All items · Electrical
Used or unsealed personal-care electricals
Also covers: electric shaver, shaver, foot spa, epilator, electric toothbrush
Can you donate used or unsealed personal-care electricals to a UK charity shop? Usually not.
Why shops may refuse it
Items used directly on the body raise hygiene concerns as well as electrical-safety checks; some shops only accept them unused and sealed.
What to do instead
Unwanted sealed items may suit a hygiene bank. Used electrical versions should go through a WEEE take-back or council recycling route.
Charity by charity
51 mentions-
Can't accept
Only accepted if unused and in a sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal items, such as shavers (unless unused and in a sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal appliances (shavers, foot spas) unless mint and sealed — Personal appliances such as shavers or foot spas (unless in mint condition and sealed)”
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Can't accept
Ardgowan Hospice category-wide rule
Whole "electrical items" category listed as currently not accepted.
Their wording
“Currently we CANNOT accept: -Toys, large furniture or electrical items.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Foot spas”
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Can't accept
Straighteners and hair rollers are also listed as refused personal-care electricals.
Their wording
“Foot spa and facial steamers”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal appliances (electric shavers, foot spas) — unless new and in sealed box”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Shavers”
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Can't accept
Claire House Children's Hospice category-wide rule
Blanket exclusion of electrical items, though brand-new factory-sealed hard drives, SD cards or USB sticks are excepted.
Their wording
“Electrical items”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal appliances (shavers, foot spas) unless unused in original sealed box”
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Can't accept
Cransley Hospice Trust category-wide rule
Listed under 'Unfortunately, we are unable to accept some items' ('Electrical items, Kitchen equipment and utensils, Used baby equipment including car seats and prams/pushchairs, Bikes') with no exceptions stated.
Their wording
“Electrical items”
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Can't accept
Also stated elsewhere as: 'Personal appliances such as shavers and foot spas, unless they are unused.'
Their wording
“Personal hygiene items (hair trimmers) unless new and boxed”
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Can't accept
Accepted only if new and sealed.
Their wording
“Personal hygiene equipment (foot spas, shavers) unless new & sealed”
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Can't accept
Only accepted if unused and in a sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances such as shavers, foot spas (unless unused and in a sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland category-wide rule
Applies to all electrical items
Their wording
“Electrical and medical items”
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Can't accept
Katharine House Hospice, Banbury category-wide rule
Listed under 'Unfortunately, we're unable to accept' on the shop donations page.
Their wording
“Electrical items or any furniture.”
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Can't accept
Only accepted if still in a sealed, unused box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances, e.g electric shavers, unless in sealed box”
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Can't accept
Only accepted if unused and in the original sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances such as shavers, foot spas, etc (unless unused and in with original sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Accepted only in brand new condition and original sealed box.
Their wording
“Second-hand personal care items like shavers, hair stylers and footspa's. We can only accept these items in brand new condition and in their sealed box.”
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Can't accept
Personal appliances (shavers, foot spas) only accepted if unused and in sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances such as shavers, foot spas (unless unused in sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Phyllis Tuckwell category-wide rule
No electrical items are currently accepted, with one exception: old mobile phones and tablets are welcomed.
Their wording
“Unfortunately we are currently unable to accept any electrical items or suitcases.”
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Can't accept
Personal appliances such as shavers and foot spas only accepted if unused and in original sealed box
Their wording
“Personal appliances such as shavers, foot spas, etc (unless unused and in with original sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Only accepted if in mint condition and in a sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances such as shavers or foot spas (unless in mint condition and in a sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Refusal is stated specifically for used personal-care appliances.
Their wording
“used personal appliances such as shavers and foot spas”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal appliances e.g. shavers, foot spas (unless new in sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Unsealed personal care appliances”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Used personal hygiene or kitchen electrical items”
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Can't accept
Shown when searching 'Electric Shavers'; by contrast hair dryers, hair tongs and heated rollers are separately listed as accepted if CE-marked and working.
Their wording
“Thank you for thinking of us. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept this item for health and safety reasons. We can’t guarantee to our customers that second-hand safety equipment is still fully protective or hasn’t been damaged before.”
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Can't accept
Accepted only in mint condition and sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances, such as shavers, foot spas etc (unless in mint condition, sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Only accepted if brand new.
Their wording
“Shavers/foot spas (unless brand new)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal appliances (e.g. electric shavers) unless in sealed box”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Foot spas and other personal hygiene items including electric razors”
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Can't accept
St John's Hospice (London) category-wide rule
Applies to all electrical items
Their wording
“Electrical items”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Foot spas”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal care appliances (e.g., shavers, foot spas, hair trimmers, and epilators)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“foot spas, electric shavers and other items associated with personal hygiene”
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Can't accept
Only accepted if in mint condition and sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances, such as shavers, foot spas etc. (unless in mint condition, sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal appliances (shavers, foot spas) unless unused and sealed”
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Can't accept
St Raphael's Hospice category-wide rule
Stated on the Our Shops page for shop/Donation Centre drop-off. The separate Furniture Collections page still refers to collecting 'large items of furniture or electrical items' via its home-collection service, so this blanket refusal may be specific to walk-in shop donations rather than the large-item collection route.
