Why would picking up jeans be an issue, as long as you wash it before wearing it? I don't see any difference between picking up jeans curbside or buying a pair in a second hand store.

The line is drawn at anything: bedbugs are too much of a threat, at least in NYC.

I used to work for a denim company and one of the best ways of cleaning jeans is by freezing them.

Pop them in a ziplock freezer bag and let them hang out in the freezer for a few days. You will kill any bacteria that was living in them. Then you can wash them to remove any soil/dust (inside out, zipped up) and fluff them for about 10 minutes in the dryer before line drying.

The only reason I wouldn't want anyone else's jeans is because denim molds to its owner. An off the rack pair of jeans will develop your shape (if you buy them tight enough) while a second hand pair was already broken in on someone else's thighs/butt/waist and look ill fitting.

Most things are off the list because I'm afraid of bedbugs, but I can't help myself with books and vases/mason jars/basically anything made of glass.

funny story, I lived on a campus in college and when it's move-out time, the school brings out giant dumpsters.
So, i was staying for the summer and my friends and I went dumpster diving and found the most ridiculous items. TVs, printers, fridges, chairs, textbooks, speakers and billions of lamps.just to name a few; these are things people just couldn't fit in the car on the ride back. i'm definitely doing that every year. talk about a tight budget!

Here in suburbs of Cleveland, bedbugs aren't an issue, yet :-/ So, everything's still up for grabs. I scored an awesome purple velvet chair curbside across the street from my home. It's sitting in our office/library. I LOVE it!

Dittoing jy196's remark: curbside clothes are simply the cousins of thrift-shop clothes.

Over the years I've picked up tables, chairs, clothing, frames, books... the list goes on.

And I never do more than simply throw the clothing into the washing machine. To me the idea of putting dirty jeans into a freezer, ziplock bag or no, is more off-putting than whatever 'bacteria' they may be harboring.

I've picked up two mirrors (one still attached to a bathroom cabinet, which I just wrenched off with my hands) and a gorgeous old dresser that's now a kitchen island in my boyfriend's apartment. Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is full of older people disposing of their '60s/'70s furniture without a second thought. Score.

That's a great opening line!

We moved across the hall this past weekend, and the people moving out left all their goodies that they had no space for in their old apartment. It was a short haul from the street to our new apartment! :) Futon, table, dishes... yeah! LOVE street finds - haven't created a line yet. :)

My father was a hoarder.

You can skate through my living room. I bring home nothing!

I agree with oluwa_tobi !!! totally! I have been "diving" for years and will probably do it every year during the week the college kids move out. They are so wasteful its terrible and more people should be aware of this huge problem- we are growing a throw-away culture. There is nothing wrong with picking up anything off the street that can be cleaned- I understand bed bugs and foot fungus though and they are real issues so be careful, but most things can be easily washed.

I usually tell me friends who are scared about street or dumpster items that if they have ever stayed in a hotel before they are taking a chance as well because ANYONE could have slept in thos sheets and done all sorts of terrible things hahaha!

I draw the line at things I don't need.

It's a pretty simple and effective rule.

I was rather annoyed that I had zero time to go "furniture shopping" when we had our big move-out month in the city. You can find some ridiculously awesome things if you look early enough and have a car.

Most of our bookcases in our old apartment were picked up this way! When we moved and couldn't afford a big moving van, I carefully cleaned them and stuck them back out on the sidewalk, and to my amusement they were already gone when I looked out the window an hour later.

So for those who are afraid to pick up dumpster finds, you can still contribute - If you've got something that someone else might want, put it out in clean condition and don't throw it in the dumpster - someone out there will be very grateful!

I don't see a problem with clothes at all as long as they are washed first. I've taken clean looking clothes before.

To reply to earlier comments, freezing your jeans will NOT kill bacteria. Only heat higher than 160º will do that.

That said, still a good way to clean your raw denim. It just doesn't clean what you think it does.

I don't think you can really draw the line. My wife is obsessed with her curbside finds. We've even written several blog posts dedicated to her obsession with some before and afters. http://www.oldtownhome.com/dumpster-dive/index.aspx

Be it a florist's trash, a neighbor's garbage, or a simple discarded stool, I think the line needs to be drawn on a case by case basis.

