Underwood Trash to Cash

-Up and down the country, houses are full to bursting with...

-Old toys.

-Homes are cluttered with unwanted...

-DVDs and unread books.

-Houses are filled...

-With lots of electrical items.

And properties are overflowing with...

Small pieces of furniture. And that's why we're here today, Paul.

Because we're going to declutter this house and turn all of that trash into hard cash.

Today we're in Redditch in Worcestershire

preparing to rescue this unassuming home from mountains of clutter.

From the outside, it looks like any other house in any other street.

But on the inside, it's a complete different story.

This place is drowning in clutter. We've had a good look round

so why don't you go and have a look for yourself?

'Today's house is a warren of clutter spread over four floors.

'The first room we come to is the dining room.

'And wallop! Junk and jumble everywhere.'

'Then we head up the stairs and you get to the landing where it's more of the same. Clutter piled high.'

'Into the main bedroom and things get a bit better here

'but there's still clearly stuff that needs to go.'

'On the top floor, there's a child's bedroom, unsurprisingly messy and in need of tidying.

'Back downstairs and there's another kid's bedroom, and this one definitely needs a declutter.'

'Returning to the ground floor and there's a living room in need of clearing,

'followed by a study that is jam-packed full of unwanted junk to go.'

'And finally, it's down another floor to a kitchen that's busy

'and onto a pantry that's yet another dumping ground in this house.'

Now, you see, I wasn't joking, was I? But who lives in a house like this?

'Today's clutter-lover is supply teacher Sue Underwood,

'a self-confessed hoarder who needs to learn her lesson

'and get rid of all of her unwanted junk and jumble.'

'Sue's lived here with husband Mark for ten years,

'along with her two children, Mina, Joe, and a selection of pets.

'In that time, Sue's aversion to getting rid of anything has seen the clutter problem get even worse.'

I just feel really sad when I think of these things that have got uses

and I don't want them to be thrown away.

And the word no doesn't actually compute with me.

But we've just got to put an end to it now, because it's ridiculous.

'Our mission to clear out Sue's home is only half the story today, though.

'She's also hoping we'll be able to help her make some money in the process.'

The proceeds of what we're doing today I hope will make us £350.

That would be ideal. And then we can put that towards making the garden

beautiful, friendly for the children, friendly for everybody to use,

and we can all just sit back and relax instead of focusing on how much mess there is.

'Doing up the garden for the kids is a great plan.

'But if we're going to help Sue achieve it, we've got lots of work to do.

'It's not going to be easy, but luckily, husband Mark agrees that it's time for some serious action.'

Sue and I have been together 12 years, in this house for eight. We're dreadful hoarders.

We collect everything that we possibly can

until the shelves are bursting, until the rooms are full of stuff

that we don't need, and now it's started encroaching on our lives

and it's time to put a stop to it.

'You've got it spot-on, Mark. It's time to put a stop to this hoarding habit.'

'But before we set to work, they have to agree to the Trash To Cash deal.'

Sue and Mark, I love this veranda. It's fantastic. You can see the whole of Worcestershire behind us.

-It's beautiful.

-But we are here to work today.

Now, I know you both want to raise £350.

And, of course, me and Mark will help you all we can.

But in exchange for our advice and our expertise,

and that, of course, of the Cash To Trash team,

I'd like you to make the same amount of money again for a good cause of your choice.

-So do you agree to that?

-I do. Absolutely.

-Absolutely.

Excellent. There's one other thing I need you to agree to, that all the items you do decide to declutter,

-everything has to be sold, nothing goes back into the room.

-That'll be fantastic.

-Anything left over will go to charity. How do you feel about that?

-Fine.

-It's part of the therapy.

-It is. It's great. Yes.

-OK.

-You sure?

-Absolutely certain.

Wonderful, OK. We've got an agreement. That's good news.

I want to split us into teams for a bit of fun and healthy competition.

-You can be on the A Team, Mark, and unfortunately you're with Paul, the B Team.

-The winning team.

Shall we start looking round and get decluttering?

'Well, it looked for a minute there that Sue might struggle to let everything go.

'But I'm glad to see that both these hoarders are now fully committed to the challenge.

'We'll be selling to private dealers and local shops,

'but most of the items cleared will be sold at a grand house sale.'

'And let's not forget, we also have the services of handyman Danny Wood

'who can repair, refurbish and revitalise all manner of things

'to be sold at our very own auction.

'Sue and I are a team on a mission today and have wasted no time

'heading for the massively cluttered dining room.'

So, Sue, underneath all this clutter is actually a beautiful room. It's a fantastic house.

What did you use this room for before all this arrived?

This was a dining room.

Mark and I had aspirations of having nice dinner parties,

music, I can play the piano in here,

and we don't do any of it because we can't get in here anymore.

-How did it get to this sort of stage?

-It sort of crept up on us.

We didn't really realise how bad it was until you come in and you think, "Oh! I can't do anything with it!"

It has got to the point where we've stood by the door and we've just gone...

Because we couldn't actually get through the door to do it. And I miss my piano.

This is such a lovely room and it's wasted at the moment. We want to reclaim it.

-We need to make a start. You've got some antique things here.

-Yes.

-Tell me, where did this canteen come from?

-That was Mark's auntie's

that was given to us when she died and it's never going to be used.

-It's just a thing.

-These are often given as wedding presents

or silver anniversaries, that sort of thing, and they never get used.

This one's silver plated. It has a couple of foreign items. These are chrome. It's not quite complete.

But it's a perfect item for our house sale.

I think somebody would love that, £15 to £20, if not a little bit more. OK?

-So can that go?

-Yes.

-Excellent. Get a bit of polish on the oak box.

Then, of course, you've got this flowery epergne, as well. This would go with this house, similar period.

-Do you like that?

-No.

-What's it doing here, then?

I can't say, "Thank you but no". Those words don't come out of my mouth.

I say, "Yes, that's great! Thank you!" and I think, "I really don't like that".

It's a lovely epergne. It would look great at a hotel or a restaurant. I think that's another £15 to £20.

So it's adding up nicely. But tell me about this furniture.

-Surely this wasn't given to you. You've got two cabinets.

-We did pay for that.

-OK.

-This is called priory furniture.

-Right.

