Recently I was speaking with one of our clients and they informed me they were the “king’s” of treasure hunting.  Hearing this, I thought they were referring to using metal detectors on the weekend to find old coins or lost rings.  What they were referring to was their love of thrift stores.

In-fact, the very furniture and mattresses we were at their home to clean consisted of bargains they found during one of their many treasure hunting excursions throughout SW Florida.

These clients are “snow-birds” and they just recently purchased a beautiful home at Tarpon Point in Cape Coral.  Spending well over $750K on this home and no mortgage, these clients could well afford to hire an interior designer and stock the home with the furniture of their choosing.

As avid treasure hunters with time on their hands, they enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and finding treasures has been a past time of theirs for over thirty years.  And I can tell you, they found some beautiful and very expensive furniture that ended up costing just pennies on the dollar.  Once they locate what they’re looking for they have their furniture, area rugs and mattresses professionally cleaned to eliminate any chance of bed bugs, dust mites, stains and spills and their treasures are as good as new.

With millions of people looking for ways to save money in tough economic times, a growing number of consumers have turned to resale shops to find clothes, furniture and household goods, said Adele Meyer, executive director of The Association of Resale Professionals.  There are great bargains to be found at garage sales and thrift stores and these items can be as good as new with the right professional cleaning.

Resale shops are thriving, popping up across the country. Within the last year, the number of resale shops has increased by 7%, Meyer said. Much of the recent growth can be attributed to young shoppers, snowbirds and families on a tight budget.  Many of these shoppers are passing on trips to the mall in favor of thrift stores, says Britt Beemer, founder and chairman of America’s Research Group, which has studied the trend.  And many are finding high end furniture, mattresses and area rugs for unbelievable prices.

Tips When Purchasing Furniture, Area Rugs and Mattresses

When purchasing gently used furniture, area rugs or mattresses make certain to have them professionally cleaned AND sanitized to eliminate any possibility of bodily fluids, bed bugs, fleas, pollen and dust mites.  A steam cleaning will NOT eliminate certain bacteria or bed bugs so make certain you pay a few extra dollars for a sanitization treatment.  The last thing you want to do is invite bedbugs or fleas into your home.

Annually we clean and sanitize hundreds of thrift store and garage sale items and these treasures can be found in some of the most expensive homes in Lee and Collier County.  Clients can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars when purchasing something as small as a mattress or outfitting an entire vacation home.  There are bargains to be found!

Tru-Clean is a family owned environmentally responsible carpet, tile and upholstery cleaning company serving all of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee, Collier and Charlotte County.  Our technicians are certified by the world’s most respected certification body for textile professionals and we are an “A” rated company with Angie’s List and the Better Business Bureau.

For more information about Tru-Clean or if you have any questions concerning your recent thrift or garage sale purchases please feel free to give us a call any time at 239-541-4888 – Lee County, 239-206-1935 – Bonita Springs, Marco Island and Naples or 941-621-2198 – Punta Gorda.

Oh, and by the way, the client that prompted us to write this article just purchased a complete Ernest Hemmingway bedroom set including top of the line mattress, box springs, dresser, two night stands and dressing table for just $850.00 (retail value $7K).  They invested $150 to clean and sanitize the box springs and mattress and for $1K they acquired a beautiful handmade bedroom set.