Poole Trash to Cash

What do you do if you lose large areas of your home to clutter?

When rooms have become havens for unused and unwanted household goods?

Well, one thing you could do is give a call

and we will show you how, with a little bit of hard work,

and a lot of knowledge, we can turn your trash into cash.

Today, we're in Hockley, in Essex,

on a mission to de-clutter this house of all its unwanted items.

From the outside, it looks like any ordinary house but, inside,

it's a different story.

There are places packed with clutter.

We've already had a look round,

so it's about time you had a look round for yourself.

We've got a secret hoarder on our hands,

because this front living room

is rather lovely, perfect for entertaining.

Hang on a minute, next door's also looking good.

It's the downstairs master bedroom, recently decorated

and not an embarrassment by any stretch.

You could be fooled into thinking we were in the wrong house but,

upstairs, the secret stash is revealed.

You go past a wall of clutter to even get into the first guestroom.

And, once you're inside, it's a den of discarded debris.

The second guestroom, on the other side of the landing, is just as bad.

There's boxes and piles of stuff covering the room like a blanket of trash.

Back downstairs, and it's all la-di-da again.

A lovely dining room for classy dinner parties.

And a hi-spec kitchen that could do with a bit of a tidy-up,

but not much more.

Only the conservatory downstairs

gives away any idea of this home's true messy identity.

Outside, the shed is full to bursting.

A quick look at the garage reveals

a catastrophic collection of clutter.

See, I wasn't kidding, was I?

But who exactly lives in a house like this?

Well, today's mistress of mess is horticultural tutor

Lesley Poole, who needs to learn to weed out

the good from the bad in this clutter crisis.

Lesley has lived in this house for 23 years,

so she's had plenty of time to squirrel stuff away.

The house has got so cluttered because I love shopping,

I love hoarding things and I don't throw anything away.

Well, it sounds like Lesley knows exactly what the problem is.

Now, it's just doing something about it.

Lesley is a lovely lady stuck in a rut and really deserves some

help in getting this arts and crafts home back to its best.

And we'll be turning the junk into hard cash,

so she can spend it getting her beloved garden back in order.

I want to spend the money on my garden, which is now out of control.

I want to to re-landscape it,

put some new plants in and have the pleasure of it in summer.

Well, we've got a lot to get on with today.

First, to get rid of this clutter and get the house back to

the impressive home that lovely Lesley deserves.

And, second, to raise money by selling everything she no longer

needs so Lesley can afford to spruce up the garden.

We've certainly got plenty to do,

but we've got some help in the form of Lesley's best friend,

Olwyn, who knows the clutter is down to Lesley helping others.

I think Lesley's house has got a bit cluttered over the last few years

because she's a very busy lady, working full-time,

and she's very busy, also, with her church commitments.

This is just what she needs to help her get everything

back into order and how she would like it.

So our challenge is set and help is at hand.

But before we go on any further,

Lesley must agree to the all-important Trash To Cash deal.

Now, Lesley, here's the deal. I know you wanted to make £300 here today.

And me and Mark obviously will help you all we can but,

in exchange for our expertise and our advice,

and that of the Trash To Cash team, I'd like you to make exactly

the same amount of money again for a good cause of your choosing.

-Do you agree?

-Yes, I do.

And, to do this properly, all the items we decide to de-clutter have to go.

Nothing goes back in.

-So, anything that's left over will be donated to charity.

-Yes.

-Do you agree to that?

-I do agree to that.

-Amazing.

Well, that's good news. You've agreed to the Trash To Cash deal.

So what I want to do now, just to add a bit of fun, spice it up,

and a bit of healthy competition, is split us into two teams.

We can have the blondies, with a big dash of grey, against the brunettes.

-How does that sound?

-It sounds amazing.

Let's get de-cluttering. Come on, let's go.

All of us will be working hard to clear out this fabulous 1920s house

and restore it to its former glory, as well as making £600.

Whichever team makes the most money will be crowned

the Trash To Cash king and queen.

We'll be selling to dealers and local shops,

as well as holding a grand house sale.

We also have the services of handyman Danny Wood,

who can repair, refurbish or revitalise all manner of things

to be sold at our very own auction.

Right now, though, time to get on with it.

Now, Lesley, I know you're a really keen gardener.

-I bet this garden looks fantastic in the summer.

-Yes, yes.

-Do you have lots of interesting plants and bits and pieces?

