When you are going through a phase of renovation you will come across a number of things that you realize you don’t use anymore. The problem with owning a lot of things is that you don’t really realize how much you have until you stop to evaluate how much baggage you are actually carrying. Especially when you go for a major home renovation and really make a drastic change to the house, that is when you get the chance to clean away and uncover the less used items that have been buried. Rather than wasting space and wasting resources why not bring these things out in the open and put them to better use through these fantastic ideas?

1.  Repurpose

If you put your mind to it, you will be amazed at how much can be done with items that you’ve long forgotten about. If you are blank at the moment and have no clue what to do with that old cupboard, toilet, or even suitcase, you can look online and see what people are doing with old items in their house. In fact, large objects are actually easier to repurpose than smaller items. If you have a large cardboard box, for example, you could use it for things like packing, creating a small fence, using it as flooring in the storeroom, or a number of other uses. On the flip side, if you have a really small towel, there isn’t much you can do with that other than just use it as a rag around the house. Look into the large items that you have and if you have a few tools lying around you can quickly transform it into something that is beautiful and useful.

2.  Recycle

Recycling is a great way to save the environment and in a way, you are actually still making use of that extra stuff you have. Generally, all kinds of plastic, steel, and glass will be quite easy to recycle. In fact, some things can even be quite profitable to recycle. For instance, if you have a lot of electronics like motherboards, old phones, audio equipment cables, and even old speakers, there are a lot of valuable metals in them. One solution is to repair these old items and try to bring them back to good condition to use, or you can just break them apart and recycle the components. 

For instance, gold-plated connector cables can actually yield real gold. It is in tiny amounts, but if you have a lot of these cables and wires, you can collect a decent amount. This is pure gold that can be recycled and sold. Similarly, if you have a lot of metal, maybe a small junkyard in the back, you can sell this metal by weight and make a quick buck from it. Many people do this for a living where they buy old scrap metal really cheap and then sell it to junkyards at a profit.

3.  Store

If the old items have a sentimental value or you just aren’t ready to let them go yet you can always store them. For many people, the problem is space and not the items. Even though they want to hold on to the items they don’t have the space to keep them and they need more storage. If you live in the UK, for instance, there are plenty of companies that can help you out to find the right storage unit for your belongings that you don’t really want to use immediately but don’t want to get rid of either. If this is the case then you should look into UK storage facilities that you can rent out on a need basis and when you are ready to bring those things back home you can let the storage space go. There are a number of storage options these days and they are quite economical. In fact, if you can commit to a longer rental period you can negotiate the rates even further down.

4.  Sell

If you want to make a slightly larger profit than just selling your stuff as junk then consider selling it as used goods. Thanks to the internet this process is very easy, quick, and even cheap to do. In fact, most online markets don’t charge you anything to sell on their platform. You can sell to someone locally or an international buyer and get money for your goods. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

 

If you have no need for the things that you are finding in your home, then you could also consider donating them to people who need them. You can either give it to a charity or some other kind of service that helps those who need these things or you can hand it out yourself. Some people prefer to find people that are in need and give it to them in person. Another solution is to donate it to an orphanage or a shelter where you know it will be given to people in need.

 

Published by HOLR Magazine