How to Get Rid of Old Computers & Electronics! | Clutter Video Tip

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Hi. I’m Lorie Marrero, creator of the Clutter Diet book and on-line program, and today we’re going to talk about that computer graveyard in your house.

Everybody gets new computers and they don’t really know what to do with the old computers, so they put them in a closet with the cords and cables and the old cameras and cell phones and they’re not quite sure what to do with all that electronic clutter. So let’s address the first stumbling block that I hear about from people, and that is the data on the hard drives.

So there are software applications that you can get to erase the hard drives. One or two of them are free. I’ve got this all listed for you in the description of this video with links, so you can look down there for that. And then some of these are paid. They are about $30. So you can look at those and decide for yourself what would be a great option for you. And apparently they are supposed to erase your data with military grade encryption and all of that. And then I want you to know that when you donate your computer to Goodwill through the Dell Reconnect Program, the people handling those are certified to erase the hard drives, and I’ve actually watched that happen. I’ve toured many Goodwills where they do this process and so there is a demagnetizing thing or something that they use. So it’s a safe process. Of course, nothing is perfectly safe unless you have, you know, the two boys with safety glasses and a sledge hammer method of destroying your hard drive in the driveway, but that comes with its own risks and is probably only fun if you are 11.

See you next time, and may you always be happy and grateful for having more than enough.

[howardym]

If you can open the case or know where the hard drive is, you can drill a whole through the drive.

[DeerlyMusical]

Thank you. Yes, that picture is familiar. I thought we would have to open a dead computer museum. The information about where to get computer "erasers" was especially useful. And the information about GoodWill was heartwarming. Thank you, Lorie, for helping in so many way.

[anonanon]

or drill a hole in the drive
or reformat and install every software you can till your drive is full so it's both wipe and overwritten

[HiveQun]

there are plenty of nerds like me that like old computers and parts as well. Post them to Craigslist or drop them off at a college campus lol

[robertsonjg]

What about other electronics like iPods, or tablets?

[TheWhitingale]

Good advice on how to erase old data.
How about recycling old computers and electronics?

[JillRobson]

They will recycle old electronics at all Goodwill locations in Canada also.

[grekoy]

So...it's okay for me to smash my laptop with a hammer then?