-Yes.

But there must be one or two things you want to get rid of.

Yes, there are a number of things.

-Things that aren't being used. I spotted these.

-Yes.

So, when's the last time you used these plant pots?

-Er, about three, four years ago.

-There we go.

-So those are surplus to requirements.

-Yes.

What are they, like a plant pot or a hanging basket?

-That's a hanging basket.

-Yes.

-And a sundial.

These are great things for our house sale.

They're cast iron, they last forever.

They're in a nice condition.

-I think you've got maybe £10 or £15 easily on those.

-OK.

Maybe even a little bit more on the day.

But tell me about this sad table here. I'm really upset about this.

Why has this got into this sort of state?

It's been standing out in the garden summer and winter.

It hasn't been worked on and it's just deteriorated.

Do you know what? Wood is surprisingly durable.

If it's varnished and if it's painted, it will last you forever.

The sad thing is, when these items come outside,

if they're neglected for a short term, they can end up like this.

But there are different types of wood.

I mean, this is a soft wood, possibly pine or a cheaper material.

This one, on the other hand, is teak and that will last forever.

If that's varnished, that will do you a lifetime, that one.

-So this one needs a little bit of restoration.

-It does.

-But it's your lucky day.

-Good.

On-site here today, we have our fabulous handyman, Danny.

And he's looking for a project to do.

I think he can revamp that, rejuvenate it, recover it,

do something with it to bring it back to life.

And I think that's perfect for our house sale.

-Does that sound all right to you?

-It sounds very good.

All right. And I think, on the day, maybe £10 or £15 upwards.

Depends on what it looks like when it comes back.

So we've already got maybe 25, 30 quid there in those two.

All those bits and pieces,

-those plastic buckets, can they go?

-Yes, they can.

Bits of rope, plant pots. We'll clear all this lot.

You could have 50 quid in this little area here.

That's good.

So we'll gather everything together and, hopefully,

we'll have a good sale.

But I can see that Olwyn and Mark have started on the shed.

So we'll leave them to it. I think it's a bit cold out.

Shall we go inside?

A bit cold?!

What happened to Northern grit?

Us not-so-soft Southerners aren't going to let the cold

stop our quest for cash.

And with Olwyn by my side, we're going to be some team.

Now, what do you see?

Erm, I can see broken deckchairs, broken bikes, lots of empty boxes.

What's the collective term for the lot?

-Junk?

-Yes, exactly.

Do you know what I see?

-I see money waiting to happen.

-Right.

Definitely.

Right, a pair of deckchairs, the weather's started to turn.

Suddenly, the summer will be upon us.

These deckchairs have got holes in and are looking a little bit tired.

But we've got Dan, Dan-Dan the DIY man, who can refurb those,

turn them into a matching pair and make them very saleable.

Good.

Deckchairs, definitely got to be a tenner each.

So, suddenly, there's £20 sitting there, with a little bit of work.

Right, moped.

Mopeds are good for the environment, compared to cars.

They're lower emissions, they use less fuel.

All in all, they're cheaper to run, so they're coming back into vogue.

-You'll see more and more mopeds on the road.

-OK.

This is about 30 years old.

The term moped was first used in the early 1950s,

I think it was about 1952, by a Swedish guy called Nilsen who

got the word motorbike and pedal and put them together with moped.

This could be put back on the road

without much trouble because there's not a lot can go wrong with them.

-So my team has found a buyer for this who is going to come to us.

-Great.

Nice. And I reckon that's a £50 note all day long.

Super.

Push bikes. Again, better for the environment than actual mopeds.

With a bit of oil, couple of new inner tubes,

-this could be back on the road in no time.

-Good.

We've got another one there,

so I'm looking at another couple of £10 notes sitting there.

I'm seeing here, collectively, £100. What do you reckon to that?

-Great. Super.

-Not bad.

And she gets her shed back.

Yes. Yeah, that's a bonus.

-Are you warm or cold?

-Cold!

-Me too. Let's go indoors. Come on.

-OK.

Well, the cold may have got to us in the end but there are some cracking

items in the shed that should put me and Olwyn on the path to victory.

We'll see about that.

But, in the meantime,

it's not only about money, money, money today.

Our mission is to also clear out this impressive house

so Lesley can enjoy it again.

Ah, now then, Lesley.

I wanted to ask you about this house.

I mean, how old is this house?

