3 Ways to Make Your Remodel More Earth-Friendly

A home remodel produces an astonishing amount of materials that go straight into the landfill.

Think about a kitchen remodel, for example. Everything that gets torn out will wind up in the landfill: flooring, cabinets, appliances, mouldings, windows… It’s a tremendous mound of *stuff* that’s simply thrown away, and as much as we don’t want to think about it, the out of sight out of mind principle doesn’t make all of this stuff disappear.
The truth is, if you don’t recycle, repurpose, or allow someone else to reclaim your materials, you’re adding to a giant pile of garbage that’s burgeoning in landfills all over the world.

The good news is, there is often plenty to save in a home remodel. Here are some tips to help you decide what – and how – to recycle, repurpose, or redistribute from your home overhaul.

1. Solid wood is good.
   Hardwood floors that are solid (not engineered, i.e. wood tops) and cabinets that have plywood (rather than composite-board) boxes are valuable on the reclaimed market. Hardwood flooring that’s rift and/or quarter sawn is particularly coveted.
   Let your contractor know that you’d like to repurpose these items and ask them to remove them with enough care that they can be reused.
   
2. Appliances are easy.
   If your appliances are relatively new, you can likely find someone who would like them. Things to consider:
   Are they Energy Star or otherwise compliant/favorable?
   Are they in working order?
   If you’re not sure about the condition of the appliances, and if they’re a high-end brand (SubZero, Wolf, Viking, Bosch, Miele) and/or less than 2 years old, it’s probably worthwhile to have an appliance specialist come to your house to give your appliances a good bill of health before you list them for sale. You should be able to find a repair-person to visit and diagnose for less than an hour.
   Appliances sell swiftly on Craigslist, but if you’re not up for the selling process, contact an appliance reseller. You can find plenty of them on Craigslist and eBay, selling refurbished appliances. They’ll often come pick up the entire lot of appliances, pay money up front, and will give you a fair price.
   
3. The bathroom is where it’s at.
   Believe it or not, a used Toto toilet that’s in good condition can fetch you $50-100. Although it’s not a lot of money, when you consider that you’ve also rescued the item from the landfill, it’s a worthwhile expenditure of time, and worth keeping on top of toilet cleaning so it will stay pristine before your remodel.
   Claw foot tubs are coveted and can be easily resold. In good condition, you can expect at least several hundred dollars for a claw foot tub. If you’re tub is in poor condition, you’ll still find buyers looking to use it as a planter for their garden. You can sell for up to $100 or even list as a free item. Either way, it sure beats throwing it away.
   
4. Bonus: If your home has copper piping that’s being pulled out and replaced, let your contractor know you’d like to keep it. You can sell it as scrap and make yourself some extra cash!. Here’s how.

Leave your green remodeling tips in the comments below.

How to choose the right online platform to sell your stuff

In all honesty, selling your belongings online can be tedious, but approaching the sales strategically will make your efforts more efficient and fruitful. It’s important to select the most suitable platform(s) for each item you’re selling

eBay: In my experience, eBay is best for selling lightweight items, and collectibles and other items that would benefit from large audiences. Check out eBay’s list of hot-selling items by room. You’ll see that electronics are popular items, and small/light ones are great because they’re easy to ship. Shipping larger items is more of a challenge and I suggest selling them elsewhere unless you’re an experienced eBayer or shipper. Note that there is a “local pickup only” option on eBay that you can use when selling large, heavy, or otherwise hard-to-ship items.
If you live in a rural or less-densely-populated area, eBay might be your best bet for getting your items in front of a wide audience.
I recommend: clothing (especially kids, designer and technical/outdoor items), accessories, packs and travel items, jewelry and watches, small home and kitchen items, collectibles and antiques (again, smallish), electronics. Note that low-end clothing (even things like GAP and Gymboree) doesn’t sell well on eBay; this is best left for garage sales, consignment, or donation.
           

Craigslist: Use this tried, true, and occasionally sketchy website to sell items that need a wide audience, but which are too heavy to make shipping on eBay worthwhile. For example: a set of Midcentury modern chairs that you inherited from a family member might be too pricey and specialized for the relatively small net cast by Next Door or Facebook groups. Because you’re reaching so many people (if you live in a metro area) and the selling process isn’t as automated as eBay’s, selling things on Craigslist can be time-consuming. For that reason, I recommend reserving Craigslist for higher-priced items or groups of items.
I recommend: outdoor items like barbecue grills and patio furniture, furniture and appliances, large electronics and computers, baby items like cribs (check for recalls!) and child carriers.

