Would You Shop and Be Comfortable at This Garage Sale?

It sounds like you are putting more effort into this than her. I would lower my expectations a little. If she doesn't want to make things nice for a good sale, sell things at a lower price to move items quickly. After the sale, offer to take the items to a local charity for donation and call it a day. When helping people I have found that if I am working harder than they are, I am the only one getting frustrated or dissappointed when things don't go right. I try to offer the same support and help that they are giving towards their own project. I shop at yard sales and I won't buy items that smell like smoke or animals, if there is a little hair on the items I may offer a lower amount than the asking price and then wash it good when I get home.

Just hang in there doing the best you can to have things ready for garage sale day. When it's all over...plan to have an organization pick up all the remainders....and then politely bow out! The goal is not to see how much you can make but to get rid of the stuff!

ooh man. I'm allergic to cats - so I wouldn't be able to stay at the garage sale long. yes, things can be washed - we do wash things after a garage sale. but wow....

I would say it all has to be cleaned and washed if she wants to sell it. If people show up and are allergic to cats - she won't sell much. Clean things sell.

And yeah - it is an insult to you NOT to clean it. However, keep in mind that she is a hoarder. This is HUGE that she is getting rid of stuff! I can't imagine the panic she must be feeling when she sees things going out the door. She might need to talk to a professional to help her get the stuff under control. The anxiety level that a hoarder goes through can be extreme...remind her that she is doing a GREAT job and that if she wants the things to sell, they need to be clean!!

GOOD LUCK!!

If I saw clothing covered in cat hair, I would immediately leave a garage sale. My general impression would be that the house is disgusting and dirty and covered in cat hair, and that's the way all the items were brought out. I am sorry you invested so much time into this, but hoarding is very difficult for even professionals to deal with and usually isn't cured.

And I know you're trying to be kind, but you can't say someone is a hoarder, overrun with "things" but that their house is clean. It is NOT clean, because dust and dust mites settle everywhere and you can't tell me a hoarder goes around unstacking and cleaning their things. I know what it takes to keep a house clean, and it's hard to do when you have too much stuff around.

I understand your pain. You've gone above and beyond to help her and she is not backing you up. Yes, I'd feel unappreciated.

At the same time it is her garage sale. Let her try it as is. I would shop there. I have shopped at sales where things were in a similar condition. I don't usually buy clothes and so I'm not sure if I'd buy anything covered with cat hair. Also clothes do not sell well anyway. I doubt that having the cats on things would be a deal breaker. She's probably not going to sell much in the way of clothes anyway.

If she's selling baby and children's clothes they would probably sell whether having cat hair on them or not. I would price them low.

I suggest that on the morning of the sale, you go through and shake off the top layer of fabric.

It's wonderful for you to help her and you do have to honor what she wants to do. It is her sale.

I suggest that she would be money ahead to donate everything because she can use that for a tax deduction. Since you have it set up, do the sale and donate what's left. Yes, people will shop there.

Maybe it's rude of her - but that's on her.

The feeling I got reading the post was that your helping has morphed a bit into feeling entitled and a teeny weeny bit of micromanaging.

Let her take the lead. You're an AWESOME helper....but you're still just a helper. :)

forget the garage sale. now she's starting to stall and make excuses. take it to goodwill or the dump now before this conflict becomes an excuse for her to put the brakes on the whole operation.

sure they can use the money - but obviously it's not a priority to them, so don't get your heart set on helping someone that doesn't want to be helped. you will be disappointed.

if she REALLY wants your help she will HELP you help her. you're not a therapist, so tread carefully. you've watched the show "hoarders", right?

Since you are going to give her the responses, I will weigh in for you both, MartyMom. I hope she will appreciate your honesty here. You have described her problem very well - I really think you actually know something about hoarding from having researched it, from the things you have said here. I want to add that part of her and her husband's problem with being hoarders is that they don't "get" that they are insulting you by allowing these cats to nasty up the clothes to be sold. As hoarders, they also aren't giving you any credit for the massive amount of work you have done.