It was built in 1927.

Right. I think it's fantastic.

Is that the original panelling in the hall?

Yes, it's all original.

Well, it's amazing. But this room, to be honest, lets it down.

I mean, what do you actually use this room for?

Erm, to store the clutter.

-Yes, I can see that.

-And the computer. That's all.

Right. And what, in an ideal world, would you like to use this room for?

To be my workroom, my restroom, my study.

Right, OK.

So is it all right with you if I send in our fabulous makeover team

and they turn it into something that you can use?

Does that sound all right to you?

That sounds absolutely super!

Give it a bit of a makeover. But we have to de-clutter first.

I can see something straightaway, this stool.

-If I said maybe five or ten quid for that at the house sale...

-Yes.

-That sound all right?

-That sounds all right.

-All right, so that's a start, isn't it?

-It is.

And, tell me, whose are all these Dickens books?

Charles Dickens is my favourite author.

-Wonderful!

-They're mine.

I've seen lots and lots of this.

I think this is either the Oxford Press or the Reader's Digest.

They were massive manufacturers of these books, 1960s, 1970s.

And people did buy them for that reason,

they would put them in the cabinet and sell them by the yard.

But the end result is we have almost as-new condition books.

I think they're great.

I'd say a pound or a couple of pounds each,

which is about 20 quid in that box there.

That's the way you want to look at it for them. All right.

But what I really wanted to ask you about is this fabulous table here.

Where has this come from?

When the house was bought, the people moving out

didn't want to take that with them, so they left it behind.

-Oh, right.

-It's been downstairs as a telephone table.

And now it's a computer desk.

There was a time you could buy this sort of antique furniture in the 1950s.

But this goes back a lot earlier than that.

You're looking maybe 1820, 1830, right at the beginning of the 19th century.

And it's a type of occasional table.

Does it tilt up at the top?

Yes, it does.

They're often called a Loo table, and its name is from

the game of cards, Lanterloo, that was the card table.

But the idea was that it would be pressed against the wall

and it was a space-saving device,

then brought out and used occasionally when they wanted to do it.

But the whole thing is beautifully, beautifully made.

This is flame mahogany. It has a lovely rich red colour.

Then you've got this central column here on this pedestal,

which supports the whole thing.

Quadruped legs and then squashed bun feet.

A bit like myself!

But in the antique world, very, very, very collectable.

So I think we need to recycle that again to someone that is interested in antiques.

-Yes.

-And I think you're looking £120, maybe £150.

-OK, yes.

-Does that sound all right to you?

-Yes, that sounds very good to me.

All right, OK.

I know that the team have made a few phone calls

and there is a gentleman interested in having a look at it.

-OK.

-So hopefully, we can sell it. Do you fancy an afternoon out?

-Yes. The sun's shining.

-I'll buy you an ice cream!

-Yes, OK.

But there's one other thing I want to ask you about.

I found a pair of leather pants.

You don't mind me asking about that, do you? Are they yours?

-Yes, they do belong to me.

-Right, OK.

So dare I ask where they came from?

-Erm...

-We're all adults here.

Yes, yes. Well, they were bought so that I could ride a motorbike,

-or pillion on a motorbike.

-Oh, right.

OK, and I did wear them a couple of times.

Do they still fit?

Well, I'll leave you to make that decision!

Well, they don't fit me, cos I tried them on already.

But if I said sort of 20, 25 quid, those are good quality.

-I'm sure they would cost a lot more to buy new.

-Yes.

And there are a couple of jackets, as well, in there.

Yes, in the box underneath.

Do you want to keep those?

No, no. No, my motorbike days are finished.

Look at these. These are really good quality ones.

These have protective shoulders and so on.

I'll borrow one of these next time I tell Mark a good joke, all right?

-Because he usually hits me afterwards!

-OK.

-I mean, you're looking at £15, £20 a jacket easily for those.

-Yes, easily.

So you've got at least 50 quid there.

But I think the main thing we need to concentrate on is the table.

And I think we need to get cracking, eh?

Yes, let's go.

-Let's see if we can beat the other two.

-Yes.

Lesley really seems to be enjoying herself.

Maybe it's the thought of turning this mess into money.

You may be having a good time, but Olwyn and I are too,

as we're about to start selling, and I'm going to turn Olwyn

from a lovely shy lady into a selling machine.

-I tell you what, it doesn't look too bad out of that shed, does it?