Next Door: This is a small neighborhood-based online community. Its classified (and free stuff) sections are excellent for posting large and/or inexpensive items. Because these people are your neighbors, they’re less likely to be sketchy, and I’ve found that most of the people I’ve sold to using Next Door are very decisive and respectful of my time. Often, my Next Door transactions are done in passing; I’ll leave the item on my porch and the buyer will leave the money in my mailbox. Other times, meeting the buyer in person is a pleasant way to meet new friends in the neighborhood.
I recommend: baby and kids’ clothing, toys, holiday items, electronics, furniture, sports and camping equipment.

Facebook: It’s rarely effective to post an item you’re selling on Facebook, but if you’re confident that your audience will respond to the item you’re selling, it’s worth a shot. This works best for things that require some sort of trust or familiarity between the seller and buyer, like tickets for an imminent show or sporting event, or a pricey musical instrument. That said, your audience is limited; not all your friends see your posts, and they aren’t there to buy.
I do belong to some neighborhood Treasure Trove groups and I’ve had and seen others have great success selling items there. If you anticipate having many items to sell, create a neighborhood Treasure Trove group, invite people you think would fit in and ask them to invite good candidates, too.
I recommend: similar items to Next Door.

Non-digital means
Yard sale: You know the drill. If you’ve got a lot to sell all at once, particularly low-value and/or bulky items, a yard sale is the way to go. Note that you get far lower prices at a yard sale than online. That said, a yard sale is a pleasant way to spend a weekend day, a good way to meet your neighbors and make a chunk of change at the same time. Next Door and Craigslist are great ways to advertise your yard sale. In your advertisement, call out specific items that will attract buyers to your sale. Bikes, furniture, small appliances, and household items are all good draws, especially if they’re brand name.
Consignment store: I use a local consignment store for high-end collectible  items, like some antique silver I needed to sell recently. They kept 35% of the purchase price, but the shop had the reputation, knowledge, and customer base to sell the items and fetched far more than I would have been able to. They sold most items in their shop, but several on eBay. Clothing consignment stores are good choices, too, and though the process can be a hassle, it’s good option for selling lower-priced kids clothing like GAP, Carters, and Gymboree, and higher-priced women’s clothing that aren’t moving well in you eBay shop.

The Low-Hanging Fruit principle

I employ the Low-Hanging Fruit principle in all of my organizing projects. I’ve found that it’s especially helpful for my clients who “don’t know where to start” either because their clutter problem is so massive or because organization doesn’t come naturally to them.

The Low-Hanging Fruit principle divides your belongings into three simple groups, and, if you’re working solo, it helps you decide where to start your project.

All of your belongings can be theoretically grouped into three categories:

1. Stuff you must keep.
2. Stuff you might want to keep.
3. Stuff you can get rid of easily.

The third group- the stuff you can get rid of easily- is the low-hanging fruit. If you don’t know where to start, just start there. For example, let’s say you want to clean out your crowded closet but you’re overwhelmed by the prospect. You have so many things – how can you sort thru all of them? And what about all of those aspirational clothes – the beautiful items you bought with the intention of fitting into some day but still can’t quite wear?

Use the Low-Hanging Fruit principle. Here’s how: go through your closet and pick out the things that you just don’t care about. There have to be a few of them! They’re things that you know look terrible on you, like that beautiful yellow shirt you got at Anthropologie despite the fact that you look jaundiced in yellow. Or they’re things that are ruined beyond repair – stained, torn, etc.

The first step is to get rid of the easy stuff, even if it’s only 10 or 15 things.

Once you see that you’re able to get rid of things, it will open the door to the next tier of items – the not-as-low-hanging fruit, the items lingering between category 2 and 3. I find that my clients are motivated by the space(both psychic and physical) created when they get rid of things, as well as the improved appearance and access in their home and storage spaces. I’ve also noticed that my clients are motivated by the good feelings associated with giving their items to someone who needs or will enjoy them, and/or the money they get from selling their unwanted items.

I challenge you to try the Low-Hanging Fruit principle today on one tricky area in your home. Don’t make any tough decisions; only get rid of the things that you know you can part with. If you have a lot of organizing and decluttering to do, just start there, and see how that feels.

I’m always interested in hearing about decluttering successes, no matter how small! Share yours on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and be sure to tag @repackhome.