-A lot of it was made in the 1980s.

It was going back to a different period, a medieval style.

You've got this linen fold here, which the Tudors were famous for. And it is solid oak, good quality.

-But it's so out of fashion now. It doesn't fit with the modern home.

-Not really.

I think we could get £30 to £50 each for those.

-OK.

-And our team actually have a buyer lined up that's interested in having a look at them.

-Oh!

-So if you're agreeable, I think we might have those sold.

-You might have to move some stuff

-before we can look at them properly.

-You've got an inflatable snowman, a couple of quid.

-There's stuff here that we need to get out of this room.

-Yeah.

-If you haven't used it for a long time, you won't use it again.

-No.

So would you be agreeable if we decluttered all this for you

and sent in our fabulous makeover team?

-Yes.

-What would you like to see done to this room? Would you like it as a dining room or music room?

-A bit of both, I think.

-I do play piano a little bit.

-Ah!

-But I play by ear and it's starting to hurt.

-THEY LAUGH

'The old ones are the best, Paul. It's no laughing matter, though,

'that the dining room is in desperate need of a radical overhaul.

'But once the Trash team have finished, it should be ideal for dining and entertaining.

'Mark and I aren't hanging around, either. We've gone upstairs to look for potentially profitable items.'

-So, Mark, this is Mina's room, correct?

-That's right.

She's seven and takes after her mother and father

with her collection of all things junkie.

-She certainly has got a lot of stuff in here.

-She has.

-And hopefully a lot of this will be for the house sale.

-It will.

-How about the competition? Are you going to beat the missus?

-Of course!

-Yes!

-Of course!

-The two Marks against them two.

-But don't tell her.

-No, we don't want to upset her.

Now, lovely chair. Goes with the desk. Where did it come from?

-Oh, absolutely no idea.

-OK. A bit surplus to requirements because she's grown out of it.

-Yeah, just a bit too small for her now.

-There's nothing wrong with this.

People go, "Oh, just throw it in landfill".

-If it's a bit scruffy, you can give it a coat of paint and still sell it.

-Absolutely.

-House sale, we'll give it 20 quid.

-Yeah, that's right. Someone will enjoy that.

Exactly. As I always say, if there was a £20 note on the floor, you'd pick it up.

That's what we've got, £20 waiting to happen.

-Perhaps we could start a bit higher.

-Yeah, we'll see what happens.

What's going on with the fish tank?

We had two little fish and they grew and grew

and then, unfortunately, they passed away, so we have a fish tank.

-And another one in the boy's bedroom.

-Yes.

-And you've got no intention of getting fish?

-No.

Right, they can go. Our team have been in touch with a potential buyer who will come to the house.

-We're hoping for £30 or £40 for the pair.

-Great.

-Another £30 or £40.

It all helps. Let's check out the other one.

'Nice find, Mark. But I think today you'll be swimming against the tide trying to beat us,

'because we've already moved on to the hall

'to take a look at some items that are music to my ears.'

-So, Sue, is there a musical instrument that you don't play?

-HE LAUGHS

-Brass instruments.

-Really?

-I can't get a note out of a flute.

-OK.

-Or anything like that. I just haven't got the mouth arrangement.

-So you've always been interested in music, obviously.

-Oh, yeah.

You've got quite a few examples here. Do you play the violin? Cos that's really difficult.

I haven't played it for probably about 30 years. As you can see.

-This can be restored and brought back to life.

-I'm sure it can.

But these old violins, it's like a student violin that you learn on.

-But I think we could get £25, £30 for something like that. Does that sound all right?

-That's very good.

-There's many strings to my bow.

-THEY LAUGH

But I know you've got a piano accordion there, as well. That we certainly can sell.

What I wanted to ask you about is this fantastic, very, very heavy...

Extremely heavy.

-Now, the idea is... This is a digital piano.

-Yes.

The idea is, you're supposed to be able to carry this around and do gigs. You'd need a whole road crew.

-I need a very strong pair of men, really.

-Yeah. Well, we can arrange that.

-But have you done any concert performing with this?

-I have.

It's been around. I've played at a couple of evening entertainment dinners and things

-when I've done the background music, cocktail lounge kind of stuff.

-Awesome.

-But I haven't played it for a very long time.

-Right.

-And how long have you had this?

-Again, about ten years. Before children.

-BC.

-Yeah, BC.

-Children come along and change your life, don't they? And this is part of the life that I used to have.

-OK.

And it really needs to go to somebody else who can use it

-and make better use of it.

-Do you mind me asking how much this cost? Cos I know they were very expensive.

It came to nearly £3,000.

I was hoping to recoup that from doing the job that I wanted to do,

but I never really got round to it. Story of my life. SHE LAUGHS

-How much would you expect for it? They've come down tremendously.

-I know.

-If I said around £400 or £500...

-I'd be happy with that.

-We'll have one over on the two Marks.

Absolutely! HE LAUGHS

OK, so on your marks, then. Come on, let's get it sold. OK, there we go.

'Crikey! £400 to £500?

'I'm gutted that we didn't spot the keyboard before you.

'The only positive is, it puts us well on the way to our target of 700 quid.'

'Exactly, which is why Sue and I have wasted no time jumping into the van

'and heading off to a music school to try and sell the keyboard.'

Out of you and Mark, who's accumulated all this stuff?

-Who's the worst culprit?

-I would probably say Mark, but then he would probably say me.

But I think, realistically, it's me.

-I just can't bear to throw things away.

-Right.

-We're going to try to sell this digital piano.

-Yeah.

-But I think I'd like to leave most of the chat up to you.

-Mm, OK.

The secret is to let the gentleman really want it, really have a good look at it,

-discuss it, and then see how you go from there.

-OK, fine.

-Does that sound all right to you?

-It does.

-And we have at least £400, I'd like to think,

-if not a little bit more.

-That'd be good, wouldn't it?

We're like Thelma and Louise,

-riding into the sunset.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Which one are you?

-I don't know.

-THEY LAUGH

So that's the piano all set up. So, what exactly would you use this for?

Actually, Paul, predominantly, we are a school rather than a shop,

so we would tend to use this for tuition.

It's ideal, actually, because it doesn't need tuning regularly,

it's electronic and it's also very good to transport

We do concerts, so we would use this to perform in concert for students and teachers.

