or even cushions. I've used an old duvet to make a thing to prop my feet up, for example.
posted by trig at 4:05 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you can't find a charity to take them, you can offer them for free on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. Chances are anyone who is taking a used doona from Gumtree really needs it.
posted by riddley at 4:08 PM on December 23, 2023 [4 favorites]

If you can't find anyone who'll take them for use as bedding, does your local government have any kind of textile recycling scheme? In my (US) state, there's a ban on putting textiles into the regular waste stream and my city has textile recycling bins where you can drop off stuff (I've seen these in other countries as well but I don't know if it's a thing in Australia).
posted by mskyle at 4:16 PM on December 23, 2023

(Apologies, after a bit more googling around it seems like doonas are especially hard to get recycled - several of the links on that page explicitly say "no doonas" and the one I could find that accepts "bedding" isn't collecting right now.)
posted by mskyle at 4:35 PM on December 23, 2023

You can try GIVIT.

To donate to GIVIT, your doona should be free from stains, tears, or damage. You will also need to professionally launder your doona before you donate it.
posted by poxandplague at 5:30 PM on December 23, 2023

Do you go to the beach, a lake, or on picnics? They are are great for lying out, much more comfy than what is typically used. You could keep one for that.
posted by jgirl at 6:57 PM on December 23, 2023

If you paint, or know someone who does, the canvas can be stretched over a frame, hit it with gesso, now you're ready to paint. I've taken apart futons, thrown away the guts of it, zip it back up, run it through the washer, ready to cut to whatever size.

It's fun with futons, because there are holes in the canvas from where it was tied together, it makes it interesting. IMO;YMMV.

Put the stuffing up on craiglist, god alone knows who it is who needs what you have two large bags of.
posted by dancestoblue at 11:05 PM on December 23, 2023

Best answer: Have you been here for a winter yet? You may yet find you need them for the six seconds a year it's cold enough. Our houses are poorly insulated as a general rule and we often need more winter blankets than you'd think. I had a mate who tells me the winters he spent in Finland were warmer.

If you have, and know you don't need them for sure and you are in Brisbane itself, the East Brisbane Free Shop is a mutual aid free shop on Kennedy Terrace (Facebook Page) that's always after bedding. It's very ad hoc and community driven and will rehome them in about eight seconds the way things are at the moment.

It's not a proper op shop or anything, it's legit some folks running a free shop out of their garage, so you just roll down and leave it. Make sure it's clean and in a plastic bag to keep the dirt and water off while it's waiting for collection.
posted by Jilder at 11:17 PM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

Lay them out in your loft as extra insulation. In our case it was to keep heat in but will help to keep heat out too.
posted by paulash at 11:18 PM on December 23, 2023

Response by poster: Jilder: I grew up here. Whether or not we need the thickest ones, we have too many anyway. But thanks for the tip. I note that Vinnies takes bedding too, and doesn't mention doonas.
posted by Logophiliac at 3:51 PM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I bought some doonas at the Yesterday's at Rosalie around this time last year. I don't know if every Yesterday's takes them but I imagine that one at least still does?
posted by womb of things to be and tomb of things that were at 7:42 PM on December 24, 2023

I know nothing about your location. Homeless people in a warm part of Florida where I used to live always appreciated gifts of quilts because they could be used to sleep on. Check with local homeless shelters. If there is an area where homeless people camp out bring them there.
posted by mareli at 7:38 AM on December 25, 2023