You are NOT too picky or clean. It doesn't mean much to them because THINGS mean more to them than the state the things are in. Other people don't look at possessions like they do and don't want to buy dirty stuff.

I would stand my ground on this, MM, I truly would. I hope you get through this with your friendship still intact. The worse part is if they continue to hoard after the next baby comes and then find themselves in the same situation.

With the static you are getting? I would only do this once, no more.

Good luck,
Dawn

Sounds like he is passive-agressively protesting your help (or intrusion as he might see it.) She is caught in the middle of a friend who is helping her and her husband playing on her years of hoarding tendencies tugging the other direction. Poor girl.

We I you, I would give her two options: 1. Play by your rules, get rid of the cats and work hard to sell off this stuff over time as you have advised. Or 2. One Saturday morning, everything goes on the front lawn with a sign "$1 each. Everything must go!!!" At sundown, anything remaining goes on the truck to Goodwill. (Clean House style.)

If she is not willing to agree to either, dust your hands, make your goodbyes and move on. She's not ready for your help. Perhaps light a candle for their children.

My brother is a hoarder of cats, he has like 20, seriously and they are indoor. I am familiar with stuff riddled by cats. Not only would I not buy his stuff I'd gladly burn it for him.

Sounds like passive resistance to me. She can LOOK like she is trying to be proactive and get rid of some of her "stuff", yet when it doesn't sell she gets to still have her stuff AND say "I tried". :/

Not much you can do if that is what is going on. But like another person commented below, my husband is allergic to cats, so I wouldn't buy anything if there were cats roaming the garage or there was cat hair on anything.

Perhaps you can ask her to agree to a deal: She can decline to clean the stuff that has cat hair, so long as she agrees to take anything that does not sell to the nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army at the end of the first day. The reality that no matter what she does will not result in her keeping any of it, might spur her to at least make a little money on it. Maybe anyway?

It is fantastic that she reached out for your help and that you have agreed to do so. That's pretty big, the way I understand hoarding. I would also be concerned that once she has freed up some space, that she will see that as an opportunity to go buy MORE stuff to fill the space again. :( How long before the baby comes??

If I saw cat hair I would leave. It just seems dirty to me. Also, I am allergic to cats, so it would be a big turn-off.

I would NEVER shop at a garage sale with cat hair/smell all over. I would tell her to wash her stuff, post pics on craigslist and ebay and start selling! Also do a garage sale on some nice sat morning where you can move a whole bunch of stuff at once. Advertise in the paper, label things well by bins and don't allow animals around the stuff/smoke etc.

I specifically ask before coming to a sale or buying off of craigslist etc if something has been in a home with animals/smoke etc.

You are a great friend for helping her! Best wishes~

M

TO KNOW:

PPD can express as something similar to an anxiety disorder.

You know the "nesting" thing that happens to most women toward the end of their pregnancy when they get OBSESSED with "stuff". Having everything, afraid to not have the right things?

With some women... the hormones don't create DEPRESSION... they create an extreme and constant anxiety about "not being prepared".

Guess what?

Your friend is probably NOT a hoarder (nor is her mother). Bet you $50 right here and now that if she went on antidepressants or antianxiety meds... her house would clear out.

As a matter of fact, I'm about 99% sure that's what is happened. She's in "reprieve" because she's expecting #2 so her hormones and brain chem have evened out, but as soon as they're gone... it's going to be even worse.

I know this doesn't answer you Q (and no, I wouldn't buy things covered in cat hair)...

... but honestly...

Her nonchallance about the cat hair AND her "hoarding" tendencies after the birth of her first VANISHING enough that she's getting you to help clear things out (the hormones soothing the anxiety, until the nesting phase starts again and doesn't stop)....

Just makes me want to take your friend to a clinical psychologist at mach 2.

Little. White. Pill.

Starting the week of the birth of her 2nd.

My .02

HELLO anyone hear of ALLERGIES?? I am not allergic but my man is and would not shop there, just as I would not expect anyone to shop from me if my dog's fur was all over the place. I know it's dander that people are allergic to but where there is hair there is dander.

personally i might not shop, but i have seen a LOT of people who don't seem lilke they would have any problem buying this and dickering you down on the price gleefully.