-It's in very good condition.

-It is. And it has performed at Symphony Hall before.

-Has it?

-Ah, there we go!

-Oh, fantastic!

-And at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, it's performed there.

And I want to see and know that this is being used by children

-and improving their performance and helping other children to learn.

-Wonderful.

Do you have a price that you would be happy to accept?

Knowing how much I paid for it originally, I was hoping I could get £500 for it.

'Well, Sue has done a great job selling the keyboard's credentials.

'But will she get the £400 to £500 we're hoping for?'

'At the house, Stuart Warburton, the owner of a local pet shop, has come to check out the fish tanks.

'But before we see if we can get the £30 to £40 we're looking for,

'I've got a little tip for Mark to help him with his selling.'

We're about to sell the fish tanks.

Now, when it comes to selling, this is over to you.

-You have to sell these.

-OK.

-But I'm going to give you a little tip.

Whatever the guy offers as a price, seem disappointed.

Do this one. "I was hoping for a bit more than that."

-I can do that.

-Of course you can.

And then even if he says, "I'll give you £1,000 for the pair,"

-always say, "I was hoping for a bit more."

-OK.

-You ready?

-Yep!

-Let's get selling.

-Stuart, here we have two beautiful fish tanks and Mark here is going to tell you all about them.

-Hi, Mark.

Yeah, this is from my son's room. As you can see, lovely for a starter.

Little goldfish can go in there, I suppose.

The second tank is bigger. The goldfish graduated into that

after obviously growing a bit. What do you think?

Well, they're in quite good condition.

Erm, £10 each?

-You don't mess around, do you?

-Well, yeah, I like your opening bid,

but I was looking for something maybe a little bit more.

-What would you do with them?

-I'd refurb them,

possibly put some fish in them from my shop and then sell them on.

-The good thing about the glass, it's got no chips in it.

-It's a cracker!

-It's a Paul joke.

You're a hard man.

Erm, OK, I'll go to £15 each.

I like that offer. You've got a deal.

Stuart, you definitely don't mess around. You lads up near Birmingham are straight to the point.

A nice, quick deal, 30 quid, I think you're the proud owner of two new fish tanks.

'Well, Stuart didn't hang around putting in an offer,

'but Mark did well to push him up to the £30 that we were looking for.'

Yeah, first deal on Trash To Cash. It feels good.

Two unused fish tanks just gone out the door. This is the start that we want,

the impetus to move forward.

Yeah, that's great. Absolutely.

'That's a great sale for you, but we're hoping to do even better.

'Sue's made a great start with her sales pitch, but will she be able to seal the deal?'

We would be happy to pay around £450 for it. We'd be more than happy.

-I think that would be pretty good, actually.

-I think that's fair enough.

-I know the price of these has come down.

-Yeah.

-Is that all right with you?

-Absolutely fine. Thank you. I'm really happy.

When I did the deal with the keyboard,

I was scared and a bit sort of, like, put off

because it was me getting rid of something that I've had for a long time,

but actually, secretly, I quite enjoyed it and I'd quite like to do it again, I think.

I'm really getting into the idea of getting rid of stuff that I don't really want

and somebody giving me lots of money. Money. It's very good. SHE LAUGHS

'Well, Sue may have been worried earlier about letting things go,

'but it looks like she's really getting into the swing of things now.

'We're well on the way to our £700 target and the pressure's building on me and Mark.'

'We're also clearing out the house and the main focus of our attention is the dining room.

'It had become the main dumping ground of the house.

'But now its transformation is well underway

'and I'm looking forward to showing it off to Sue once it's finished.'

'We've headed downstairs to the basement, hoping for lots more money-making clutter.'

It's a very smart house. I really like it. There's loads of little nooks and crannies.

-It's a bit like the TARDIS.

-It is.

-It expands out as you walk round.

From the front, it looks like a two-up, two-down, but it's room after room.

-Now, where did these come from?

-I presume these came from one of Sue's great expeditions to the skip.

-Wonderful.

-Yes.

-What do you know about them?

I think they're old office drawers that are used for filing

-and I think they're made of oak.

-Spot on.

-Very nice.

-Well, they started using these styles of filing drawers mainly in the 1940s.

-OK.

So I would say they're that period. They're very, very smart.

Lovely brass handles with little labels in there. Cracking.

-At the house sale, £20 to £30, something like that.

-That'd be brilliant.

Why not? Now, in here, in this little room, is something very exciting.

'Another 20 to 30 quid keeps things ticking along nicely.

'But we need even more stuff if we're going to stand any chance of beating Paul and Sue today.'

-You don't use these any more.

-Nice and sturdy.

-They are solid.

-Matching pair, one in there.

-Yep.

Danny, our DIY man, can make that look like new

-and at the house sale, they will sell and that's a nice little profit.

-Excellent.

Talking about profits, let me show you something which is quite unusual to find in your average home.

There we are. Right, we've got...

-There we are.

-Chocolate moulds, that's right.

Brilliant for the amateur chocolatier who'd like to make some chocolates.

-Where did they come from, Mark?

-They came from a factory that shut down quite locally, a chocolate factory.

Well, they're proper industrial ones.

These must have made hundreds and hundreds of Easter eggs.

They've got magnets running through there which keep them together

and they're real good quality, sturdy, really lovely bits of kit.

To have these made would cost you a fortune.

-You've got two boxes full of them in there. We've got to be looking at 30 to 50 quid.

-Brilliant.

So that adds up yet again. We're getting closer to the target.

-In your study, there's something I must discuss with you.

-Let's have a look.

'30 to 50 quid? That would be sweet if you get that.

'But I think today's result is only going to leave you feeling sour.'

So, Sue, it seems like we're starting to clear out.

How does it feel now some of these rooms are beginning to empty?

-Oh, it's fantastic.

-Really?

-Absolutely fantastic.

I can now almost feel the house breathing a sign of relief

and it feels great. It really does.

And have you given any more thought to what your good cause is going to be?

-It's going towards Mind, which is the mental health charity.

-OK.

And it's a personal favour of ours, because Mark and I have both been touched by mental health issues.

Mind are fabulous, because they bring mental health issues into the fore

and they have a fabulous website of support for people suffering and for the people around those people

to help them to deal with things that might happen, as well.

