Do Shit: Have A Life Laundry

I dunno about you guys, but I’m a bit of a hoarder. Not the living-in-a-junk-cave, stepping on plates, sleeping under newspapers kind of hoarder. More of the benign garden variety type, with a few too many totes full of old electronics, some bin bags stuffed with out-of-favour clothing, and various storage spaces full of furniture that someone else could probably make use of.

Now and then, it all comes to a head. Maybe you’re moving, yet again. Maybe you’re getting a new roomie and wanna clean house. Or maybe it’s just time to sort your life out and Marie Kondo your living space to feng shui perfection. Whatever the reason for your life laundry, there are a bunch of ways to get it done — and maybe spin a buck in the process.

Sell it on Facebook
Facebook Marketplace is very active in Iceland, and is a good first port of call. If you list an old iPhone, you’ll quickly be inundated with messages from Kópavogur moms and Breiðholt teens looking to snap it up. It’s a good idea to be mindful of scammers, as you’ll probably get a few of those in your inbox. Make sure the person is indeed here in Iceland, and maybe check that they have a couple of human-seeming friends in their list to be extra careful. Meet in a public place, and take a friend along as backup if you like. You’ll be in the money in no time, and it’s honestly kinda fun meeting up with randoms now and then.

List it on bland.is
You can also shift stuff quickly on Iceland’s very own eBay, bland.is. People sell pretty much everything here, from cars to cookers to musical instruments or retro gaming gear. Make use of the categorisation system to get the right enquiring eyes on your stuff, and check out other listings to find the going rate. Best of all, it’s free to post listings, and they don’t charge when you sell stuff. Easy peasy. You’re rich, baybeee!

Set up a booth
If you’re the organised type and have a load of old clothes hanging around, you could be sitting on a goldmine. Verzlanahöllin is a sprawling indoor second-hand clothing market where you can sign up for a stall, set it all up, and let the friendly cashiers handle the sales. There’s a bit of admin involved as you itemise and price up your stuff — and it’s worth swinging by now and then to make sure everything’s still looking nice after the rummaging masses have been at it. Some sellers do a bit of freestyle promo and post their treasures on social media. If your stuff is particularly fancy, Hringekjan is another option in Reykjavík 105. Just make sure the clothes are clean man, the world doesn’t need to witness those food stains and sweat patches.

Organise a swap or give it away
Sometimes you might not have time for the palaver of establishing that online buyers are legit. Or the stuff you’re disposing of isn’t worth much. Or maybe you’re just feeling generous. In any case, you can give things away for free on the Gefins, Allt Gefins Facebook group. It’s amazing what people will take off your hands. Maybe that crumb-filled, battle-scarred, bulky old sofa can find an exciting second life in someone’s glamorous art studio or stinky rehearsal space. And that mysterious charger with a plug you don’t even recognise could make someone’s day. If you’re not done meeting strangers, you could also try negotiating a swap in the fast-growing Swap Iceland group.

Trash, recycle, donate
If all else fails, there’s an official last stop to get all this crap out of your hair. SORPA is Iceland’s trash disposal and recycling organisation, with several sites dotted around Greater Reykjavík — check sorpa.is to find the most convenient one. They have various giant skips where you can trash pretty much anything, and attendants who can advise you on which one to use. This is also the place to take your bric-a-brac if you wanna donate it to Góði Hirðirinn, a giant thrift store that’ll sell your cast-offs, and give the money to charity. And hey, while you’re on a SORPA run, you can finally drop off those bottles and cans in exchange for some bonus recycling cash, beamed directly to the handy Endurvinnslan app.

So those are your options. I’m sure by now your house looks like some kind of minimalist Apple Store cathedral. All fresh, clean, spacious — and ready to be filled up with life detritus all over again.

Do more shit: follow the series to collect tips and tricks for navigating life and bureaucracy in Iceland.