Fussing too much over this is going to stonewall the whole thing, Any other clothign you are putting up you might want to store in bins and lay out the day of. As for what is already cat hairy, scoop that off the top the day of and try to sell what is underneath.

People get all crazy with dreams of granduer when running yardsales, you need to really really let go of the idea of making money and focus purely on getting the stuff out so the baby can come in. Everyone thinks their own things are wonderful but no hardcore yardsaler will pay much. You'll be helping your friend most by making her feel that she has been successful even if you are giving it all way.

Just food for thought, you might actually be more of a help if you could encourage her to donate to a shelter or a specific down and out person. that lets your friend feel benevolant but doesn't put focus on her stuff being "worth" somethign making it harder to part with stuff that is worth so much at NExt years yard sale. plus you can get it out of her house more immediately.
great grammar tonight bu ti hope you get what i mean.

I have two cats, and they are very territorial. I absolutely won't buy anything with evidence of other cats, because it makes me nervous that my cats would wet on that stuff. Nope, I wouldn't buy anything.

I love garage sales! I love flea markets. We are avid collectors in my family. I can't wait for Spring/Summer for the flea markets to start up again. Pintrest has me all inspired!

NOW if I go into a garage and smell any animal odors I march back out. If it was simply hair I wouldn't freak unless it looked like a cat blew up on the stuff but If I smelled cat pee or anything like that I'd be gone so fast you wouldn't have seen me walk in! lol BUT if it was children's clothes if they didn't smell freshly cleaned and free of hair I wouldn't buy those sorts of things for sure. I'm looking for kid clothes in nearly new condition and typically if I can't smell laundry detergent I know it wasn't well taken care of and I'd again leave.

So I basically think she should re-wash the clothes and maybe dust everything else off again. Oh and MARK everything! Nothing makes me angrier than when I have to go ask about every single little items cost. I get turned off and leave. I know it's a waste of my time if you can't mark your stuff either.

My BFF and I enjoy going to garage sales; it's our hobby and our girl time. If we saw items made of fabric covered in animal hair we wouldn't be interested in those items. We would also be more selective in the items we do purchase.

I don't know a lot about hoarding. But it would seem to me that someone who has this mental disorder (not sure if that's the correct terminology) would not be able to fully understand and appreciate all the hard work and effort you have put into this project. And yes, it's A LOT of time and effort.

Your friend is right, the buyer will wash the items. However, if they are dirty or covered in animal hair chances are they won't purchase them to begin with. Also, in general the more organized and clearner the items are, the better the price.

Here's what I would suggest... any item that a cat has laid on directly needs to be cleaned. However, the items underneath it or next to it do not. ie: a stack of t-shirts - the one or two on top go in the washer, the others stay as is. I also agree that the cats need to be moved out of the garage.

If I saw dirty things, I wouldn't even consider buying them. Yeah, they can be washed, but by then I'd probably be gasping for oxygen. As an asthmatic who has a very hard time breathing after even a little cat dander gets fluffed about, I would very much NOT appreciate having a sneak attack of cat hair.

There will possibly be children and other people passing through the sale who are much more sensitive than I am. It's a health hazard.

You're a saint for what you're trying to do, by the way. Keep in mind the common saying that "No good deed goes unpunished." There's some truth in that. Doesn't mean we shouldn't do good deeds, but if it's for the appreciation or cooperation, we're probably sadly misdirected.

No, cats ruin things, and especially farm cats with all their dander. Ick, ick ick. Not a chance. I will only go to garage sales where the items look well cared for. Especially now with all the bed bug issues and stuff. Good luck. I think laundering things will help but if I see a cat or detect an odor it's no-way jose.

I agree with Adanasmama, forget the garage sale and load it all up cart it down to goodwill.

Simply put, NO one, even someone with cats will want to purchase the items that.are covered in cat hair. I, personally have a cat and understand that its in their nature to do this (always laying on piles in basement or attic) ,but even if I'm just going to donate it to goodwill, I wash it beforehand. If its a concern of how much needs to be washed, take it to a laundry mat and do bulk loads. If its a case where just a little of the hair from having your house cat indoors is "here or there" I would consider purchasing if the price was right.