In the last five or so years I've started drawing the line at upholstered items. The last thing like that I scored was a elaborately carved gothic arm chair just before the bedbug explosion. But my partner and I will consider anything else that can be thoroughly cleaned. I picked up an amazing embroidered wool wrap (I had seen the exact same thing at the Union Square Holiday Market for $180) and had it dry cleaned. Our most recent find was an MCM tension pole lamp with all three glass shades still intact.

Just a little plug.

I bought a PackTight device which is big enough to fit an entire suitcase and it heats up to the temperature needed to kill bed bugs and their eggs (I can't recall at the moment: 130 degrees is it?) and stays at that temp for four hours.

I'm still pretty afraid, after living through an infestation major enough to make me gas all my belongings and move cities, to pick stuff up off the street or buy thrift clothes. I just can't do it. Even my beloved antique stores I can only do in smaller cities that don't have as large a bedbug issue!

BUT I can now feel comfortable buying used books and small thrift items again. I just pop them into a ziploc as soon as I purchase them, go home and put them into the PackTight for four hours, and I feel fairly safe.

For dishes or things like that, I put those in ziplocs and then just wash them thoroughly as soon as I get home.

Anyway, a PackTight is a good investment for dedicated thrifters and divers, especially if you live in an area like NYC, Toronto, SF, that is really bedbug infested.

Oh and the original purpose was for travelers to heat up their ENTIRE suitcase right upon return to prevent bringing any bedbugs home from a hotel.

And, no, I don't work for the company!

I picked up a set of clear, nesting Pyrex bowls before. Soaked them in the kitchen sink with hot bleach water, then washed them as usual. I'm not opposed to bringing home curb finds, but I've reached the point where I just don't need any more stuff and bringing something in means something else has got to go.

I've left more things on the curb than I can even begin to recall. I left an entire living room full of furniture when I moved from DC to NYC - rug, sofa, chairs, tables, bookcases, lamps, ottoman, TV - everything. I set it up as a living room outside with a giant "FREE!" sign on it. A few passersby seemed curious but highly skeptical, so I modified the sign to say "YES, it's all really FREE! Take it!" I was delighted when a young couple came by, the woman hugely pregnant, and she lounged on the sofa until her husband came back with a truck to cart it all away. :)

Okay, I understand the clothing issue - you are bringing something in to your living space and you don't have a washer to immediately clean it.

What about keeping a 2 gallon (or larger) zip lock baggie at the door? Any soapy water water will kill active insects - mix up water and dishsoap and put in baggie, soak garment well - drain excess water and machine launder as soon as possible?

Does somebody reading know if this will kill eggs? That would be the caveat ...

To me, curbside picking is no different than garage saling. We do brush and bulky pickup twice a year in Tucson, and although we have a city law against picking, it stops no one. We know that if we put stuff out, it'll be gone by morning. I don't really mind; keeps it out of the landfill, but I'm always amazed at the stuff they take...stuff that is, in my opinion, beyond repair. But I will set the better stuff aside for them, like a humidifier I had that had the cord chewed through by a packrat. It was an easy enough fix for someone willing to do it. Personally, I'll stop for furniture if it's something I need; I'll check it out, but I've yet to bring anything home. There's usually a reason why people are throwing this stuff out. Anything worth anything, I give to Goodwill or other charity. My husband once held an "everything is free" garage sale because he didn't want to sit outside and haggle over quarters all day. He started at 7 and was done by 7:30. :o)

I won't pick up anything because nothing I need is on the street. My husband has picked up some clearly wrong stuff, like the 8-sided aquarium with a cracked side. He swore he'd repair it. It was an ugly hazard out back for years. He cut himself on it, never tried to repair it, and finally returned it to the street. I had to say "I told you so." There rarely are good things on the street here, in part because the frequent rain would ruin them.

ITA with asmallcontempt, I draw the line at things I don't need.

No such thing for my mom when she used to live with me and she picked up all sort of useless knicknacks that were NOT my style to decorate my house.