-No.

With a little bit of TLC, this could be scooting around town in no time.

Right.

Now, what are you like at haggling and negotiating and selling?

Well, I'll do my best.

Are you any good?

I try.

OK, I'm going to give you a tip on how best to sell these.

Now, the guy is interested already, so when he's here,

encourage him to get on it.

Get him to pull the levers, really encourage him to be involved in it.

OK.

And I think you'll be all right.

And, as you said, a bit of elbow grease

and it's back on the road.

We're looking at roundabout 50 quid,

-so this is where YOU have to push him on to get a bit more money.

-Right.

-Don't forget, we have to beat them too, in this competition.

-OK, right.

-Are you ready to sell?

-Yeah, certainly am.

Let's get selling.

You may think you're racing to victory with that moped,

but I'm sure our antique table will make us a mint.

We've jumped into the Trash To Cash van

and are off to a local dealer to see if Lesley's got what it takes

to get the £120 to £150 I think our table is worth.

But, on the way, I want to find out how Lesley feels

about the colossal clear-out.

So how do you think it's going?

-I think it's going very well. Yes, I really do.

-Glad to hear it.

I hope we sell this table. Are you excited about selling this table?

Yes, I am.

OK, well, a little tip for you.

One thing I picked up from being in the trade a long time is that,

rather than stand next to him, like me and you are now, try and stand

in front of him or opposite him and try and read what he's thinking.

And, sometimes, he'll give away whether something's too expensive

or he's not really interested, by his expressions.

And that way, then, you can know whether you can ask him

for another tenner or whether you've got enough.

Yes. OK.

-And then agree a price.

-Yes.

We have a price in mind, don't we?

-Yes, we do have a price in mind.

-Good stuff. All right.

-Good luck.

-Yes.

-OK, Jim, it's great to see you.

-Thanks for taking the time.

You've got a fantastic place here. I love it, actually.

This is Lesley.

Lesley, pleased to meet you.

And this, obviously, is the table that Lesley's wishing to sell.

What a cracker, isn't it? It's a beauty.

It's a nice table. Can I just look at it?

What sort of thing do you look for when you're looking at a table like this?

Well, first of all, I'd look for the originality of it.

It's got the original clasps and all the furniture there.

It's not been messed around with.

There's no other screw holes, anything like that.

-The top's not warped.

-That's right.

-That's what I'd look for.

It looks in pretty good, original condition, to me.

Well, it sounds like you are interested, then.

-I know Lesley wants to get rid of it.

-Yes, I do.

What have you been using this for?

I've used it in the conservatory as a tea table.

I've used it as a telephone table and, lately, as a computer table.

So it's a 19th-century computer table?

Yeah, a 19th-century computer table.

THEY LAUGH

Well, great. Obviously, you want to get rid of this, Lesley.

Jim, it sounds like you're interested in buying it.

It's down to you two to work out a price.

But you have a price in mind, Lesley?

Yes, I do. £150?

You've probably heard that dark brown furniture is

pretty much out of fashion at the moment.

Yes.

So what we would have paid for this a few years ago,

I'd be glad to buy it for that sort of price.

-But not now. The prices have come tumbling down.

-Yes.

-More like £100.

I've got to say that Lesley's squaring up to Jim,

just like I said.

But this dealer knows he'll have to add a bit on to make a profit when he sells it himself.

So this could be a tricky negotiation.

How is Olwyn getting on?

At the house, Dave Evans, a private buyer,

has arrived and is giving the moped a once-over.

And Olwyn is shaping up to be quite the wheeler dealer.

Do you want to sit on it? Have a seat.

Got all that support. Look at that. There we are.

-It's not seized, is it?

-No.

Sounded like it was about to go then.

Other than that, for an '80s model machine,

it's not in too bad a condition.

Have you seen the mileage? Tell him about the mileage.

Yes, the mileage is 5,800. Very low mileage.

This could be third time round, but never mind.

THEY LAUGH

So I think that could be quite a project.

Well, the tyres look in good condition, don't they?

Yes, they lack a little bit of air, but we can soon put some of that in.

Air's free!

Air's free, yeah.

'Nice work, Olywn!'

Right, guys, I think we need to start talking about money.

So, David, are you going to make us an offer?

About £40, something like that.

'That's not bad, but I think it should sell for at least 50 quid.

'Come on, Olwyn, give it your best shot!'