I personally would still shop the sale, probably not buy the few things that had hair on them. Maybe just vaccuum the hair off the stuff, rather than washing it?

Good for her for letting the stuff go, and good for you for helping her. Now they have to stop buying things they obviously don't need. Maybe they need someone to budget for them, and show them how much they could be saving for retirement and for their children's future education, and how to save up for vacations/experiences, rather than things.

Good Luck!

go to TLC.com and contact the show hoarders. Hoarding isn't usually just about "stuff" it's a complusion and generally stems from SOMETHING more. Most times it's some kind of trauma.

If you haven't seen the show they provide a clean up crew AND a licensed clinical psychologist to work with the person as well as money for aftercare.

Just cleaning stuff out ISN'T going to fix the problem, dealing with what caused the problem in the first place will fix the problem.

Oh and no I wouldn't buy anything, my daughter is very allergic to cats. And unless I could get everything washed without her coming into any kind of contact with it, I couldn't risk it.

No one in my family has any allergies, but I am very fickle when buying "soft" items that absorb smells and collect hair.

If you want to have a constant rotation of items at the same place, it is important to make sure people feel good about shopping there. Most people who shop at yard sales do so every week.

If you give a good impression of cleanliness and good prices and advertise they you will have more in the continuing weeks, you will have a constant flow of people at all of your sales.

Best of luck to you both.

Personally I'd rather donate to Salvation Army, Good Will or Purple Heart and write it off my taxes than deal with yard sales.
No matter how much she sells, this problem will keep cropping up.
Just sell the stuff as it is for now (people can wash things).
But I think the best approach is to contact that Hoarders show and see if your friend qualifies for some help.

http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/

Well once you park and get out, you, as a buyer, at least browse. As a person who loves garage sales, I'll say that being organized is key. A little cat hair I can see thru and imagine how I would look in the outfit minus the hair. But in all honesty I would not want to pay more than $1 for any clothing item at a garage sale, ESPECIALLY if they're dirty clothes.

I had a friend highly allergic to cats. Cat hair all over all the items in there would turn her off in a moment.

Does the garage smell? There's nothing worse than the smell of a catbox and catfood.

Can you hang the clothes up on a rope-clothesline from one tree to another, then let them air out a little and perhaps some of the cat hair will blow off of them?

In all honesty, to answer your question ..... cleaning the clothes/items will be better 'safe than sorry' because it'd be a shame for you to not get rid of some items taking up room in the house and make some money at the same time.... all because of some cat hair. If it were me, depending on the amount of hair, I'd probably wash them, or at least hang them and swat them with a broom or put them in the dryer on 'fluff' to get rid of a lot of the cat hair.

When I walk up to a garage sale house if I smell or see cat hair I am gone as it is an odor that costs more than the item I will buy to take care of. Tell them you will help bur you have rules.
1.they need to find a new home for the cats as it is not fair to them to not be well taken care of in a clean environment....thry get sick too.
2. Having children they need to understand the process and be fully involved in it otherwise it will just happrn again.
3.the garage sale needs to be quick like ripping off a bandaid. One saturday8 to1. The first 2 hours full price. Then reduce each hour until you get to free. Make sure you tell people after they hand you their cash or if they are walking away that further reductions will be made at the following times. The last half.hour post on freecycle that there are free sale leftover boxes and to come and get them....nothing goes inside. All leftovers are taken immediately to goodwill.
Ask thdm to both get counseling to find out what is missing or hurting that causes this.

What a wonderful, wonderful friend you are, M..

Unfortunately, I think you are right on this one. Loads of cat hair on sale items would definitely turn me off. It's just kind of gross to me. I know you can wash it at home -- and of course who doesn't anyway -- but if I walked into a garage sale and most of the clothing was filled w/ cat hair, I might poke around a little but probably wouldn't buy anything.

