If you’re cleaning out drawers, closets, or a home office, you may come across an old phone or computer you haven’t used in years. Donating it might seem like an easy way to get it out of the house, but you’ll want to do one thing before dropping it off.
Goodwill accepts many types of electronics, including computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. But before donating one, the organization recommends removing your personal data, especially if you’re dealing with an old device you haven’t turned on in a long time.
Remove your personal information first
In its guidance on decluttering old technology, Goodwill specifically reminds people to delete personal data from phones and computers before donating them.
Think about how much information can accumulate on a device over the years. Photos, documents, emails, and other personal information may still be sitting there even if you haven’t used the device in a long time.
Before putting an old device into the donation pile, turn it on and see what’s still there.
You may find photos, documents, or other files that you completely forgot you had. Go through anything you want to keep and save it somewhere else before removing your information from the device. The last thing you want is to remember an important file or family photo after the device is already gone.
Computers can hold years of information
A computer you haven’t used in years could still contain old tax documents, downloaded files, family photos, work documents and other information you’d rather not send out of the house.
Take the time to look through the computer before donating it and make sure you’ve saved what you need and removed what you don’t want someone else to have.