-Ooh, we were thinking a bit more.

-A little bit more.

£50.

-Not 55?

-No, £50.

51.

51!

-OK, well done!

-That extra pound might make all the difference.

-You never know.

-Thank you very much.

-Are you happy with that?

-Thank you, Dave.

-Thank you.

-Good deal.

'Great stuff!

'I didn't think Olwyn would hold her nerve and push for a higher price,

'but she kept on going beyond the £50 mark.

'She's turned out to be a mean negotiator.

'£51 is a great result.'

Well, you may be happy with your £51, but I'm hoping

to make far more for our antique table.

The dealer doesn't want to pay over £100,

but I hope Lesley perseveres, so we get closer to my 120 to £150 estimation.

-Can we go up a bit from £100?

-We can always go up a bit.

-Yeah, come on then.

-£110.

Bit more, 120?

Er, I've got to be very careful

because of the economic situation as it is.

It's very difficult at the moment, but 120 would be my top price.

Deal.

-Thanks a lot.

-Sounds like a deal to me. And there's one thing, Jim.

-You've got free delivery.

-Thank you.

Nicely done. That's a big sale and Lesley's a happy lady.

Paul gave me a tip to use when haggling, which was to watch

the eyes of the man I'm trying to sell to.

And I think I used it reasonably well.

You certainly did. And off the back of that great sale,

let's take a look at our running totals.

I must admit, I'm feeling pretty confident,

because our antique table got us a whopping £120.

That's got to put me in pole position.

I have to hand it to you, that was a good sale.

But we've got £51 for our moped and this contest is far from over.

There you are, then, Mark. How does it feel to be on the losing team for once?

Hey-hey! We're in the lead.

The day's not over yet.

You're doing all right today, but I'm so set up for the house sale,

I'm going to whup you!

You might be doing OK today, but it's not over

until the fat lady starts singing.

So we've made a good start in our effort to reach our £600 target,

but today isn't only about making money.

It's also about getting rid of all the clutter from Lesley's home.

The Trash To Cash clutter-busters have been hard at work.

Outside, things have started to take shape in the shed and the garage.

And, upstairs, we're concentrating

on transforming one of the bedrooms into a study.

I'm sure Lesley's looking forward to seeing

how it looks when it's finished.

But before then, I want to find out more about where all this

money we are raising from Lesley's clutter is going to.

How does it feel, now the house is taking shape

and becoming less cluttered?

I'm so excited.

I've got so many things I want to do and now it's getting less cluttered,

and my mind's racing away with how I want it to look.

Fantastic.

So it's really spurred you on to do the rest of the house

and to keep moving with it.

-Yes.

-We've kickstarted it for you.

-Yes, you have.

Fantastic. Now, at the beginning of the day,

we said that obviously, we wanted to raise £300 for yourself,

but we have to raise £300 for a good cause.

Have you had a think about that? Have you come up with your charity?

The charity is Send a Cow,

which is the Hockley Community Church harvest project.

I'm a member of the church.

-Send a Cow?

-Send a Cow.

-What does that do?

It provides money for a cow to be purchased for a farmer

in Africa, which then provides milk for the family.

Any surplus milk is sold on to the community and funds go back to the

farmer and he can increase either his herd or equipment he might need.

Oh, that's fantastic.

-So just a cow can make a massive difference?

-Yes.

Well, don't forget charity starts at home.

So have you decided what to do with your half of the money?

-Yes, I have.

-And what's that?

Revamp the garden.

It's been neglected for a few years.

and needs some work doing on it.

I've got a plan, what I want to do.

So is there any particular project in your garden that you want to do?

Extend the sitting area and then, at the bottom of the garden,

which gets most of the sun,

I want to put in a lawn so that I can sit in the sun for longer.

And, by the summer, I'll be able to sit out there in my garden chair,

looking at the garden and remembering what fun I've had today.

-It's been absolutely fabulous!

-It has.

-Really fabulous.

-Hard work, but great fun.

-Yes, great fun.

Spending the day with you has been absolutely fabulous, has it, Paul?

Would've been even better if she'd been with me.

Olwyn's having a lovely time and I'm hoping to serve up even more

money on a plate or, actually, many plates.

Now, it's a nice hallway

and I've been told these set of eight plates can go.

Right.

What do you think of that?

-It's very pretty.

-You like that?

-Blue tits, yes. Very pretty.