So, obviously, we're trying to raise £350 for the charity. How far do you think that would go?

I think it'll probably be a very small drop in a huge ocean that they need,

but I think every little helps, and I think that the more it's talked about,

the more it's out in the open, the better, really.

-It's obviously touched both of your lives, and it's to make more people aware.

-Yeah.

So that's obviously your good cause, but what about yourself? Charity begins at home.

-Have you thought what you're going to spend your half on?

-In my head, I've spent it ten times already.

THEY LAUGH What we'd really like to do with the money is to use it towards

making the garden much more usable,

because it really isn't a pleasant place to be at the moment.

The chickens have eaten all the grass.

And get some advice, perhaps, on what we can do to make it usable for the children, for us, and the chickens

and the cats and everybody to just live harmoniously.

-So that's our goal.

-Absolutely.

-And two fantastic causes, both for yourself and for the charity. But we need to crack on.

-We do.

'Harmony may well be the long-term goal, but for the moment, it's on hold.

'There's a competition to win here!

'We're also here to help Sue and Mark reclaim their home

'from the clutches of unwanted junk and jumble.'

'Our team of clutter-busters have been hard at work clearing, cleaning and tidying throughout

'and it's time to find out what Sue thinks of the transformed dining room.'

OK, just watch out for all those boxes of clutter that are still in here.

I'm just aware of where my feet should go now.

Now, we were in here earlier on. Can you describe to me what this room was like this morning?

This morning, I wouldn't be able to stand where I am now because you could only just get through the door.

-Just dreadful, really.

-Well, our makeover team have been in here

-and they've all worked really hard and they've done a great job. Do you want to have a look?

-Love to.

-And reclaim your dining room?

-Mm.

-OK, open your eyes.

Oh, my God!

-SHE LAUGHS

-Isn't that fantastic?

-That is so fabulous!

-It is your dining room table.

-I think so.

-HE LAUGHS Oh, that's lovely!

-Isn't it lovely? You've got a lovely new lamp.

-Some bits and pieces.

-Tidied up!

And we left this in, but we put part of your cat collection in it.

Fabulous. What a great idea!

So there's no excuse now, you can come in here and have a nice dinner

-and you can play the piano afterwards.

-It looks so much bigger.

-Do you like it?

I love it. Thank you. It's just... Oh...

-HE LAUGHS Oh, my word.

-It's great, isn't it?

I'm just totally gobsmacked.

I think I should be sitting down now.

Can you bring my tea in, please? I'm shattered.

'Sue is clearly over the moon with the results of all the hard work.

'What was the family dumping ground without an inch of visible floor

'is now a calm and inviting space to dine and entertain.'

-'I'm looking forward to my invite to dinner.'

-'That depends on whether or not we make our target.

'And on that note, it's time to have a look at the scores on the doors.

'We've made a solid start, getting a respectable 30 quid for the fish tanks.'

'Nice effort, but I'm afraid you're lagging behind Sue and me,

'because we've made a whopping £450 selling the keyboard,

'putting us well in the lead.'

'Thanks to our efforts so far,

'our mission to declutter Sue and Mark's home and make £700 is going very well.

'There's still a long way to go, but Mark and I are feeling the pressure to try and catch up.

'And we've hit the study, hoping for more items we can cash in on.'

This really could be a great space to work in. It's a very big office.

It's nice, but everything's sort of crammed in there, isn't it?

And considering the rest of your house is so tidy, I don't know what's going on in here.

We need this room made over. I'll get the makeover team in here and I think they can work some magic.

I think what would be a great start, though, is getting shot of this thing here.

-Where did it come from?

-Believe it or not, a friend of ours gave it to us.

Well, I think the problem with this is, it's got a handle missing,

-it won't make a lot of money, but we'll get shot of it at the house sale.

-I think a fiver.

We are looking around the region of £3 to £5.

Now, this is the Jamie Oliver range of cookware.

-Designed by somebody called Eigen.

-That's exactly right. That's rather smart.

-Really nice.

This would've been quite expensive when you bought it new. Where did it come from?

-Erm, I think it was given to Sue.

-So we've got about six or seven pieces there.

-What's with the head?

-Ah! Up here we have the phrenology head.

-Not something to say after you've had a drink.

-Why have you got that?

Well, I studied psychology, and back in the days before psychology,

certain parts of the head were attributed to different things.

So, for example, if I can turn it here towards you,

you've got domestic propensities here.

-Do you like vacuuming?

-Er...

At the house sale, we're still going to get a tenner for it, and that's all that matters.

-There's more money knocking around.

-Excellent.

-In the front yard, there's something I want to discuss with you.

-Let's have a look.

'Clearing the study will give you a tidy little lot for the house sale, Mark.

'And boy does it need clearing! I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation

'when the new study is revealed on the day of the house sale.

'Back to today, Sue and I are leaving no stone unturned

'in our search for money-making junk and jumble.'

-Now then, I take it this is the master bedroom.

-It is.

This room doesn't need much at all. It's already decluttered. It's quite nice in here.

But there is one item here that doesn't quite fit in. I notice that this has never been used.

-Where did it come from?

-I got it off the internet. It was a freebie.

I think it was somebody's school project. I thought it was very nice

and I thought, as usual, I'd just welcome it into the house

and use it, but unfortunately, it's stayed down there for a long time.

That's a good idea. Somebody was getting rid of it, they advertised it, you picked it up. Great idea.

But I think this is quite dark and a bit old-fashioned.

-Yeah, I think that's why it's stayed down there.

-We have our fabulous handyman, Danny,

and he's looking for projects to do, and I think he can revamp that and bring it up to the 21st century.

-And better still, make it something that's saleable for our house sale.

-Excellent.

-Sound OK?

-Sounds fine.

-We're doing all right. We've cleared out quite a lot of stuff.

I think we've got another £100 in your dining room.

-So it's adding up nicely.

-We're getting... Making some progress.

-Yeah.

-How competitive are you and Mark?

-We're quite competitive.

-Are you really?

-Yeah.

-Will he be trying his hardest?

-He'll be doing his best to beat me.

-Let's make sure he doesn't.

-Us.

Yes. You know what that Mark Franks is like.

-He hates losing.