Whether someone buys at a Goodwill--garage sale --yard sale it equals USED MERCHANDISE. I wash everything as soon as it comes into my home. So it would be a waste of fresh water (think the environment) detergent, and electricity (again the environment) to wash it all before the sale. Anyone who does not wash used merchandise before using isn't concerned about cleanliness. So cat hair is a non issue.

Do not say anything about the condition of the stuff--just congratulate her for getting rid of stuff.

Nope, I wouldn't buy something that had cat hair on it. I would suspect the owner didn't take care of the items in other ways... like they weren't frequently washed, stored properly, etc.

I'm not a particularly picky person, but I'm not willing to buy musty, dirty, or smelly stuff. I don't want to take the risk that I've wasted my money if it's not cleanable.

So many people are allergic to cats and many things are not simply machine washable. The cats is a horrible idea. I would definitely wash the cat hair off stuff before selling. Gross!

Updated

So many people are allergic to cats and many things are not simply machine washable. The cats is a horrible idea. I would definitely wash the cat hair off stuff before selling. Gross!

I personally would not buy stuff covered in cat hair. I have cats. If my cats lay on clothes (they do love the warm laundry), everything gets washed again. In fact, anything that has an off smell should be washed. I wouldn't buy that either. If the clothes don't smell and have tags still, you can try to use a sticky roller thing to get the hair off.

I think it is more important to get the stuff out of there. I would turn my nose at items with cat hair and would actually turn my nose if I knew there were cats in the house because I am allergic to them, but like I said, just start getting rid of stuff.

For that yes, the price will drop. Try to shake the cat hair off and use a lent brush. Most people will and should was anything purchased at a garage sale anyway.

Hold the garage sale on one weekend only. Then schedule Goodwill or another charity to pick up the remains ASAP. Cat hair and all. Most people that shop at garage sales will wash whatever they purchase anyways.

If they are borderline hoarders, they may see what people don't buy and want to put them back into the house thinking that theymight need them after all - cat hair and all.

I garage sale a LOT, it's my hobby, it's a fun cheap activity.
That being said , I have been to garage sales like this & thought no way, gross, eeewwww & left.
I rarely pay more than .50 for kids clothes & 1 for adult, if it a nice name brand & hanging up I am way more likely to pay 2 or 3.
There are a ton of garage sales to choose from so I am not digging thorough animal hair cover stuff.

I'm so sorry I'm being honest & that is the reason I go to tons of garage sales but never have them, I will just donate the stuff unless it's a big ticket item I can list on CL. The rest goes to the church, good will, on rare occasions the resale shop, but again it has to be a designer label in great shape that will sell.
You never get any decent amount of $ for clothes & honestly I am not rolling in cash but have always found it is not worth the enormous amount of effort, so say goodbye to the $97 you might have made & move on ;)

On another note I have a childhood friend just like this & we parted ways over this issue, you can't help those who won't help themselves.
Best of luck, you are a good friend for trying but ultimately my friend just felted judged when I tried to help her even though she constantly complained about the situation I guess it was to difficult to deal with it.

Wow! You are a GOOD friend. Do you have some training in social work or the like? You seem to be taking on a very major role. I hope that you aren't too disappointed/hurt if they revert back to their ways...

Of course, I would have a problem with cat hair - even at a garage sale. But I'm not really into animals so others who are may not think that it is a problem.

Good luck!

You are being too picky. Just lint roller where you see cat hair and spray it with febreeze, but then again, I may be underestimating the amount of cat hair, but per your update, it sound slike most everything is in very good condition. People wash the used clothing and such they get from garage sales, goodwill and the like. If it's covered pretty bad or smelly, I wouldn't buy very much, and I am a huge garage saler. Really I agree, the cats need to leave. They will just add to the unclean, hoarding problem. Clothes don't go for much at all at garage sales, so if that's mostly what she has, she probably has a better chance at just donating them and getting a tax write off.

Also, she most likely needs counseling, hoarding is a disorder.

I am highly allergic to cats.....I would not be able to walk into the sale. :)

At this point, she's resisting you & so is he. It's time for them to step up to the plate....or for you to walk.