Until one day she found 4 colorful unopened bottles of what she thought were shampoos. She prettily arranged them in a basket (another curbside find) and displayed them in my bathroom. I come home, took one look at the "shampoos", immediately threw them into the trash, immediately took trash outside, and threw it into the dumpster. When my mom demanded to know "what do you mean gay guys use them???" I would only say, "when they're being intimate."

Definitely a "things I don't need"

Zenezie--that was good for a laugh, thank you.

I don't bring home anything with fabric. It wasn't a rule, but just something I didn't do, so I guess it just became my rule.

My favorite street find is a little table that I found outside the Geriatric Dental office down the street from my old house.

Bed bugs like wood, metal, going inside of clocks, vcr's tvs, electronic items, inside wooden and/or metal frames, you name it! So, note to username26, beware, you need to do some research in terms of where bedbugs will live. I am very very careful about what I bring into our home; new or old.

I'm too paranoid to pick up most things in fear of bed bugs. I did manage to snag some really great Little Tike toys for my 2 kids. The toys were in great condition and easily washable for outside play (slide, art easel, and basketball hoop). Retail those toys would have cost me $150 brand new. Kids grow up so fast and I find no reason to make such large purchases knowing they'll only be used for a few years. I don't specifically go out "hunting" for stuff but if something catches my eye I ask myself, "do I really need it?" and will it be used. Ratpacking runs in my family and they don't like to get rid of stuff so I'm conscious about what I bring or buy home.

Curbside stuff..
I look to see if it has been taken care of and look at where it came from. If the house/apt looks clean and the item looks in good shape I'll take it. Otherwise why risk a free chair if you end up paying $1000+ to get rid of bedbugs

by the year 2013 there will be 1000 bed bugs per person in metro areas.

My next door neighbours collect all sorts of junk off the streets, mostly metal items and sell them for scrap. Their backyard is full of stuff but occationally they haul truckloads of old toasters and stoves away. I guess it is a business for them.

I have never picked up stuff from off the side of the road (though I've considered it a couple times), but I have picked up things from next to apartment dumpsters. In college I got some pretty good stuff from there, some of which has since left my life and some of which moved with me. When we just moved out of our last apartment, I left a coffee table we weren't going to need in the house (which was promptly picked up) and picked up two kitchen chairs which I'm going to fix up.

I do have a tendancy to want to grabs things that I don't really need because I'm out of space, but which are kind of neat and, of course, free. I'm trying to put a stop to that - just yesterday I held myself back from picking up the free bookshelf someone had out in our neightborhood, because I really didn't have a place for it. I don't want to let my "treasures" get in the way of my life.

I stop at anything upholstered, especially if it doesn't look too clean. I figure I don't need anything that bad that I have to take home something that looks kinda janky.

"Hippie Christmas" is a much anticipated event in Maidson, Wisconsin. I've found several items including a vinyl chair from the 50's, crates, and end tables. The worst find, and where I definitely draw the line, was a frozen whole chicken. It was melting all over a fantastic dresser, but the thought of chicken juice and bacteria was too much to handle. I just had to say no.

That picture is of my cute friend!

I don't get anything off the street.. bed bugs are too risky.

probably the grossest thing i've ever taken off the street and kept (other than food) was a partially used jar of really expensive hair product. plz don't judge meeee

As someone currently dealing with bedbugs in Chicago, our household has recently had some major talks about what we're okay with bringing in either from the curb or from thrift stores.

All items must be thoroughly inspected, and we are frowning on anything that is apolstered, especially if it is too large to be easily cleaned. (However, if you have a steam cleaner, keep in mind that steam is an excellent way to get rid of the buggies.)

Also, any linens or clothing we buy must be stored outside in well sealed plastic bags (right now we're using contractor bags and packing tape) until they can be taken to the laundry mat. Putting things in the dryer on high for 20+ minutes will kill bed bugs. We dry for 40 minutes just to be safe.

You can also freeze items that cannot be washed/dried. They must be left in the freezer for at least two weeks, and the temperature must remain consistent for the entire duration.

I'm glad I have this information to pass along, but also am mournful that I ever had to learn it in the first place.

