Finding clothes in the garbage.

[joshcryer]

I related this in another thread but I had to just share it again here. I found a whole bag of almost new or very clean, nice shirts in the garbage the other day. Kept the whole bag. A lot of them are better than the ones I've been wearing for years. (I am kind of a bum I don't buy much new stuff unless my clothes wear down to the point of tears and whatnot.)

The bag was just sitting there, right on top of all the other garbage, I poked it because I saw a shirt with a neat pattern on it, then I tore it open and low and behold, nice, clean smelling shirts!

Just, keep an eye out, is all I can say. I was really shocked with how good the shirts were. From now on I am going to go "dumpster diving" in that vein. You never know.

[snagglepuss]

1. Before taking clothes home, run them thru a dryer at a laudromat as

heat kill bed bugs.

[joshcryer]

2. I had beg bugs once (not because of this, first time, really).

I wrapped the clothes up tightly in a bag, though on inspection they looked fine.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

3. What an exciting find :)

My friend has a business down from their house with a dumpster and you would not believe the things people sneak into the dumpster. She has found bags of nice clothes, a mirror (so nice she put it up in her bathroom in place of the one that is there), small pieces of furniture. When my children were small we lived on a street with an alley and I found unbelievable goodie one day when family was emptying out after the older lady who lived there died. I was estatic. Got tons of antique hand sewn baby clothes, little dresses with the tucks and embroidery and matching slips, kimono's etc. (which my three daughters wore), very nice kitchen utencils etc. It is strange what some people consider garbage. My sister and I have pulled over on "garbage day" and pulled some cool fines into the car I try to reuse things, so much more environmentally correct. And I also wear my clothes to threads, so a find like yours would be great! Enjoy.

[joshcryer]

7. I'm moving soon and I went to U-Haul to buy some boxes, they're extremely expensive.

So I decided to hit the dumpsters behind some stores here and I found an amazing dumpster, just magical, that sits behind a Christian book store. Clean as can be, hop in there, you get the cardboard boxes dirtier from your shoes! That's just how clean it is. I know I saved at least $50 on boxes that way. So if anyone is looking for clean, nice cardboard boxes, go to the Christian bookstore or any other kind of book store near you (though I think bookstores are going the way-side Christian bookstores sell more than just books so they might outlast Barns and Nobel, etc).

I did notice something interesting though, one of the dumpsters 8 or 9 empty X-BOX 360 boxes, which was really unusual! I suppose the workers there ordered them with a bulk discount or something, was a weird find. I checked them in case they tossed a broken one.

[Flaxbee]

28. just fyi for the future, I got some incredible boxes with handles from Lowe's - free

These were boxes that they received items in and were just going to toss. The manager told me to ask when the shipments come in, and stop by at the end of that day. I got ten really high-quality boxes. Not sure if all Lowe's stores do this, but it's worth checking. Or Ace Hardware, or any other stores like that.

[Denninmi]

4. Yeah, I'm not too proud to stop at the curbside on garbage day.

I've gotten some great stuff out of people's trash. A brand new wok set. A brand new bird cage with a price tag still on it, and a few feathers and a little poo in the tray -- don't know if the bird didn't like it, or died, or what, but I've had doves in it for 2 years now, happy as clams. A working water cooler/heater dispenser unit, in great condition - the kind that holds a 5 gallon jug of water. And, more wicker baskets that I can shake a stick at -- people throw a lot of those away after Christmas and Easter, they get them as gift baskets and don't want them.

[badhair77]

9. I put some kitchen chairs and a few plastic lawn chairs at the curb once.

I was hoping someone could use them and in hours they were gone. We also put out an old snow blower that needed work and someone took it off our hands, so to speak. I hope they could fix it. It cost too much for us to do it and we had a bigger one. Share the wealth.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Great find----but it makes me wonder...

what in the hell are people thinking! Why wouldn't they donate them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or Prince of Peace or their church or a homeless shelter or a domestic abuse shelter or....you get my point. I just don't get it.

But good for you that you found them!

[joshcryer]

6. That was my first thought! It was as if they washed them, and then decided to toss them!

It would've been different if they were rank smelling (at one point in my life I couldn't afford to wash my own clothes or afford toilet paper, so, erm, yeah, lost a whole bag of clothes that way).