-THEY LAUGH

-Come on, then.

'I don't hate losing, Paul, I just much prefer winning.'

'Seriously, though, we've found some cracking stuff already

'to help us reach our total of £700.'

'And we've also got Danny the handyman here

'to add value to items by carrying out some simple jobs on them.

'If you've got mismatched steps like these from the Underwoods' pantry, here's how to revitalise them.

'Begin by removing the seat and step from the legs using a screwdriver.

'Next paint the seat and step in a colour of your choice and do the same with the legs.

'Leave to dry before finally reassembling.

'And there you have it. Once dull and mismatched step seats

'have been turned into a colourful matching pair and are ready for a new home.'

'I'm sure Danny can do an even better job with the shelving unit we found in the bedroom.

'First he sands down the old paintwork, leaving a smooth surface.

'Then he gives the entire shelf a base coat of white paint.

'Finally, Danny gives it a dash of colour.

'It's now a shelving unit to grace any wall.

'The question is, which of our items will sell for more

'when we come to auction them off at the house sale?

'I don't want to wait until the house sale, though, to make some more money. And the good news is,

'we've got a furniture dealer who's come to the house to look at the two cabinets from the dining room.'

So the nice thing is, I think they're solid oak. Is that right?

They are of oak. They're not all solid oak.

But they're not a bad quality.

Sadly, the fashion for this finish is very dated.

People want the light look. They don't want the polishing, polished furniture.

So you would recycle them and bring them up to the 21st century.

-Yeah, they will end up painted.

-Right.

-OK. Well, Sue, you want to get rid of them.

-I do.

And, Rene, it sounds like you are interesting in them.

So it's down to you two to do a deal, really.

-We have a price in mind.

-We do, yeah.

-And can I ask you that price?

-I was looking for £40 each.

£80 for the pair.

-OK.

-That's what I was hoping for.

'Sue has gone in gently with her initial asking price.

'Let's just hope the buyer doesn't take it as a signal to try and get them for a lot less.'

Well, that's not a bad price. I mean, I think it's a fair price for these pieces of furniture,

these two pieces, and I would pay you that.

-Would you? Oh, very good! I'm very pleased with that.

-That would be smashing. Thank you very much.

-I think you'd better shake on that.

-We better. Thank you.

-Good luck with them.

'Result! That price is right at the top of what we were hoping for.'

It feels really good to be getting rid of some stuff and making some money out of it.

It's been an adventure and I am quite enjoying doing it.

'I think after that sale, it's time we had a look at our running totals.

'Adding that £80 to the £450 we've already banked for the keyboard

'gives us a staggering £530.'

'So far, we've only sold the fish tanks, banking us 30 quid.

'It'll be a tall order catching up, but I'm hoping with plenty of great items for the house sale,

'this contest isn't over yet.'

'Although we've been hard at work all day, we're not calling time on our efforts just yet.

'Mike and I have headed outside to make one last push to sort out a few more items.'

-Now, I'm not being funny, but...

-HORN SQUEAKS

..there's no way she's going to be able to fit on that any more.

-This is for a two or three-year-old, isn't it?

-Yeah, I would have thought so.

-A young child.

Far too small for madam, little princess.

And monsieur, Mr, young Joseph has definitely grown out of that if he's...

-There's no way he'll fit that any more.

-BELL RINGS

-You can ring my bell.

-You've got a scooter in there, as well, haven't you? Let's have a look at that.

They are quite popular. Pushbikes always, always sell very quickly.

-We're looking at a tenner each and a fiver, that's £25.

-That'd be brilliant.

-So let's put these back and go and see how the B Team is doing.

-OK, let's go.

'Those bikes should do well at the house sale,

'but I think you'll find it will be Sue and I who'll be riding out of today's show victorious.'

It's quite surprised me today. You have a lovely Edwardian house,

it has lots of rooms and a great feel to the house, but you do have pockets of clutter.

-How did this come to be put in the hallway for instance? All the clothes?

-Nowhere else to put them.

-You've had a good look through this lot, is there anything you'd wear again?

-No.

-So this lot can go?

-Absolutely.

-Right, well, do you know what? I think you have at least £20 or £30 here for the house sale.

-Oh, yes!

-But more importantly, if we get this lot off your landing, you get your landing back,

-this wonderful area again, which you can use, that's the whole idea.

-Ideally, yes.

-Do you like how we're thinking?

-I like it very much. I'm liking it more and more.

-OK, well, let's...

-Before I change my mind.

-Yes!

-HE LAUGHS

-Let's shift this lot, then.

-All right, I'm off.

-OK, come on.

'It's been a long day, but our clear-out work has finally come to an end.

'Nowhere has avoided our attention as we've gone through the house ridding it of junk and jumble.'

'The dining room has been transformed from the dumping ground of the house,

'into a homely place for the family to eat and Sue and Mark to entertain.'

'Both of the children's bedrooms have become clutter-free zones, perfect for them to play.

'And the landing now says calm and relaxation.

'But that isn't the end of our work clearing this house, because in a few days' time,

'while we're selling hard at the house sale, the Trash To Cash team will transform the study.'

'Right now, though, it's time for us all to catch up and find out how we've done.'

So there we are, our work here is done, and the night time is upon us,

Worcestershire has disappeared amongst this dark cloud here.

And we have a fraction of the items we've taken from your house. There was loads of stuff here.

And there's loads more ready to be sold at the house sale.

-Keep your voice down. The neighbours are in bed. It's that late.

-THEY LAUGH

-But it's been great fun.

-I'm wondering how all this was in our house in the first place.

-Well, that's it. Who accumulated it all?

-Well, you know, Sue.

Say nothing, Sue. But there you are, so our work here is not yet finished, is it?

No, it hasn't, cos this is where you guys have to take over,

you have to get friends, family, neighbours, even people you don't like,

get them here for the house sale. The more people turn up, the more money you will make. Simple as that.

'It's the day of the house sale and due to the lack of space in Sue and Mark's garden,

'we're holding it nearby at Sue's work.'

'We've already made an impressive £580,

'but with the weather against us, there's no guarantee we'll reach our £700 target.'

Now, the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, but in Redditch, it's falling here today.

Now, these lovely people have all come because Sue and Mark have worked hard getting them here.

