Any "dumpster divers" out there?

To all the dumpster divers out there, I'd like you all to know I left a note on the big, ugly, leather chair that we tossed a few days ago. Here's how it went:

To the dumpster diver that thinks he or she has a great find. This chair was the home for a cat that had a horrible case of fleas. You are welcome to it, but just know that you may have to bug bomb the heck out of it before it goes into your home. Many happy returns.

The previous owner.

I did it to protect my own Karma. The last thing I salvaged gave me a horrible case of roaches. I didn't want to pass on a knowingly tainted item.

When we lived at the apartment, everyone seemed to be consiously nice about putting stuff that could be re-used outside of the dumpster. I got a couple of nice little shelving units - one for the bathroom and one for the kitchen - that way, and the best find was an almost new medium sized pet carrier! We cleaned it out really well, bleached it to make sure there were no nasties in it, and figured when we had enough kitties to fill all the carriers then we were full. 4 carriers, 4 kitties. Works out well.

We did that when we moved out, too. Some of the stuff we didn't take with us was in good shape, we just didn't need it. So we put it in front of or beside the dumpsters. Some of the stuff was gone well before we were!

those days came to a end when i got a real job a.
but my aparment in college had only the best dumpster chairs , and book shelfs you could fine

Dumpster, curbside, where ever I can find something useful. My sweetie has found several really good vaccuum cleaners that only needed the clogs removed from the lines. We live in a military town, and if the packers fill up the truck, a lot of times people will have to pare down their stuff they are moving, and I have gotten huge bags of curtains, toys, boxes of dishes, kitchen stuff. I keep what I want and have a yard sale when I get enough stuff to have one. It is going to be moving season in a couple months, whenthe kids get out of school, so I will start looking again.

i don't dumpster dive, but i did freecycle our futon when we bought our couch. it was an all wood frame one, and wasn't cheap when we bought it. even if they replaced the mattress (we told them it was old), they still got a steal for the futon frame.

i don't take anything from the dumpster area of our apartment. there are alot of people with big dogs, and i'm paranoid about taking in something that's been peed on. add to that a healthy dose of "Fear of Roaches". we had a neighbor in our last apartment (several years ago now) that was a dumpster diver/hoarder, and she brought roaches into the building. it was BAD. the LL had to have us take the animals out at least 4 times(!) for a full blown bug bombing. plus there were a few smaller bug control visits. it was so gross. for the last month we lived there i stored our dishes in a rubbermaid because of all the bug bombings. it just didn't make sense to put everything away. when we moved out, it was still not fully under control.

editted to add: i do take things from friends/family if they offer and i can use it.

Nah. I dont do that..........guess I need to though, huh??

I mean we have done it like as a joke or something. I have never found anything good enough to keep.

Originally Posted by lookingglass

To all the dumpster divers out there, I'd like you all to know I left a note on the big, ugly, leather chair that we tossed a few days ago. Here's how it went:

To the dumpster diver that thinks he or she has a great find. This chair was the home for a cat that had a horrible case of fleas. You are welcome to it, but just know that you may have to bug bomb the heck out of it before it goes into your home. Many happy returns.

The previous owner.

I did it to protect my own Karma. The last thing I salvaged gave me a horrible case of roaches. I didn't want to pass on a knowingly tainted item.

Click to expand...

you are such a sweetie!

Originally Posted by LuckyGirl

you are such a sweetie!

Click to expand...

Isnt she?!? Thats exactly what I thought when I read her post.

The closest I come to garbage picking is going to yard sales sometimes..I couldn't pick something off the curb..you just never know what happened to it Or what happened on it, or in it...

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

The closest I come to garbage picking is going to yard sales sometimes..I couldn't pick something off the curb..you just never know what happened to it

Or what happened on it, or in it...

Click to expand...

But with furniture and clothes isn't it the same with yard sales? You may be able to talk to the person selling it, but there's no reason for them to tell you the whole truth.

I think the one thing I saw that really gave me the heebie-jeebies is when we went to a hotel liquidation and they were selling the mattresses. And people were buying them. I mean, we got a couple of down pillows (WASHABLE!), a couple sets of wine glasses, hangers, stuff like that. But everything we got was washable! Mattresses from a hotel? EEEEEWWWWW! Seriously, you KNOW what happened on those!

Originally Posted by valanhb

But with furniture and clothes isn't it the same with yard sales? You may be able to talk to the person selling it, but there's no reason for them to tell you the whole truth.

Click to expand...

Oooooooooh, I still wouldn't buy furniture at yard sales..just unfabricy stuff

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Oooooooooh, I still wouldn't buy furniture at yard sales..just unfabricy stuff

Click to expand...

I agree, and I wouldn't dumpster dive for fabricy stuff either. But stuff like end tables or wooden stuff or chairs that you would re-upholster anyway (like dining chairs or barstools), I wouldn't have a problem grabbing. Especially the old furniture that was made with quality materials and workmanship, and just needs refinishing! Better than the junk they sell new at most furniture stores now.

I don't even do well at yard sales anymore. I thought they were great 20-25 years ago, but now they have become a regular business and I can never find good deals. I have a friend who is an antique dealer and she still pokes around in the strangest places! Once she had me stop at the curb and she pulled a picture out of a garbage can - turns out it was worth 5K! Of course she knew what she was lookig for. Another time she bought two lamps for $5, went to Walmart and bought two shades for $10/each and sold the pair at the Pier Antique Show in NYC for $290- and got to keep the shades because the designer who bought the lamps didn't want the shades!
I do love hitting the flea market/antique stores - and I still find wonderful treasure there!