I Got a New Sofa: An Inventory of Everything Found Under the Old One

My new sofa (above) arrived and the old one departed while I was at the playground with my kids recently. The bottom of our old sofa was just a few inches off the floor: a height that was just tall enough for things to easily get under and just short enough that you could only retrieve things close to the edge. I asked my husband and sister, who were overseeing the delivery, to put anything under the sofa into a bag. When I opened it later I was equal parts amazed and amused at all that had accumulated over the years. Are you curious? Here’s a full inventory:

• A Tree for All Seasons board book (1)
• .23 cents (2 dimes, 3 pennies)
• toy measuring spoon (1)
• poker chip (1)
• toy mouse (1)
• pacifier (1)
• Cheerio (1)
• Disney Princesses gummy vitamin (1)
• Chiclet gum (1)
• Mike and Ike (1)
• Watermelon gumball (1)
• plastic orange slice (1)
• plastic hot dogs (2)
• DUPLO pieces (4)
• socks (3)
• wood flute (1)
• crayons (2)
• die (1)
• finger puppet (1)
• Playmobil figure (1) & ball (1)
• plastic frog (1)
• small balls, assorted (7)
• marker cap (1)
• cylindrical wood block (1)
• round wood stacking pieces (2)
• Green Lantern PEZ dispenser (1) & PEZ candy (1)
• puzzle pieces (2)
• Go-Fish cards (2)
• doll comb (1)
• wood matching game piece (1)
• Peek-a-Zoo board book (1)

• Transformers Animated, Volume 6 (1)
• tennis racquet replacement grip (1)
• toddler-size spoon (1)
• baby proofing outlet cover (1)
• People on the Go maze book (1)
• pink pom poms (2)
• Connect4 disc (1)
• small wooden wheel (1)
• toy cars, trucks & motorcycles (6)
• Aquadoodle pen (1)
• random LEGO pieces (8)
• animal flashcards (5)
• marbles of various sizes (19)
• unidentified plastic pieces (6)

• camera memory card (1)
• pen (1)
• Star Wars Phonics Workbook (1)
• business cards (2)
• child activity tracker (1)
• stacking cup (1)
• overdue library book (1)
• playing card (1)
• puzzle piece (1)
• stacking robot (1)
• note from Nana to my son (1)
• Sea Bands case (1)
• ring (1)
• straw (1)
• plastic dinosaur (1)
• block (1)
• Toy Fair 2014 badge (1)
• assorted ninja toys (4)
• torn out piece from book (1)
• cap to invisible ink pen (1)
• felt strawberry (1)
• bottle caps (2)
• elastic pieces (2)
• Word Play card (1)
• wooden snake (1)

I know what you’re thinking – why didn’t you periodically move the sofa and clear out things beneath it? Good question. The answer is that it was a very, very heavy sofa bed that required two people to move, so it just didn’t get done very often. As you can see our new sofa (the IKEA KIVIK) is very low to the ground with only a half an inch clearance which will, hopefully, prevent entry of more objects (#exceptmarbles) in the future.

So, why am I sharing this? Consider it a heads up when you’re sofa shopping to take the floor clearance into account, especially if you have kids. Or, consider it a cautionary tale that inspires you to clean under your own sofa this weekend!

What’s the strangest thing you’ve found in or under your sofa?