-And they all want to spend money, don't you?

-ALL: Yeah!

Music to my ears. So without further ado, I'd like to declare this house sale open!

THEY CHEER

-'Despite the rain...'

-I can see land, I can see land!

'..the bargain hunters are still out in force,

'and Mark and I have got a potential buyer for the designer-labelled cheese board from the study.'

-It's lovely, isn't it? What's the most you could offer for that?

-I'd give you a tenner.

-Is that all?

-Yes.

-How about 15? Nice round figure. Pretty please.

-Yeah, go on, then.

-Excellent. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-You're very kind.

-I hope you enjoy it.

-Not bad?

-Yeah, not bad at all.

-Shame about the weather but it's not a bad turn out, is it?

-No, it's good so far.

'You'll need lots of people spending lots of money with you today to stand a chance of beating us.'

-I'd like to buy both these boxes of Lego please, if I may.

-Excellent.

-OK, Sue, these are yours.

-Right, OK. Those are £20 for the two boxes.

-Er, OK.

-Fantastic!

-Excellent!

'£20 just like that. Sue has quickly got the hang of selling.

'Maybe you should just concede victory now, Mark.'

Do you know what? When you walked up to the stall, I could see this wonderful red jumper

-and I was looking at this canteen and I thought, "This made for you, isn't it?"

-Yes.

-Have you got a nice canteen at home?

-Yes, but there's no knives.

-So is that something you are interested in?

-Yes, thank you.

And we are looking for about £25 for this.

But we are open to offers.

-20.

-You know what? Considering you had a colour-coordinated jumper, we can do that.

-I think we can do that.

-Thank you.

-Is that all right with you?

-It's beautiful, thank you.

You get ten percent discount now on anything else on the stall, OK?

'Offering a future discount to tempt them in, Paul? That's one of my tricks!'

'Well, if it keeps the buyers spending, I'm happy to try it.'

'We're working hard, as well. We've stepped inside for a minute to try and sell the designer kitchenware,'

-Tina, you saw these items as we were setting up this morning.

-Yes.

-What would you do with these?

My sister's just moved so she can have the mugs as a moving-in present,

-and I think I might use those to store my utensils in in my kitchen.

-Excellent.

All you've got to do is discuss money, you two, and we'll be laughing.

Yeah. So what's the highest price you can stretch to give me for this fine lot here?

-I reckon £20.

-£20.

-What about 30?

-Well, shall we meet in the middle? Shall we go £25?

How about 26?

-£25.50?

-We've got a deal!

-Thank you.

-Excellent.

-He's done well. I taught him everything I know.

'I can't imagine that took too long, Mark.'

'Years! But no time to talk about my wealth of knowledge. There are deals to be done on the stalls.'

You're a lovely lady, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-A bargain! Thank you very much!

-Thank you very much.

-Any gold coloured one will do.

-Wow! Give me five! Yeah!

I don't do scary films.

-It's not scary.

-It's an 18!

-It's a romantic comedy. They kiss in it.

-Yeah, OK.

-There you go.

-Thanks a lot, mate.

-My husband will tell me off if I spend it all.

-Don't worry.

'The sales are coming thick and fast. And we've got interest in a job lot.'

-Say £2 each?

-I think so.

-We've got £4 there, what else have we got? Let's have a look.

It's like Christmas, isn't it?

-Lots of farm stuff.

-Is it?

-Animals and all the bits that go with it.

-How about if we said a tenner for that lot?

-I think so.

-So that's £14. But we are open to offers.

-15 sounds a rounder number. What do you think?

-Would you take £12?

-Yes, definitely, thank you.

OK. Right, that's lovely. Thanks very much. You got a good deal there.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Bye!

-Thank you. Enjoy your zoo.

-I think they're going to the zoo tomorrow.

-I think so.

-Maybe the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow.

Are we all going to the zoo tomorrow? We can go all day. OK.

'You all right there, Paul? I know you're not often ahead in the Trash To Cash stakes.

'It's not over yet though, and we're still selling.

'There's interest in the phrenology head from the study.'

-I'm interested in this.

-You've got the right man for the job here.

This predates psychology when people used to think that different parts of the head

had different features attached to them.

-How much would you be prepared to give for this beautiful phrenology head?

-I've got £5 left.

-What about six?

-I might be able to find another pound.

-Oh, that sounds good. What about £6.50?

-I've only got six.

-Well, if you've only got six, we'll have to accept six, won't we?

-Yep.

-Yep, lovely. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

'It's just not our day today.

'I think the lady would have paid a bit more money if she hadn't spent so much on Paul and Sue's stall.'

'And to make matters worse for you, Mark, we've got someone interested in some games and toys.'

-Ah, now then, sir, you found some good...

-Lego and a board game.

-Oh, nice. Who are these for?

-For my nephews when they come round.

-Excellent. So we've got Connect 4, great game.

Do you know Lego was voted the number one toy of all time?

-You've got an added roller, as well.

-There we are. Look at that.

-Someone's nicked the wheel off that one. That's £6.

-Sounds good to me.

-How does it sound to you?

-Very reasonable.

-We'll throw you the drawer in, as well. Take the money.

-Thank you very much.

'Another cracking sale for us, and a cracking buy for him.'

'There's plenty of people walking away today pleased with what they've bought.'

I bought it for my grandson, but I think he's going to be using it all night.

It will keep him happy all evening.

I paid £6 for these games, I got them from Sue.

I'm very happy with those. They'll be well used, I'm sure.

I think I've had a really good bargain today. I'm going home very happy.

'That's what I like to hear, satisfied customers.

'And Sue and I are working hard to make sure we sell a few more items.

'We have a dealer coming to take a look at the violin from the hall.

'But can we get the £30 we're hoping for?'

Let's take a seat. Now, Sue, this is Steve Turner. Steve, this is Sue.

-Hello, pleased to meet you.

-Thanks for coming along. Now, you are a specialist in violins.

-So they tell me.

-So how old do you think it is?

Erm, I think it's made about 1890 in the south of Germany in the town of Mittenwald,

which is one of the main centres of violin production in Germany since the 18th century.

-This is a sort of student violin.

-OK.

-I'd give you 30 quid for it.

For me to part with it is quite a big one. It moved with me round the country.

