Donate Tools · Albuquerque
Donate Tools in Albuquerque: Free Pickup With Your Books
Yes, I take tools. Hand tools, power tools, toolboxes and garage or workshop gear ride along free on an Albuquerque-metro pickup, scheduled by route. My main work is books and media, so the toolbox usually comes along on the same trip as the bookshelf, the records and the old camera. Or bring tools to 5445 Edith Blvd NE between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., any day of the week, when someone is at the warehouse to help unload. Tools don't go in the 24/7 drop box.
It's the garage or basement clear-out that's been waiting for a free weekend: Dad's pegboard of hand tools, the second cordless drill, the coffee can of sockets, the shelf of repair manuals above it all. One text and one trip, and I do the loading.
New Mexico Literacy Project is a locally owned business. Donations are not tax-deductible.
Tool Donation With Me, at a Glance
- What I take
- Hand tools, power tools (corded or cordless, working or not), toolboxes and tool bags, hardware and fasteners, garden tools, and the books, manuals and media that live on the same garage shelves.
- What I can't take
- Fuel, oil, paint, solvents, chemicals, propane tanks, loose lithium-ion battery packs, tires and auto parts, lumber and building materials, and furniture. Details and where those go.
- Pickup
- Free across the Albuquerque metro, scheduled by route. Books and media come first; tools, cameras, electronics and household items come along on the same trip. How book pickup works.
- Bring it yourself
- 5445 Edith Blvd NE, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week, when someone is there to help unload. The covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate is for books, media and clean, wearable clothing, not tools.
- What happens next
- Everything is sorted by hand at the warehouse. Usable tools are resold or passed on for reuse, and that resale is what keeps the pickup free.
Tools and Garage Gear I Take
If it's portable and not hazardous, it probably qualifies. Not sure? Text a photo to 505-250-3804 and I'll tell you.
Hand tools
Wrenches, socket sets, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, clamps, chisels, hand planes, handsaws, files, levels, squares, tape measures and the rest of the layout and measuring kit. Loose drawers of mixed tools are fine; there's no need to sort or match sets.
Power tools, corded and cordless
Drills and drivers, sanders, circular saws, jigsaws, reciprocating saws, routers, grinders, heat guns, and chargers, working or not. Leave each battery in its tool. Power tools are on my electronics list too, so a dead one still has somewhere to go.
Storage, hardware and the garden shed
Toolboxes, tool bags and rolling chests you can carry, jars and bins of screws, nails and fasteners, hinges and hardware, plus garden tools, hoses, pots and sprinklers.
The books on the workshop shelf (my specialty)
Garages hold more reading than people expect: Chilton and Haynes repair manuals, woodworking and machining references, old trade catalogs, owner's manuals and runs of hobby magazines. That's the core of what I do, and I take all of it in any condition. The same goes for the box of VHS tapes, the records and the old slide projector in the corner: see donating media and what to do with old cameras.
What I Can't Take From the Garage
- ✕Fuel, oil, paint, solvents, chemicals and propane tanks. These are hazardous materials and need a proper hazardous-waste handler. Gas-powered equipment: text a photo first.
- ✕Loose lithium-ion battery packs. A battery installed in its tool is fine; loose packs are a fire risk in transit. Mention them when you text and I'll tell you where they should go.
- ✕Tires, auto parts, lumber and building materials. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore (below) takes many building materials.
- ✕Furniture and large stationary machines. Workbenches and cabinets don't fit the pickup. For a floor-standing table saw or drill press, text a photo first.
How a Tool Pickup Works
Most often: tools ride along with books and media
The usual pattern is a household clearing books, records or a whole estate library that also has a garage full of tools. Text me what you have and where you are, mention the tools up front, and I'll plan the trip with room for all of it. Pickups are scheduled by route. You can also use the "Anything else going?" line on the request form below.
Tools only
A standalone tool run has to be worth the drive, so it comes down to how much you have and where you are. A single toolbox is quickest to bring by the warehouse between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Estates and moves
Settling an estate or clearing a house before the truck comes? The estate cleanout and moving donation pickup pages cover the whole-house version, garage included.
Other Places to Donate Tools in Albuquerque
Each fact below comes from the provider's own website, checked September 28, 2026. Terms change, so confirm with them before you go.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity's donation guidelines list hand tools, power tools, bench tools, landscaping tools and hardware such as nails, screws, hinges and knobs, in gently used, resaleable condition. Drop-offs are Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the ReStore at 4900 Menaul Blvd NE (donation entrance on the south side, off Quincy St) or the Rio Rancho donation center at 1525 Stephanie Rd SE. It offers free pickup for large items. Its list excludes books, dishes and linens, so the bookshelves need another home.
Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center (bike tools)
The City of Albuquerque's Esperanza bike shops welcome bicycles, bike parts, tools and other bike-related items on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon to 7 p.m., at 5600 Esperanza Dr NW and at the McKinley location, 3333 Truman St NE.
Goodwill of New Mexico
Goodwill's donation list names housewares and electronics but doesn't mention tools, and it excludes gasoline-operated items and building materials, so ask the donation center before you load up.
NMLP
Free, and I do the carrying. The trade-off: I'm one operator, pickups are built around books and media and scheduled by route, and I don't take fuel, chemicals or building materials. The current wait is posted on the free pickup page.
Tool Donation Questions
Where can I donate tools in Albuquerque?
Three good options. I pick up hand tools, power tools and garage gear free across the Albuquerque metro, scheduled by route, usually on the same trip as books and media, or you can bring them to 5445 Edith Blvd NE between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., any day. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore at 4900 Menaul Blvd NE takes gently used, resaleable hand, power, bench and landscaping tools Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For bike tools, the city's Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center takes bike parts and tools on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon to 7 p.m.
Is there free tool donation pickup in Albuquerque?
Yes. I pick up tools free across the Albuquerque metro, scheduled by route. My main work is books and media, so tools usually ride along on a book pickup; a tools-only run depends on how much you have and where you are. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore also offers free pickup for large donations.
Can I leave tools in the 24/7 drop box?
No. The covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate by the road is set up for books, media and clean, wearable clothing. Bring tools between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., any day, when someone is at the warehouse to help unload, or add them to a pickup.
Do you take power tools and cordless tools?
Yes, corded or cordless, working or not. Leave the battery in the tool. Loose lithium-ion battery packs are a fire risk in transit, so mention them when you text and I'll tell you where they should go.
What garage and workshop items can't you take?
Fuel, oil, paint, solvents, chemicals and propane tanks; loose lithium-ion batteries; tires and auto parts; lumber and building materials; and furniture. For big stationary machines, like a table saw or drill press on a stand, text a photo to 505-250-3804 first.
Will you tell me what my tools are worth?
No. I don't appraise donations, tools included, and nothing needs to be sorted first. Everything is sorted by hand at the warehouse after pickup.
Are tool donations tax-deductible?
No. New Mexico Literacy Project is a for-profit business, not a 501(c)(3), so donations are not tax-deductible. I can give you a written acknowledgment of what I picked up if you ask.
Service Area
The Albuquerque metro. The core, on regular routes: Albuquerque (all quadrants, including the North Valley, Los Ranchos and the South Valley), Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo and Placitas.
Extension tier, scheduled around longer runs: Valencia County, the East Mountains, Madrid and Cerrillos, Algodones and the Cuba area. Farther out there's no pickup; bring tools to the warehouse between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. when you're in town.