Spring Cleaning and Neighborhood Trends

Spring Cleaning Time of Year

As the timing for spring cleaning approaches, and the Marie Kondo movement continues to inspire people to clean out things they no longer use, a survey from OfferUp – a mobile marketplace for local buyers and sellers -- found that half of Americans plan to resell their gently used goods to support their income this year.

The company, which polled 2,000 adults across the US, also found that:
• 66 percent of Americans would consider selling gently used items online in order to free up space in their home
• 43 percent of Americans plan to engage in more re-commerce this year compared to 2018
• 45 percent of Americans say they are proud bargain shoppers that brag about deals they find to friends

There's almost a trillion dollars’ worth of unused items inside American households today, and interest in re-commerce is growing as more value-conscious millennials look to save money and find deals. Online marketplaces like OfferUp help people more easily sell the things they don't need and find things they want at a better value.

Need some help paying for your spring and summer projects? Visit our Home Equity page now!

Do You Clean Like Your Neighbors? The survey found:

We hide our stuff in closets and garages.

Did you know... 62 percent of Americans say they have filled a closet with extra stuff they're not using, while "take up space in my garage" ranks second (41 percent).

Vast majority plan to spend at least an hour cleaning.

This spring, 37 percent of Americans are planning to spend a full day or more decluttering; 24 percent are planning to spend one or two hours doing so.

Tidiness is important in our relationships.

About one third of Americans (34 percent) say that their partner/roommate's tidiness is very important. And 32 percent of Americans say they would rather wait in line at the DMV while 25 percent would rather spend time with their in-laws than have an argument about decluttering.

We start cleaning the bedroom first.

And 48 percent of Americans say the bedroom is the first room they declutter.
Functional home offices and guest rooms are the goal. 29 percent say they would use a decluttered room or space in their home as an office, while 26 percent opted for a guest room.

Sometimes, we clean house because company is coming over.

About 43 percent of Americans declutter because visitors are coming over, and 40 percent say they declutter when moving to a new home/apartment.

We're embarrassed for friends with cluttered houses.

When visiting a friend or relative's house that is very cluttered, 46 percent say they would suffer quietly and 28 percent say they would avoid going back.

One man's stuff is another man's treasure.

Americans believe they can make the most money by selling electronics, cell phones, and computer equipment (24 percent), clothing and shoes (25 percent) and vehicles (25 percent).

To learn more about the Spring Cleaning & Re-commerce Survey, please find the full report HERE.