Best of luck, and pick carefully, there's a major bed bug resurgence afoot.

As for upholstered furniture and bedbugs: if you find something really worth taking home, there is a way to "nuke" the thing; you will need a sheet of foil or a plastic bag big enough to wrap the piece airtight, and some formaldehyde. Put the thing on the foil and wrap it airtight after putting a small bowl of formaldehyde on the foil under the piece. Leave it for 2-3 days outside, then unwrap, remove formaldehyde (if any left) and leave it for another 2-3 days before putting inside. Nothing survives this treatment.

I wonder where those jeans are now? I want them, kinda. :)

In rural NH sometimes there are random "FREE" signs with a crazy yard sale's worth of crap or treasures... It depends on the day and the people who are purging. And often, these FREE sign type events get attention like a sale at Banana Republic. A 75% off sale.

BTW... Here is what I recently got (so frickin' awesome): a sewing machine *that works*; a sander *that works*; solid craft baskets (like twenty of them and I am using them as seedling planters); several really recent books (like The Help, and so what if this is a cheesy NYT best seller, right?); several actual planters; and finally, a stool very much like the one in from an above link on dumpster diving (I will never paint it though, too lazy).

I love to point out to people all the curbside finds in our apartment. The huge mirror in the entryway, the other huge mirror that we're holding in reserve, the mirror in our bedroom (with two hinges still attached - love it), the garden planter that serves as a magazine holder, the hutch on top of my writing table, the lovely little plastic trash basket. . . I just love FREE!

My house would probably be empty if not for street finds--I have picked up everything from vintage 1950s office chairs to funky glass lamps to a 1920s dresser with wood inlays to an amazing glass-front display cabinet. But I'm starting to draw the line at "project" furniture. If I pick up much more of that, I'm going to need to open a store to sell my rehabbed finds!

(And yeah... I would've picked up the jeans! Just would have taken them to the washer immediately...)

I don't like the idea of freezing my own dirty jeans as if that will clean them. I REALLY don't like the idea of freezing someone else's dirty jeans! Aiiee!

@michalanne-
I agree with you about Hippie Christmas in Madison. You can furnish your entire UW campus apartment from the streets. A careful cleaning and some paint can do wonders.

i stay away from upholstery items (bed bugs and scabies!! possibilities! iiiick)

I look for wood chairs (upholstered seat ok if only I remove with gloves and toss)
metal chairs, Mirrors and cabinets.

If the roadkill is still warm its totally cool. Beer should still have a little sweat on it.

Freezing jeans would totally get rid of bedbugs, as would a long session in a hot dryer.

I've never been quite brave enough to be a scavenger. On moving day (everyone moves on the same day up here) there are organized people in trucks that come to collect anything good from the dumpsters and piles on the corners.

Pickers around here will strip an upholstered item; taking the frame and leaving the padding and the upholstery behind.

My old upstairs neighbors moved a couple summers ago, and left the contents of their bar sitting longingly atop the garbage. So my roommate and I grabbed the Street Grenadine and went back inside... all the other bottles didn't look good enough to take.
I try to avoid upholstered items, but I have a LOT of furniture that was once on the side of the road, including a 100+ year old steamer trunk, and a handmade desk that I'll soon be turning in to a light table.

I make a list in my head of what we need in terms of furniture, appliances, etc. If the curbsite item does not fit that description, I do not buy it. If I'm on the fence, I drive away and if it's still there next time I drive that road, and I really want it, fine. 99 percent of the time I've forgotten about it ten minutes later.

If I can thoroughly clean it, I'm game, but that's where I draw the line.

At this point though, I still have way too much and find it difficult to find enough places to get rid of it, I'm about to set a ton of stuff outside myself and just pray that others want it (found the constant emails back and forth with Freecycle to be a nuisance when people don't show for pick-up).

@Zenezie --- wow, thanks for the laugh!!!

In Los Angeles metal recyclers cruise the streets and grab anything metal, regardless of its worth, just for the metal value. Sucks because I no longer feel that I am contributing to a gift culture. I don't put anything metal out: I'd rather advertise it on Craigslist or put it in the hallway of my apartment building, or give it away to a friend.