But it's time for it to have a different life, I think. So, yes, I would accept £30 for it.

-So sounds like a good deal to me, if you'd like to shake on it.

-Let's shake on it. Thanks.

Life is like a violin. Lovely. Thank you very much.

'£30 is fantastic.

'Let's face it, the dealer has got a lot of work to do restoring that violin to its former glory.'

'The weather may have kept some bargain hunters away,

'but there's still people looking to bag themselves a cracking buy.

'And we've found somebody who's interested in the wooden drawers from the kitchen.'

I'm interested in these. I want to keep my craft stuff in them. How much?

What's the most you would be happy to part with for these?

-I've got a £10 note in my purse. I'll give you a tenner.

-You can have that one for a tenner, that's fair.

I'll have all five for a tenner. Go on then, how much do you want for them?

-20 quid.

-I haven't got 20 quid.

-Meet me in the middle.

-What have you got on you?

-I'll empty my purse.

-How much money can we take from you?

-I've got about £14 in my purse.

-That sounds great.

-Whatever you've got, we'll take the lot.

-Look at that, £14.50... 61.

-£13.50.

-Thank you.

'It's a little bit less than the £20 we were hoping for,

'but sometimes you have to accept the best offer made.

'It's another item gone and more money in the tin.'

'Absolutely, Mark. But I think you are going to lose today because we're also doing a cracking trade.

'Although some items are proving harder to get rid of.'

Now then, madam, how about a guaranteed pair of bongos?

We've been playing these all morning. Look at the weather.

-Do you fancy these?

-No, thank you. I do quite like that.

-Do you have the candles to go on there?

-I certainly do at home, yes.

-I don't think we can ask for a tenner for that, do you?

-No.

-I think maybe 12. How's that sound?

-12. Ooh.

-We are open to offers.

-Eight.

-How about eight?

-Eight. I'll take eight.

-I think that sounds great to me. Is that all right with you?

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-That's great. Are you sure you don't want the bongos?

-No, you're fine with the bongos.

'I'm amazed no-one has bought the bongos, just to stop you playing them, Paul.

'Despite them not selling, both stalls are still cashing in on stuff as we aim for our £700 target.'

Make us an offer and we'll say yes, for the pair.

-Fiver the pair.

-Yes? Deal? Brilliant!

-Five?

-Is a fiver all right?

-Fiver for one, yep.

-Every penny counts.

-You drive a hard bargain.

-We certainly do.

-Thank you.

-4 quid.

-4 quid. I think so.

-You think so?

-Yeah.

How much would you like to pay for those?

A pound!

'We've got some interest in some of our more unusual items.

'The question is, can we get anywhere near the 50 quid we are hoping for?

'We certainly need to if we're going to challenge Paul and Sue.'

-Are you a pair of chocolatiers?

-Erm, sort of, yeah.

What would you do with those if you bought them?

We work for the centre and we work with Sue and the youth.

What we want to do with them is obviously make Easter eggs with them.

-Apparently they'd go for quite a price.

-They will last a lifetime.

-What would you offer for them?

-For the whole lot, we'd give a fiver, wouldn't we?

-We'd give you that.

-I think you can do a bit more. Come on.

-What kind of price do you think they would go for to a person...

-If you found the right person, they would sell for a lot of money.

-We are the right people.

I'll double it and that's it, £10. That's it. Shake on it now.

-15.

-No, I haven't got £15. I've got ten.

-And an egg when we do it.

-I'm not being funny. He doesn't need any more chocolate.

And an egg when you do it. OK, you've got a deal.

-Thank you very much.

-Cheers. Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

'I think the promise of some chocolate swayed Mark's decision.

'£10 is disappointing but it's better than nothing at all.'

'I have to say, they got themselves an egg-cellent deal there.

'It's all got to go so bargains are the order of the day.'

£6.20. We didn't do too badly.

Books and a little Mr Potato Head. We paid £10 for the lot.

-How much was the scooter?

-£3! Yeah!

'Making money isn't the only thing that Sue and Mark need our help with today, though.

'We've been helping them with the challenge of reclaiming their home

'by ridding it of all its unwanted junk and jumble.'

'The study was so choc full of clutter, it had become difficult to properly work in.

'But now the Trash team is hard at work transforming it.

'And I can't wait to see the look on Mark's face once it's done.'

'There's still people browsing and spending money at the house sale.

'So I think it's time we have a little auction to see who can make most money for our handyman items.'

OK, guys. Listen up, listen carefully.

We have not one but two very comfortable stools.

Refurbed into a very fashionable black and white.

Can I start a little auction at £1 a pair? Hands up for £1 a pair.

She smiled, £1 there. Who's got £2? You grinned, look, smiler, £2.

Who's got three? Three, thank you. Anyone got four?

You just smiled at me, you can do four. Who's got a fiver? You smiled, five.

Who's got £7? £7 there! Anyone got eight?

Last chance, going once, going twice,

£7, sold to the lovely lady there. Thank you very much. Well done! Brilliant. Thank you.

'£7 is a bargain price, but can I do any better with the shelving unit?'

Now then, we've got lot number two here. Believe it or not,

this was in quite a state when we went to Sue's house.

-And our fabulous handyman Danny has renovated it. So, can I start at... Who's feeling generous?

-20p.

20p. I'll take that as a bid. OK. 20p.

50p. Don't feel sorry for the Post Office lady. 50p here.

-£2!

-You're not allowed to bid, unfortunately, but mum can.

Was that a bid from mum for £2? I think it was.

-We've got £2 with mum over here. Do I see £3 anywhere?

-£3.

Three, OK. Do I see £4 anywhere?

Yes, thank you very much. £4. Do you want to make it a round fiver?

-No.

-You don't. So it's going once, and I want a massive round of applause for the lady please,

-going once, going twice, £4 to the lady there. Thank you very much.

-THEY CLAP

'The sweet smell of success. Oh, well, Paul, better luck next time.

'The clock is counting down to the end of the house sale. But the last few deals could be decisive.'

-Sue, it's the final sales now, the crowd is thinning out.

-OK.

So we need... Everything now is at a 20 percent discount. Anything you see.

-What have you found there, madam?

-My son wants the puzzle board.

-Let's look. That's good, isn't it?

