Spring is so close we can almost smell it!  Depending on where you live in the US, you could already be experiencing some warm weather.  For those of us in the great northeast though, we’re still patiently waiting for those tell-tale signs of melting snow and singing robins to indicate spring has (finally) arrived.

Spring is the season for cleaning.  If you’re going to take the time to do a thorough spring cleaning, why not make it a de-cluttering and profitable venture at the same time?  Here are 6 ways to make money spring cleaning:

1. Old Appliances: How long do you plan to keep that stove or refrigerator in your garage?!  If you’ve recently replaced your stove or refrigerator with a newer model, you can call a local second-hand appliance store.  Often, they’ll buy them off you (and fix them to resell). 

2. CDs, Records, Cassette Tapes: Who doesn’t have a shoebox or container of old music buried somewhere deep in a closet?  A number of music stores will buy these off you for a few bucks each to resell.  Many of these items will also sell if you list them on eBay.

3. Electronics in Any Condition: People tend to hang on to electronics long after they no longer use them.  Sometimes we hang on to them even after they no longer work! It may just be because we spend a lot of money on these items and hate to think of them as being worthless… whatever the case, there is a website that will buy your electronics – whether new, used, or broken! Check it out and see if you can sell any of those items you’ve been hanging on to.

4. Books: Half-priced and used book stores will take them off your hands for a buck or two a book.  In some cases you can trade your books in for different ones; or they might just give you cash. If you don’t have any local places to sell your books, use an online service with free shipping that pays you for your books: http://www.cash4books.net/ You can enter the ISBN’s of the books to see how much they’ll pay you for them before you send them in.

5. Clothes: Growing out of clothes is something most of us, especially women, hate to admit!  Before long we have closets and drawers full of clothes that we hope to fit back into… someday.  Second hand consignment shops will often let you try to sell your clothes in their store for a percentage of the sale price; some stores will buy the clothes from you directly to place in their inventory for sale.  Clothes also sell really well at yard sales or on eBay.

6. Everything Else:  Whatever you do, don’t just haul the stuff you clean out and send it to the dump.  You can have your own yard or garage sale throughout the summer months before giving away anything that doesn’t sell.