But these were and are very clean clothes. It was shameful that they were thrown in the garbage, and the garbage itself was quite nasty (people dumping leftovers and stuff in there).

Got lucky it was on top because I may not be too proud to dumpster dive but I don't think I have the stomach to rummage through rank smelling leftovers!

[Curmudgeoness]

8. LOL, you are lucky you didn't run into someone like your past self!

I only dumpster dove into a huge dumpster full of rank smells and bugs once----someone had thrown a litter of kittens in there, and I had no hesitation.....but for just about anything else, I would never get into the true garbage.

[MADem]

14. The wife tossed her cheating husband out on his ass, maybe, and tossed his clothes in the garbage? n

[joshcryer]

16. Wha? After washing them?

I think they were tossed because on second inspection the printed logos are coming off. Some of the logos are religious in nature, some kids or young adults might be embarrassed to wear them.

[MADem]

17. Well, I was thinking they were washed, in a drawer, and she grabbed a garbage bag and stuffed 'em in

and heaved 'em out on the trash can. She needed more drawer space, maybe?

But it could be that they were being saved as "painting" clothes and cloths, and they had way too many already.

[joshcryer]

18. Yeah they've become my lounging shirts now.

They'll be downgraded to work shirts soon enough.

[MADem]

21. They'll make great household rags after that!

Buff shoes, polish silver, general cleaning--can't beat 'em.

[joshcryer]

22. Snot rags!

[NJCher]

10. Thinking? I'll tell ya'

I have someone who does this in my family. Buys expensive clothes and at the end of season, throws most of them out. Almost always the items he discards have been dry cleaned. They are folded neatly, put in plastic bags, and put in the household dumpster for disposal on trash day.

Drives me nuts. I take them to the Goodwill.

The "thinking?"

Wants them gone.

Can't be bothered driving them to the Goodwill. Can't stand "clutter."

Appallingly, this person is a fellow Democrat, even a left-leaning one.

Boggles my mind that he doesn't understand that energy went into making these items and that we shouldn't "throw away" energy.

FWIW, I have to take cans and bottles out of the household wastebaskets, too.


Cher

[Curmudgeoness]

11. Just wow. nt

[joshcryer]

19. Ugh! That is infuriating. Put them *next* to the dumpster. Someone will come along.

That's disgraceful.

[tru]

12. another person who wears clothes until they're truly worn out

I had no idea other "normal" people did this.

[joshcryer]

13. I got a big ass tear under my left pocket on the jeans I'm currently wearing.

Hey, it beats buying $20 "stylish" jeans that are ... intentionally torn.

Never could get over seeing those jeans with the scuffed bottoms, intentionally torn that way. I wore my brothers hand-me-downs and they were always like that and I hated it. I think they're out of style these days.

[MADem]

15. I have shirts I had made in Hong Kong when it was still British. nt

[tru]

20. now remembering

I was at my old doctor's one day, and he plucked at my sleeve and said, "Don't you think it's time you threw this out?"

[fizzgig]

23. we've scored some needed furniture dumpster diving and curb shopping

nice computer desk, little end table and a tv stand.

i live in a college town, so we're hitting a good time to pick.

[joshcryer]

24. Saw a really nice side table by the garbage next door here, but there's a fence around the property.

I had a lot of stuff in my hands at the time, and by the time I put it inside and went back out to walk on the other property it was gone! Was really disappointed, it was in really good shape. I still regret not climbing the fence, and lifting it over it (it was fairly small, and looked light, but it also seemed like solid wood, good construction).

Bumped into some lady asking me about a property here, and when I told her "Oh, I live over there, not here, just doing some dumpster diving."

Her response?

"Colleges. Hit them up, you'll find good stuff."

Ahh, if only I had the time to go to the nearby colleges!

[fizzgig]

25. i'm really appalled at some of the stuff the kids throw out

such waste

[mopinko]

26. my favorite sweater is from the garbage.

big ole beautiful irish wool sweater. keeps me warm and dry.

[AidynPeter]

27. supply for the need

if all these guys are planning to dump all these dresses, y cant they meet some street people, they most suffers with no clothes on. If they supply these dresses for such poor people, It will be a great help for them.