From no-show couriers to food banks: my quest to rehome everything we test on the Filter

At the Filter, we test a LOT of products. We’ve put everything from mattresses to treadmills through their paces to try to help you make better-informed shopping decisions. However, that means our expert testers can accumulate a lot of products. After all, you can’t find the best air fryer without taking a few for a spin. So, with sustainability – as well as journalistic independence, unswayed by promises of freebies – in mind, we’ve always promised to return samples to the manufacturer after testing or, where that’s not possible, donate them to good causes.

That’s where I come in. As the Filter’s researcher, it’s my job to not only help find and source products but also rehome them when they’re finished with. I’ve been tasked with getting everything, from blenders to electric toothbrushes and even food, from writers’ homes across the country to charities that can benefit from them the most.

For some samples, such as leftovers from the food filter series, choosing where to donate them was a no-brainer: the Copenhagen Street food bank, which is dedicated to alleviating food poverty in Islington, London, where the Guardian is based.

For others, including electrical items, it’s harder. I know, I know: giving away nearly new, top-of-the-range products should be a breeze, but it can be trickier than you think.

Take electric toothbrushes. When I was asked to organise donating those we’d reviewed (just the bases, not the used heads obviously), I thought the biggest obstacle would be finding a charity that would take them – many don’t for hygiene reasons. However, modern slavery charity Causeway said it could put them to good use; it distributes bedding, clothing and toiletries to help bridge the poverty gap. We just needed to get them to the charity’s Sheffield storage unit.

The real challenge began with getting the toothbrushes collected from the writer’s home. After four courier “attempts”, and a frustrated writer who’d stayed in all day – sorry, Alan! – we were forced to change tack. Thanks to a different courier company, the package was collected on the fifth go. Two delivery attempts in Sheffield later (I was close to the edge when the first one failed), and the toothbrushes successfully made it to Causeway’s storage unit.

It was worth it. “Having these great-quality electric toothbrushes has been brilliant,” says Causeway’s LifeSupply coordinator Mary Tear. “We will be distributing these to our service users and their families to help with their health, hygiene and budgets.”

Rehome is where our heart is

All cleaned up with nowhere to go. Photograph: Rachel Ogden

Unpredictable courier companies are just one hurdle, though. When I was asked to arrange a collection of kitchen blenders from our writer’s home in south London, I quickly learned that there would be no doorstep charity collections in her area for weeks. To speed things along, we had them sent to the office, assuming we’d easily find a charitable home for them around central London. But I soon discovered that many charities don’t take electrical items full stop, let alone collect them. After calling about eight shops (even walking to one that wasn’t answering the phone to ask in person), I was relieved to find one that took them at all and ferried them over myself a few at a time, taking three trips in total.

And it’s not just box-fresh blenders that we go the extra mile to rehome. When Sian Lewis was left with a collection of muddy boots after she tested the best women’s hiking shoes, she cleaned them up and donated them to the Julian Trust in Bristol, which runs a safe night shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

So you see, you can’t knock our dedication to avoiding landfill, helping those in need, and being committed to independent journalism. Oh, and if you need a blender, check out the St Christopher’s shop in Crystal Palace.

This week’s picks

• Anti-ageing products that actually work: Sali Hughes on the 30 best serums, creams and treatments

• Jess Cartner-Morley’s April style essentials: from sexy spring sweaters to the loafers that won the high street

• The best walking pads and under-desk treadmills, tried and tested to turn your work day into a workout

• ‘Cute, but doesn’t taste too good’: the best (and worst) Easter chocolate treats, tested

Editor’s pick

’Tis the season for a garden spruce-up. Photograph: svf74/Getty Images/iStockphoto

You may have noticed the weather has cheered up. And that means it’s time to get whatever outdoor space you have ready for spring-proper and summer. From sowing seeds in pots for your front step to installing a water butt, our experts’ tips and advice will arm you with everything you need for your Easter garden tidy-up.

Hannah Booth
Editor, the Filter

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Sun protection is a year-round essential, but the first sunny days are a good time to research and stock up on your SPF products for the summer. Sali Hughes’s exhaustive guide to the best sunscreens covers all the bases, from family sun cream to over-makeup top-ups and mineral formulations.

Get involved

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Calling all parents: how are you planning to get your kids outdoors this Easter? Whether you’ve got a pair of teens who rise at noon and avoid the sun like vampires or a toddler who hates walking, what’s the one thing that may entice them from the house? That could be bribery and great snacks or the perfect off-road buggy for a baby, but whatever your tactic, we want to know all your tips and tricks. Share your secrets by replying to this newsletter, or emailing us at [email protected].