“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” This old saying illustrates that what one person may see as useless, another person sees as precious. However, when going through your own stuff to declutter, it’s not always as simple. You may have a ton of things that aren’t trash, but you aren’t certain if they’re a treasure, either. In fact, they may be neither. What do you do with them then? 

Determining whether something is trash or treasure really means figuring out if it’s something you need to keep or if the item should be a victim of your personal property purge. If you have a small pile of stuff to keep, a small pile of stuff to get rid of, and one giant pile of everything that could go either way, here are a few questions to help you decide if you should keep things or toss them. Once you’ve got everything sorted out, then you can call in Junk King Dayton to handle the trash pile. We’re ready to help cart off that trash so you can enjoy your treasures.

Does it Hold Any Significance to You?

When trying to decide if you should throw something away, a good question to ask yourself is if the item has any significance to you. Was it a memento from a vacation? Did your child make it or give it to you? If an item has any type of connection to you emotionally, you will likely want to keep it. 

That said, you do need to be realistic about some of your choices. For example, maybe you received an air popcorn maker from your sister, but you’ve never actually used it at all. In fact, maybe you dislike popcorn. There’s no reason to keep this, even if it was a gift. Maybe you have an entire box full of your child’s drawings. Ask yourself if you really need to keep them all or if you should ask your child to pick out some of their favorites. Then you could take photos of the others to keep as a digital album. Then, of course, there’s the question of what to do with gifts from exes. That one can be a minefield. 

Is it Useful?

Another important question to ask yourself is if something is useful. Useful items can be worth holding on to, especially if they’re disposal items that won’t expire or lose their usefulness over time. You might have a large pile of rags, but if you have a job such as being a mechanic or have a hobby such as painting, you may go through those rags pretty quickly. 

It’s important to think about the item’s usability in terms of your life, not simply whether something could be useful to someone. If you’re not going to actually use the item, there’s no point in keeping it. Instead, you could give it to someone else or donate it so that, eventually, it gets to someone who will use it. 

Is it irreplaceable? 

Can you replace the item easily? If not, you’ll want to pause and consider whether or not it’s a good idea to get rid of it. Some items that came from your parents or grandparents may no longer be made or easily found. If these items are something you use, you may want to hold on to them if you have the space, especially if you’ve found that you do have a need for them from time to time. 

For items that aren’t necessarily usable, ask yourself if they have any value to you or someone else. Maybe you have a dining room table that your grandparents had built by a carpenter friend. This table may be one of a kind, but for whatever reason, you have no emotional connection to it. Should you get rid of it? That depends on how you answer a couple of other questions.

Would Someone Else Want It?

The first question is whether or not someone else would want it. Maybe you have siblings or other relatives who would want your grandparents’ table because they do have a connection to it. In that case, giving it to them is the easy solution. It goes to someone who wants it, and you get it out of your home. It’s a win-win for everyone. On the other hand, if you don’t have any family members who want it, think about whether or not anyone else would. Many people might like a unique table, but if it’s something that has your family name or other specific decorative details on it, it might not appeal to many. 

Would anyone else want it? If yes, it could go into the sale or donate pile. If the answer is no, it may be time to let the item go. 

Is it Valuable?

You don’t want to throw something away that’s worth a good amount of money, so before an item moves into the trash pile, find out if it’s valuable. If it is, it may be a treasure to someone else. Old coins, antique furniture, books, and many other items can be valuable. If you’re not sure, do a little research. Often, a quick internet search can tell you if something is worth money. For some items, such as antique furniture, you may need to call an expert. They will be able to authenticate these pieces, tell you their overall condition, and give you some ballpark prices. 

Of course, just because something has value doesn’t mean you should keep it. However, you won’t want to throw it in the trash. This is a great opportunity to sell the items and make a little extra money. 

Remember that value doesn’t always mean monetary value. Items can be valuable but be worth very little. Don’t let the dollar amount attached to something be the determining factor. If you value something, or if you have something you think your children or grandchildren may value, consider keeping it if you have the room.

Do You Have Space to Keep It?

“If you have the room” is, in fact, a very important question to ask. It may be the question that determines how much stuff you can keep. If you live in a fairly small apartment, you may not have that much space for items that aren’t immediately useful. Even in a larger house, you may not have a lot of free space if you are married and have children. You might need extra space for a home office or nursery. Maybe you’re downsizing. No matter what, the space you have is, often, the space you have. If you fill it up with things that you aren’t even sure you want to keep just because they may have value or are old can leave you feeling crowded in your own home.

If you don’t have space in your home, you do have two other options, but both cost money. You could purchase a shed to store things in. However, you do have to have space for it in your yard. Is it worth the cost? If you just inherited a lot of stuff from your parents and are going to need time to go through it, you may think a shed is the right option. However, will you still need it after you sort through everything?

If you don’t think you will, then it may be better to rent a storage unit. Once you’ve sorted through everything, you can stop renting the unit. However, if you don’t deal with the things you’ve put in storage, you could end up paying rent on the space for years, and that’s wasteful. A shed is a large upfront cost, while renting a storage unit can be incredibly costly over the years. 

Rather than allow yourself to go down either path, it’s best to sort through things as quickly as you can. Keep what you have the space for, then find something else to do with the remaining items.

When You’re Done

What do you do once you’ve determined what’s trash and what’s treasure? With the trash, you call Junk King Dayton. We’ll haul away everything you’ve decided you don’t want and can’t do anything with. We don’t just take it to the dump, though. Instead, we sort out anything you have that could be donated. This means if you have large furniture that’s still good but doesn’t work for you, we will make certain it gets to someone who needs it. You don’t have to worry about it being thrown away. We will also take items to recycling centers to further help reduce what goes in the garbage.

You get to decide what to do with your treasure pile. That’s all yours, so you can keep it, give it to friends and family members, sell it, or do whatever you feel like is the right thing to do. We’ll get rid of the trash so you can enjoy the treasure!

Want to know more? Give Junk King Dayton a call at 1-888-888-JUNK or send us a text to 1-737-888-5865. You can also use our online price estimator tool and book through our website.