How to Clean Thrifted DIY Finds

Today’s post is all about the non-fabric-y things I found at the 100 mile yard sale.  While I was super excited to find all the fabric deals I also found some great deals on future DIY projects.  There were also some awesome things to see that were either out of my price range or wouldn’t fit in my house!  I’ll show all the fun stuff I found & give you some tips for how to clean thrifted DIY finds.  You may also see a dog foot or two in these pictures – my dogs like to inspect anything new that comes in the house!  ; )

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Things Left Behind

Most of these pictures are all from a little town called Vienna.  It’s got some of the neatest old Victorian homes & some places had “attic treasures” out for sale.  The old brick chimney is from a little further down the road & was attached to a house filled with so many awesome things!

There was a wrought iron bed for $75 {wow!} and an old lightening rod for $100.  In the background of the last picture you can see all kinds of ornate chairs, tables, & even a bed frame {which was already sold}.  The long piece of wood leaning on the blue tarp was an old library ladder for $125.  So cool & I wish I had taller ceilings!

This is the only picture I took of the inside of the house with the old chimney.  These are lamps made out of different buckets & tractor parts.  Sorry it’s so blurry!  Usually I take multiple pictures but there was so much to see!

My mom found this awesome old milk jug for just $35!  It didn’t get left behind, but it didn’t come home with me either.  ; )  Doesn’t it look great next to the fall porch display I made?

I gave it to mom when I realized it was really too big for my tiny porch!

Future DIY Projects

I’m so excited about the things I found & can’t wait to get started on these projects!  I found this steamer trunk for just $15!

It’s pretty funky on the inside & the handles are worn off.  There’s also a split in the veneer in the front, but all fixable things.  All that polish stuff came in the elastic box I bought.

The metal trim & hinges are in good shape, they just need a good cleaning.

This is what y’all got a peak of in the fabric finds post.  It’s the hutch that goes on top of a desk!

Here’s the bottom, with a pull out keyboard shelf…

It’s made of pressed wood, a knob is missing, & the cork board is chipped up, but I only paid $10 for it!!  The lady didn’t want to have to move it again – lucky me!  : )

Wire baskets are always good to find & I found three large ones for $1 apiece.

They definitely need a good scrubbing!

This little guy was hiding out in the fabric yard.  It’s some kind of car part, but I really liked the pattern & the price – $1!

My favorite find, & most expensive find at $20, was this glass pickle jar filled with wooden spools.  Mom bought it for me as a birthday gift!  : D

This gallon glass jar with the wire handle still attached was worth the $20 alone.  The wooden spools are like a bonus!  The total for these DIY finds, including the birthday gift, is $49.  That was a good day thrifting!  : )

Cleaning & Future Plans

All of these finds are wonderful & cleaning them is the first step in the DIY process.  Here are some of my favorite tools & tips for cleaning up the funk!

• The cleaning vinegar is a little stronger than regular white vinegar & normally I just use white vinegar.  What can I say – I had a coupon & it has a sprayer!  ; D  You can buy this with a scent but I just add a few drops of lemon essential oil.  Between this & the Method all-purpose spray most grime doesn’t stand a chance!
• Bon Ami powder cleanser will be great for cleaning the wire baskets.
• A stiff bristled scrub brush is a necessity for tough grime.  I have a small & larger grout cleaning brush that work great for this.  An old toothbrush is good for getting in smaller nooks & crannies.
• Microfiber clothes work great for grabbing dust & shining things up.
• I also make sure to wear gloves when cleaning things like this.  There’s no telling what’s hanging out on these old things!

{Most of my cleaning products come from Grove Collaborative if you want to check them out!}

These are my plans for all my DIY finds ~>

• steamer trunk ~ I’m hoping to turn this into a little sofa with storage.  You can see some similar ones here, but I can’t find one that leads to an actual tutorial.  The inside of this trunk is a little funky smelling, but after I remove the paper & let it air out in the sun it should smell much better.
• desk with hutch ~ I will need to do some sanding & repair after this is cleaned.  I also plan on adding some shelves/hooks & possible replacing the cork board.  Of course it will get a fun & funky paint job as well!  Originally I bought this to turn into a display case for a shop I sell things in.  I think it will be my new desk & I’ll fix up another shelf I have on hand!
• wire baskets ~ These will be useful with just a good cleaning.  I plan on adding some metal labels & leather handles for extra oomph!
• car part ~ My first thought when I saw this was it would make an awesome lamp!  We’ll see how that turns out!
• jar of spools ~ I’ll clean this up & remove the Styrofoam spools I spotting in the jar.  This will be for display, but some of the spools are sure to make it into future projects.  ; )

Keep your eyes peeled for DIY projects coming up using these fabulous finds!

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