-Like a jigsaw but with a difference.

-£1.

-OK, there we go.

'Everything must go now because anything that isn't sold by the end of the day

'will be donated to a charity shop. The prices are coming down.'

Well, young lady. What have you found here? What's your name?

-Lily!

-Lily? I love the name Lily. Right, make us an offer on the desk and chair we cannot refuse.

We've only got £4 left. So that's all we can offer.

-What, you haven't got another penny more than £4?

-Not a penny. That is it.

-Deal. Thank you.

'Well, that's a cracking bargain for those buyers. But, like I said, everything has to go.

'We're still shifting stuff, but the poor weather has meant there aren't too many buyers left.'

-We're thinning out a bit now.

-There's a good chance we can do some last-minute deals.

Do you think so? I love your enthusiasm. You're like a dynamo.

-OK, let's call it a quid.

-Go on, then, we'll have it for a quid.

-Nice one.

Can you magic up a load of buyers for us?

Look at that! That's amazing, well done!

Put your material in there. The kit's there. It's that footprints thing.

-The shelving units.

-Yep, yep.

-Brand spanking new, those.

-That's right.

-£2.50 each. I'll give you a tenner.

-Yeah.

-Do you want them?

-Yes, please.

-Do you have a price in mind?

-Can you make me an offer, Julie?

-£1, please!

-Yep. Sold. SHE LAUGHS

-There's no arguing with the post lady.

-There you go then, love.

'You were right, Sue. There were a few buyers left and we've bagged some more sales.'

Oh, look at that! You can take your wife out, lovely romantic day. Look at the weather.

Put it down, waterproof blanket, cows will leave you alone. Romance is in the air. What do you think?

I think it's good idea. I think I might do that if we have a nice fine day for it.

-What about buying the bureau, as well?

-Well, if I was to put that in there and offer you a fiver?

Mm. Fiver. What about a tenner?

-Well, I'll meet you halfway and call it £7.50.

-£7.50...

I like that. £7.50. It's a deal.

'Another sale! And considering it has to go, and Mark and Sue paid nothing for it in the first place,

'it's great to see the money go in the tin.'

'The house sale has pretty much run its course.

'Both teams have worked their socks off and have sold loads of unwanted clutter.

'There's still quite a lot of stuff remaining,

'but we've got one last customer in search of the deal of the day.'

We have one deal left to be made. Are you ready for this?

All right, would you like to come through? Now, we were discussing something.

-Would you like to tell Sue what your offer is?

-20 quid for the lot.

-20 quid for the lot.

-And you will move it?

-I will.

-You see that? Look at that! Yes!

-Is that all right with you?

-Thank you very much.

-Now, to keep it fair, I think we'll have a tenner each.

-Absolutely.

Hey! THEY LAUGH

-I now declare this house sale over! We sold the lot.

-THEY CHEER

'Well, the buyer may have got plenty for her money,

'but Sue and Mark didn't want any of the remaining items to go back in the house.

'And we've bagged some last-minute cash for our kitties.'

I'm walking away from all the rubbish!

'In a moment, we're going to find out who has made the most money today,

'to be crowned champion of the clear-out.

'But first, it's time to find out what Mark thinks of the transformed study.'

Mark, keep your eyes closed for the moment and remind me what the room looked like

before the makeover team had a good tidy up.

It was absolutely cluttered. Every single shelf was over-spilling with stuff.

-It was just unworkable, really.

-And what would you like it to be like now?

Anything would be an improvement. It would be just wonderful for that to be...

-OK, are you ready for the big moment?

-I am.

-Open your eyes and look around.

Holy-shmoly!

Oh, my goodness!

-A bit better?

-Oh, it's absolutely fantastic!

Wow! I love the pictures, as well. That's absolutely fantastic! Fantastic!

-So you don't like it, then?

-It's great. Absolutely fantastic! That is so much better.

-It's more relaxing, isn't it?

-That's absolutely wonderful.

-Thank you! Thank you very much.

-Come on, let's go.

'Well, I think that's the seal of approval from Mark for the newly-transformed study.

'He and Sue now have a space where they can comfortably sit and concentrate on work.'

'We've also been busy throughout the house.

'The previously unusable dining room is now perfect for sitting down

'as a family, as well as entertaining guests.

'Mina and Joe's bedrooms are clean, clear and ideal for them to play in.

'And the landing is no longer a place used to dump clothes and all manner of clutter.'

'Now we've reached the all-important moment, the results.

'Time to find out which team turned the most trash into cash.'

Well, I must apologise first. I brought the rain from Morecambe today.

Sorry about that, Mark and Mark.

But under the circumstances, we did pretty well. We were busy, Sue.

-We certainly were.

-What about you two?

-We tried to keep up.

-We done all right, actually.

-It's time now to find out who won.

-On the count of three. One, two, three.

-Oh, look at that!

-Blooming hell!

-Not only beaten, Mark, that's enormous!

-Oh, trounced!

That means you made a total of £903.96.

-That's fantastic!

-Isn't that great?

-That is fantastic!

-Now, remind me what your charity is again.

-Mind.

-Well, they get £451.98

-and you get £451.98.

-That is such a good effort.

-Good work.

-Well done.

-Giver her a kiss.

-BOTH: Aw!

-You better cover your eyes, mate.

'A month later and Sue and Mark have been hard at work spending their half of the cash.'

The money that we raised that was to go towards our project has been spent very well, actually,

because it's bought all the materials needed to make the garden what we want it to be.

And it is a work in progress. Now this opportunity has come, it's all happening.

And it feels really good.

'And both of them are also chuffed to have raised some money for their chosen charity.'

Great to raise money for Mind, excellent charity, good work all round. Great. Spot on.

It felt fabulous to know that we'd swapped all our rubbish for money

and it went to a good cause that we wanted.

'Most important of all, though, Sue is adamant that their days as hoarders are well behind them.'

Doing the show was the turning point for us.

Everything that went out isn't coming back,

and we have a new rule now. If something comes in, something has to leave.

-So be careful.

-We don't, do we? Does that go for my T-shirts, as well?

-Yeah.

-There we are, we've enjoyed being in Redditch, our work is done.

-And not one item goes back inside.

-Nope.

So if you want to see what happens next time, tune into Trash For Cash.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]

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