Let's Talk Trash

This is not that kind of blog.

Actually, when I say "trash" I mean refuse, detritus, garbage. Specifically, I mean the receptacles that hold stuff to be thrown away.

Staging sells dreams. Dream rooms. Dream lifestyles. Dream self-images. When a house is well staged, it is very organized. Potential buyers respond by dreaming of themselves as being very organized while living there.

Very, very few people dream about taking out the garbage.

So, when we mechanize a house for sale, when we stage, we remove the trash cans that usually live in every room. Really. The next time you visit a model home or a house that advertises it has been Staged look around. Put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and go looking for the garbage cans. Odds are you will find, at most, only one. And it will be discreetly placed in the garage or basement.

If no one s living in the staged house, you will search in vain.

Well, you may find one in the cabinet beneath a big bowl of candy prominently displayed on a kitchen counter.

Of course, it is easy to stage a vacant house and leave out the trash cans. It is much more difficult to hide the garbage when someone is living in the house.

When I sold my last house, it was staged and I lived there. Everywhere I went in the house, I carried a plastic bag with me. Any trash produced in any room was placed in the bag. When I cooked, that bag was my faithful companion, waiting to receive. I emptied the bag into the garbage can in the garage at least once a day. I kept a sealed bag in the garbage can - no odors or unsightly refuse was ever on view.

Maybe you are thinking, oh sure, one lone little adult with nothing to do but carry around a plastic grocery bag. How hard is that? What if there is a family with small children living there? What if there are teenagers?

Good question. Excellent question.

If it is possible, assign everyone in the family their very own plastic bag and show them where to dump their detritus.

If that is not possible, ensure the trash can in each room is scrubbed clean regularly, is small, coordinates with the colors in the room, is placed discreetly (on the far side of the bed, inside the almost-empty bathroom cabinet, in one corner of the closet), and is emptied daily.

Make plans. If you get a call to get out because the house is about to be shown, empty the trash before you go. If there is time, and certainly before every Open House, hide the trash cans. Bring them out when the excitement is over.

And, that garbage can in the garage? Empty it regularly. Keep the outside wiped clean and the inside smelling fresh and neutral.

If you are a recycler like me, put lidded, labeled bins in the garage or basement. Keep them clean, empty them frequently, and, actually, they can make a nice staging vignette.

Oh, and keep the lid down.

I hope you all have a sterling Monday!