Their wording
“We are no longer accepting any electrical items or pet toys, sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
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Can't accept
Personal appliances (shavers, foot spas) only accepted mint, unused and sealed.
Their wording
“Personal appliances (shavers, foot spas) unless mint condition, sealed”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal hygiene electrical items (shavers, foot spas)”
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Can't accept
Only accepted brand new, in the original sealed box.
Their wording
“Second hand personal care items - shavers, hair stylers, foot spas. We can only accept these items in a brand new condition and in their sealed box”
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Can't accept
Accepted only if in mint condition and in a sealed box.
Their wording
“Personal appliances, for example shavers, foot spas (unless in mint condition and sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Personal hygiene electrical items (shavers, foot spas)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Foot spas”
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Can't accept
Only unused personal grooming electricals accepted: 'Electric shavers, hair trimmers and epilators, unused in original packaging.'
Their wording
“We can't accept any used personal grooming electricals. Please recycle them responsibly.”
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Check first
Foot spas are refused only without instructions; old-style heated hair rollers and infra-red lamps are always refused.
Their wording
“Heated hair rollers (old style)”
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Check first
Foot spas are accepted only if brand new; other personal hygiene electricals such as shavers are not accepted.
Their wording
“Personal hygiene items such as shavers. Foot spa's unless brand new.”
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Check first
Save the Children category-wide rule
Exception: accepted at selected stores — donors are told to check first.
Their wording
“We're unable to accept electrical goods (except in selected stores - please check first)”
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Check first
Personal-care electrical items such as shavers only accepted if unused and in a sealed box.
Their wording
“Underwear, safety equipment, safety helmets, safety harnesses, cycle helmets, life jackets or buoyancy aids, weapons, prescription glasses, items made from ivory, personal items, such as shavers (unless unused and in a sealed box)”
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Check first
Accepted only if unused and in sealed packaging.
Their wording
“Used personal care items (e.g. shavers, foot spas) unless unused in sealed packaging”
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Check first
Strathcarron Hospice category-wide rule
Donors are asked to check with their local shop before donating electrical items.
Their wording
“Electricals (but please do check with your local shop before you donate these).”
Not mentioned in 102 charities' guidance
Absence from a charity's list doesn't mean they accept it — it just isn't singled out. Ask your local shop.
- Age UK
- Ayrshire Hospice
- Barnardo's
- Barnsley Hospice
- Bolton Hospice
- British Red Cross
- Butterfly Hospice Trust
- Butterwick Hospice
- Cancer Research UK
- Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)
- Crisis
- DEBRA
- Derian House Children's Hospice
- Dogs Trust
- Dorothy House
- Douglas Macmillan Hospice
- East Lancashire Hospice
- Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw, Cumbria's Children's Hospice
- Ellenor
- Emmaus
- FARA Charity Shops
- Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity
- Garden House Hospice Care
- Great Oaks Hospice
- Great Western Air Ambulance Charity
- Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice
- Heart of Kent Hospice
- Helen & Douglas House
- Highland Hospice
- Hope House & Ty Gobaith Children's Hospices
- Hospice in the Weald
- Hospice Isle of Man
- Hospice of the Valleys
- Jersey Hospice Care
- Julia's House
- Katharine House Hospice (Stafford)
- Keech Hospice Care
- KEMP Hospice
- Lewis-Manning Hospice Care
- LOROS Hospice
- Marie Curie
- Martin House Children's Hospice
- Mountbatten Isle of Wight
- Moya Cole Hospice
- Nightingale House Hospice
- North Devon Hospice
- North London Hospice
- Nottinghamshire Hospice
- Octavia Foundation
- Oxfam
- PDSA
- Pendleside Hospice
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Primrose Hospice
- Prospect Hospice
- Queenscourt Hospice
- Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
- Rotherham Hospice
- Royal Trinity Hospice (London)
- Saint Francis Hospice
- Samaritans
- Scope
- Sense Scotland
- Severn Hospice
- Shelter
- Springhill Hospice
- St Catherine's Hospice (Crawley)
- St Catherine's Hospice (Lancashire)
- St Christopher's Hospice
- St Clare Hospice
- St Columba's Hospice
- St Cuthbert's Hospice
- St David's Hospice Care
- St Giles Hospice
- St Luke's Cheshire Hospice
- St Luke's Hospice (Harrow & Brent)
- St Luke's Hospice Basildon & Thurrock
- St Margaret's Hospice Care (Somerset)
- St Michael's Hospice (North Hampshire)
- St Peter & St James Hospice
- St Richard's Hospice
- St Vincent's Hospice
- St Wilfrid's Hospice
- The Children's Trust
- The Kirkwood
- The Myton Hospices
- The Prince of Wales Hospice
- The Shakespeare Hospice
- Traid
- Treetops Hospice Trust
- Trinity Hospice (Blackpool)
- Tynedale Hospice at Home
- Wakefield Hospice
- Weldmar Hospicecare
- Wigan and Leigh Hospice
- Willen Hospice
- Willow Burn Hospice
- Willow Wood Hospice
- Wirral Hospice St John's
- Woking & Sam Beare Hospices
- Woodgreen Pets Charity
- YMCA (England & Wales)