That said, I've found some great things.

In Los Angeles metal recyclers cruise the streets and grab anything metal, regardless of its worth, just for the metal value. Sucks because I no longer feel that I am contributing to a gift culture. I don't put anything metal out: I'd rather advertise it on Craigslist or put it in the hallway of my apartment building, or give it away to a friend.

That said, I've found some great things.

Back in my high school days, I can fondly remember my best friend and I walking across a parking lot to our car bummed we couldn't get any beers (we were obviously underage) and right in front of us, 2 perfect unopened bottles of beer in a six pack left in a bag. Looking back, not the smartest move taking them, but we were young, dumb and just found free street booze.

I draw the line at fabrics. Furniture covered in fabric, clothing. That stuff isn't stuff I want from the street (especially if it's been out overnight) but I've found tons of great picture frames and random junk back at our apartments when people would move. Heck, my husband found a giant hideous frames etching of Abraham Lincoln he's convinced is worth a billion dollars in a dumpster at our old place. That creepy thing is still on the wall now cause he loves it so much!

the boyfriend found a beautiful chromed rolling clothing rack mostly next to the dumpster (had to dumpster dive for a piece of it.) My brother is freegan, and a dumpster diver, and I've realized the garbage is a magical treasure chest from some of his finds. That said, I draw the line at most clothing/shoes/upholstered furniture. Not only due to fleas and bedbugs, but as a result of a craigslist deal gone horribly wrong, I've found that you don't always notice the cat pee smell until you bring an item into a clean, enclosed environment. Disgusting.

Back in my high school days, I can fondly remember my best friend and I walking across a parking lot to our car bummed we couldn't get any beers (we were obviously underage) and right in front of us, 2 perfect unopened bottles of beer in a six pack left in a bag. Looking back, not the smartest move taking them, but we were young, dumb and just found free street booze.

I draw the line at fabrics. Furniture covered in fabric, clothing. That stuff isn't stuff I want from the street (especially if it's been out overnight) but I've found tons of great picture frames and random junk back at our apartments when people would move. Heck, my husband found a giant hideous frames etching of Abraham Lincoln he's convinced is worth a billion dollars in a dumpster at our old place. That creepy thing is still on the wall now cause he loves it so much!

Back in my high school days, I can fondly remember my best friend and I walking across a parking lot to our car bummed we couldn't get any beers (we were obviously underage) and right in front of us, 2 perfect unopened bottles of beer in a six pack left in a bag. Looking back, not the smartest move taking them, but we were young, dumb and just found free street booze.

I draw the line at fabrics. Furniture covered in fabric, clothing. That stuff isn't stuff I want from the street (especially if it's been out overnight) but I've found tons of great picture frames and random junk back at our apartments when people would move. Heck, my husband found a giant hideous frames etching of Abraham Lincoln he's convinced is worth a billion dollars in a dumpster at our old place. That creepy thing is still on the wall now cause he loves it so much!

the boyfriend found a beautiful chromed rolling clothing rack mostly next to the dumpster (had to dumpster dive for a piece of it.) My brother is freegan, and a dumpster diver, and I've realized the garbage is a magical treasure chest from some of his finds. That said, I draw the line at most clothing/shoes/upholstered furniture. Not only due to fleas and bedbugs, but as a result of a craigslist deal gone horribly wrong, I've found that you don't always notice the cat pee smell until you bring an item into a clean, enclosed environment. Disgusting.

I live in the midwest where apparently we don't have the same nyc bed bug paranoia. I have made hundreds of dollars from finding stuff on the street, fixing it up, and selling it on Craigslist. I do hate trying to beat the scrap metal guys when there's a lovely piece - I want it to go to good use, not melted down!

At my university, at the end of the school year there would be huge containers trucked over to the dorms. A friend of mine checked the containers every morning. Amidst the disgusting sofas and broken lamps, he found two guitars. Neither was worth anything but they were both perfectly playable. I was SO jealous.

My bestie will stop at anything on the side of the road. What she's found in cardboard boxes could keep eBay stocked in GOOD stuff for the next century.