Garage
Sale Tips
- Items that look neat,
clean and uncluttered sell better so plan time with a
Windex bottle and some paper towels to make your old
dusty things look desirable again.
- Items that are closer to
eye level sell better. Try to keep all sale items off
the ground and on tables, rolling racks, crates or
boxes. Borrow from friends and neighbors if you have to.
- Try to imitate an actual
store by organizing items into categories such as house
wares, linens, clothing, books, tools, and then lay them
out as neatly as you can.
- Clothing looks great and
sells best on racks. Separate the clothes into groups,
such as men's, women's, children's, and infant's and
organize by size. Ask your local dry cleaner for extra
hangers if you need.
- Put a price on the big
ticket items only and don't individually price small
items. Buyers are there for a bargain and want to
negotiate face to face no matter what you write on a
price sticker. With the smaller items, make whole tables
or baskets one price, for example, "$.50 each"
or "everything in here is $5"
- Don't forget to lock
your doors while having the sale
Tips for Storing and
Protecting Out of Season Clothing
All fabrics need to be protected against dust, mildew and
bugs, especially clothing moths and carpet beetles. The
biggest problem with these pests is that they can do
considerable damage before you even know that they are
there! If you store your garments with care this year you
will be able to enjoy them for many years to come. This
three step program will ensure that your clothing emerges in
perfect condition every season.
1. Step One: Clean
- Always wash or dry clean
garments immediately before extended storage to remove
mildew spores and insect eggs. Tumbling in a clothes
dryer with high heat for 10 minutes also eliminates
insect eggs. Grease and food spots might provide a tasty
treat for pests so ensuring cleanliness is critical. Any
garment including synthetic fibers with a food or body
oil stain is susceptible to damage.
- Remember to empty the
pockets of all the clothes you're going to be putting
away until next season then launder or dry-clean
everything. Yes, even if you've only worn it once.
You'll avoid stains that set before you next wear your
clothes, including invisible ones from perspiration,
perfume or beverages. Stains become a food source for
carpet beetles and moths, which will eat through the
fabric to get to the food.
- That's also why you
should avoid starching clothes before putting them away.
The starch not only feeds bugs, it can also weaken the
fabric, leading to brittleness and, in a humid
environment, it can lead to permanent stains
2. Step Two: Enclose
Enclose your cleaned
garments to protect them from damage. Use blanket and
sweater storage bags and hanging garments bags available in
cotton or heavy duty vinyl. You can also use sweater boxes,
under-bed boxes, large storage containers and show boxes in
a variety of materials and sizes. You can use breathable
bags for your leather, suede and fur storage.
3. Step Three: Repel
Repel pests using one of
the following:
- Cedar Products offer
natural protection against damage from moths, mildew and
mustiness. The aroma of cedar repels adult moths from
wanting to enter that environment to lay her eggs. The
amount you need depends on the size of the container and
how frequently it is opened and exposed to air and
light. If you can smell it, so can the moths. You can
rejuvenate aging cedar by spraying with cedar mist or by
rubbing the cedar with sand paper to revive the scent.
You can also use sachets, blocks, balls and hangers to
allow you to add cedar easily. Cedar also helps absorb
dampness and odors. Cedar, which comes in hangers,
boxes, blocks and drawer liners, should be sanded with
fine-grade sandpaper after each season because otherwise
the surface oxidizes, eliminating the moth-repelling
scent.
- Moth Away is an herbal
repellent which comes in convenient sachets. The blend
of natural herbs is a fresh smelling alternative to
cedar and provides protection for up to nine months
- Moth Balls is the method
of choice for those cases where you suspect an
infestation . Since moth-balls use an insecticide, it
kills pests. For use in the closet, place moth-balls as
high as possible. The vapors are heavier than air and
will drift downward to provide continuous protection for
up to three months. Happily the para-Dicholorobenzene
vapors in moth-balls don't linger on fabrics like old
fashioned mothballs made of camphor or naphthene. You
can wear your garment the same day!
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