Barry Cashin helps you find out if there is cash in your clutter

MARCH and April usually herald the start of the great spring clean. However, in our uncertain economy, many savvy householders are also taking the opportunity to declutter their homes for cash.

We’re not talking small change, either. It is estimated that the average home has £1,500-£5,000 value in junk stashed away in attics, garages and sheds.

Selling antiques Many local newspapers advertise one-day events in hotels, town halls, etc, where you can take your antiques and collectables for a free valuation.

If your antique is a piece of furniture or other larger item, there are specialist firms who can value and place these with auction houses for disposal.

One such company is www.barnebys.co.uk. If you would prefer to sell your items privately such as in Loot or a private ad, get at least three independent professional valuations first so that you can pitch your selling price correctly.

Garage sales

A great way of selling attic junk and other unwanted items is via a garage sale at your home.

You do not necessarily need a garage. You can use your driveway or the front garden.

All you need is an advert in the local paper, a couple of trestle tables and a hand-made sign or some bunting to indicate the event.

Holding your own sale is a fun way to earn cash and get rid of your junk at the same time.

Boot fairs

A staple of the British summer, car boot fairs are a popular way of getting a slice of the estimated £80 million plus value of goods.

You can find out about boot fairs in your area in your local newspaper or by going online to sites such as www.carbootjunction.com and www.carbootsales.org and performing a postcode search.

Online auctions

For the internet-savvy among us and with enough time to organise postage and packing, ebay remains the most popular online auction site to sell goods. ebay makes its money by charging a listing and sales commission fee.

That said, it is a simple way of selling multiple items at the same time. Free alternative online sales portals are www.gumtree. com and www.preloved. co.uk.

Feel-good decluttering

A lot of charities will collect anything from entire house contents to single bulky items of furniture for resale if in good condition such as sofa beds, shelves and cabinets.

Homeless charity Emmaus www.emmaus.org.uk (tel: 0300 303 7555) offers a service that covers most of the country. The Furniture Re-use Network (FRN) www. frn.org.uk, supports over 200 reuse charities and can put you in touch with a local furniture reuse organisation to arrange collection.

You won’t be paid but you may be helping people in genuine need.

Council disposal Some large items such as sofas and white goods beyond economical repair can still be sold on online auction sites for spares.

For those items that don’t sell, contact your council who will charge a one-off fee for collection and disposal.

Depending on size, this could be upwards of £20, although discounts are available for people on certain benefits.

Another useful website for recycling almost anything is www.recyclenow.com whose website has links to similar organisations in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.