Spring Cleaning;
Those two simple words bring a sense of relief to some, and a feeling of despair to others. Whether you look forward to the annual chance to purge your home and office of a year’s worth of accumulated junk, or you find yourself wishing someone else would come along and do it for you, it’s one of those rituals that you can’t really avoid. But what is even worse than spring cleaning?
Cleaning up the mess made from cleaning up.
For most people, the first part of spring cleaning consists largely of sorting everything out, determining what you need to keep, what you want to keep, what can be recycled, given away, or thrown out. Once that is done, and everything is organized, there is invariably leftover junk to be taken care of.
So, what do you do with outdated articles of clothing, non-functional lamps, assorted bits and pieces of now-incomplete sets, and everything else that you no longer need or want? It’s not really a matter of just throwing it all away, especially if you are dealing with large items like appliances, or electronics like your old TV. In some cases, like with computers, there is also your security to consider.
Besides, these days, simply dumping everything into a local landfill is not the number one option when there are more ecologically-friendly alternatives. Here are a few to consider:
The Good Old-fashioned Yard Sale
Typically, unless something is falling apart, then whatever you are disposing of will likely hold some value to someone. If you have something that you personally do not need, it is entirely possible that someone in your neighbourhood could make use of it. Even items that are somewhat used and worn may appeal to someone who cannot afford to buy them new.
Your undesirables may be highly desirable to someone else. Something that you want to get rid of may be exactly what someone else is looking for. That is part of the reason for the popularity of yard sales. Selling them at a modest price might just help them out. And as a side bonus, you get to make a few bucks.
Donations
Going one step further, you may simply want to donate your older items rather than sell them. Clearing out your home, gaining new space while de-cluttering and helping someone in need at the same time? That’s pretty awesome.
Charities are easy to find, and chances are you have a drop box conveniently located near you, so why not give someone a helping hand? There is always a demand for items such as old shoes and gently-used clothing. Even things like old reading glasses might come in handy for someone. A single box of your old goods might end up helping dozens of others.
Putting Everything in Storage
You may have items that you actually don’t want to part with, but you are pressed for space. In that case, you may want to consider putting your items in storage.
Perhaps you are saving furniture or appliances for when your kids move out and get their own place. Or maybe there are other items that you just can’t bear to give away, but also cannot find room for in your home. Self-storage facilities can hold your goods in a secure location at an affordable price.
Selling Online
Multiple websites now exist that offer you the opportunity to sell or trade your unwanted items. If sitting on your lawn in the hot sun (or rain) hoping for someone to visit your yard sale is not in the books for you, this may be an excellent alternative.
By putting your articles online, you can save yourself a great deal of time. Generally, they can sit there waiting for a potential buyer without any effort on your part, aside from the initial posting, because you likely have other things to do with your time than wait and hope for a buyer.
You will also reach a much wider audience, so if you have collectibles that you believe may be valuable, this is your opportunity to reach collectors who would likely be willing to pay more than the average person at a yard sale.
Repurposing
This is a big one these days, as people seek ways to re-use whatever they can.
Maybe one of your old items can be repurposed into a planter or turned into some kind of decoration. Maybe pieces can be salvaged to repair something else. Looking online reveals numerous “life hacks” that can be used to turn your junk into something useful that you may have never considered. You might even enjoy trying to find new and creative ways to make use of what would have otherwise been junk.
Additionally, many items can be brought to recycling centres, to help keep them out of landfills.
Junk Hauling
It may turn out that some items simply cannot be sold, or even given away. If you find yourself with large items, or a large pile of smaller goods, then you will need the services of a professional junk hauling firm.
You probably don’t want to bring everything to the dump yourself, even if you have a truck that can do the job. Not only is it time-consuming, it is also tiring, and in some cases, you may cause yourself injury if trying to haul away heavy appliances. Why take the risk?
Engaging professionals saves you time and effort, while also ensuring that everything is disposed of quickly, efficiently, and in the most ecologically-friendly manner. Finding a good junk-hauling firm lets you put your mind (and back!) at ease, knowing that everything is being taken care of correctly.
Virtually anything that you need to dispose of (aside from hazardous waste) can be handled by an experienced team, often for much less than you would expect.
If you have previously stored items and you want to clear those out? Well, that’s no problem either. Even all your old furniture being held in a self-storage facility is easily hauled away and disposed of.