Attic Cleaning – Treasures or Trash?

It’s time for spring cleaning and getting a fresh start on things; that includes attic cleaning. Open up the windows, air out the house and prepare to tackle the job you’ve been putting off for years. Now is the time to get it done. As you survey the territory your mind begins looking for clues as to what is a treasure and what is trash.

Perhaps it’s not your own mess that you’re faced with. Occasionally newly acquired homes may have basements and attics full of castoff and forgotten items left by the former owners. They either didn’t have the time or the inclination to deal with the clutter so now it’s yours. Either way, you are faced with an attic full of stuff that needs to be dealt with.

Attic Cleaning: Treasure or Trash?

Kids find treasure in the most unlikely things. Some adults do as well; however, many people are embracing the “less is more” concept and getting rid of all unnecessary clutter in their lives. Attic cleaning can be an exercise in establishing values around material objects as well as an opportunity to take a jog down memory lane. When it comes to cleaning out the objects left by former owners you can toss it all or sort through it for hidden treasures. In most states, items left by the seller become the property of the new owners if not removed at the time of closing.

Many people have found treasures of one sort or another during their attic cleaning though most of the items tend to be broken or unusable junk. Some people have found only trash left behind. Sometimes trash actually turns out to be a treasure as in the case of personal letters written long ago during a pivotal era in history.

What Makes the Cut?

There are several methods of sorting things out if you choose to treasure hunt rather than do a clean sweep. The three-bin (or piles) method is one of the easiest and efficient. Label the bins or spaces Keep, Donate and Toss. Sort through everything quickly leaving further inspection for another time. There will be some things that you feel ambivalent about; those can go into the keep or donate bin because you will take a deeper look at these items later. You don’t want to donate something you may want to keep and you don’t want to keep things that you can do without. A quick sort through to begin with will help the job go faster and keep you from dwelling too much on any one item. At this point, you just want to get the job done.

Discovering Treasure

First, understand that not everything you consider a treasure will be valuable. Some things will only have sentimental value. If it’s strong, it’s a keeper. If not, consider donating or tossing out. Occasionally people find real treasure in the attic. This may call for a trip to an antique dealer or at least a search on the internet. In the end, the decision will be the same –keep it or not?

Call in the Reserves

When time is a factor or if you just don’t want to go through the ordeal of attic cleaning, there is a great alternative. Give Jiffy Junk a Call. We will come and make an assessment of the situation and clean out your attic in no time at all. Before you know it, you’ll have a fresh, clear space to use as you see fit. Give us a call at Jiffy Junk and we’ll get the job done in a jiffy.

Use our convenient online booking form.