My husband and I do house flipping, which means we also have another title beside “flippers”: we are junk collectors. When people leave their homes, they also leave behind the stuff they either don’t want, don’t have storage space for, or stuff that is so disgusting that they don’t want to deal with it. Consequently, when we purchase their property, we also purchase the gross junk they left behind for us.

Got Junk? Post a Curb Alert

Getting rid of trash, furniture, old clothes, paint cans, chemicals — and in our latest purchase — two coffin pillows (eeewww) is not as easy as you might think. Giant dumpsters are very costly and waiting for a large item pickup through the trash collection service can sometimes take two weeks. We have found that the best way to get rid of old furniture, TVs, and generally re-usable stuff is to post a “curb alert” on Craigslist.

Mission Accomplished — the Eco Way

It is like a miracle happens. Rob and I drag the two old 1979 desks with matching filing cabinet, the “vintage” headboard and the TV stand out onto the driveway, take a photo, post it on Craigslist and it’s usually gone within two hours. Note: Posting a photo is critical to your success with curb alerts, along with putting the type of item in your posting title. I cannot say how happy I am when these big items get taken and are being re-used by someone else without costing me a penny.

The Other Stuff

Chemicals and paints get taken to our county facility that is specifically for paints, motor oil, and other hazardous chemicals. Don’t ever just put these in your regular trash cans. Any clothes and household items that are still in usable condition get loaded up and dropped of at either Goodwill or Salvation Army. The true garbage goes into the trash cans.

Let’s see, how does this sound? Posting title: Curb Alert — Two Satin Coffin Pillows, Gently Used.