Let's spin it over and have a look.

Now, these things are the devil's work because these,

as they get older, can get tighter and can damage the back of the plate.

Mm-hm.

Look at the back there, World Wildlife Fund 1985.

Look at the dust. You can write your name in it!

-Don't tell Lesley!

-I won't say a word. But what have we got there?

Eight. Got to be a fiver each.

That's 40 quid, just sitting there waiting to happen.

-That's good.

-And de-clutter the hallway a little bit.

Now, what do you reckon to this cabinet here?

Yeah, it's very nice. Bookcase.

What's it made out of, what timber?

-Oak?

-Spot-on.

Better than Paul Hayes!

And, if we open it up, you've got leaded glass on the front

and you've got these lovely little blue panels, which is really nice.

Good place to store books,

but I've also been informed that a lot of these books can go.

-Oh, good.

-So the cabinet can go with it.

The cabinet can go in the house sale.

We've got to be looking at 40 to 60 quid.

And the books, there's got to be another tenner's worth there,

if not £20 worth, easily.

So this hallway has got £100 in it, whatever happens.

Great.

-Who is this little girl here?

-That's Lesley's lovely daughter, Stephanie.

-Isn't she gorgeous?

-Yeah, she's lovely.

Right, into the conservatory, because there's something in there

-I want to talk to you about.

-OK.

You get all the luck. Some good stuff there, Mark.

At least that should help us reach our £600 target.

But, don't forget, we're not just here to make money.

We're also trying to help Lesley restore her home

to its former glory.

Our team of clutter-busters have been clearing out this place.

And one of the guestrooms has been given a great big shape-up,

with the bric-a-brac shipped out and a touch of class brought in.

But how will it go down with Lesley?

OK, Lesley, now, cast your mind back.

We were in this room earlier on today and it was a bit cluttered.

Describe what it was like.

Very cluttered.

Things on the bed. Things on the floor.

Lots of clutter.

What would you like to see that room being used for?

For me to use the computer at a desk. Just to be comfortable.

Well, I think you're going to be absolutely delighted.

Our makeover team have been in there all day,

and it's time now to show you what they've done.

So, after three, I want you to have a good look round

and tell me what you think.

One, two, three!

Oh, that's beautiful!

-Isn't it amazing?

-Oh, it's amazing.

It really is.

Oh, how gorgeous!

-Oh, it's fantastic!

-There we are.

The computer's all set up.

-And somewhere to sit and read.

-Yes!

-It's fantastic.

-Does it make you smile?

-Oh, it does make me smile.

That is gorgeous.

Oh, it's really, really wonderful.

I can't believe this has happened to me!

-Oh, it's wonderful.

-That's great.

-Thank you so much.

-You're welcome.

Wow! She seems to love it, and what a difference it's made.

Under all that stuff was this pretty period bedroom.

And with the right finishing touches,

it's now a room that fits in with the rest of the house.

Lesley obviously loves her home,

so seeing it come back to life under clutter must be a real joy.

Oh, yes. But it's that clutter that we're going to

turn into cash in order to reach our £600 target at the house sale.

And, talking of cash, I want to get my hands on some more of it!

So, time to get back to digging through the clutter.

-Now, these can go.

-Mm-hm.

If you bought these at a garden centre, they'd be quite expensive.

Yes.

Effectively, they are second-hand now,

but at a house sale, they've got to be £10, £15 each.

Mm, easily.

-They're lovely, aren't they?

-Yes. Brand new.

-Do you want to go a bit more?

-I'll try.

-We can always try.

You can always go down, but you can't go up.

Now, there's a jardiniere there with a stand.

That's in perfect condition. £10, £15?

-Easily.

-Yeah, got to be, hasn't it?

-Mm, good.

This room hasn't really been used for its proper potential,

perhaps since Christmas was the last time it was used, don't you think?

Possibly.

She loves her garden, doesn't she?

Yes, absolutely.

So, rather than having a dumping ground, overlooking the garden,

why don't we get the makeover team to come in

and make this room into a beautiful space?

-That would be fantastic. She'd be over the moon.

-OK.

Giving this room a makeover will mean it finally fits in with

the rest of the house

and horticultural Lesley will be able to enjoy her garden again.

But, to reach our total, I need a big-money boost,

and I think that's exactly what's lurking in the garage.

Now, look, this garage is full of boxes.

Boxes full of stuff, or clutter.

Now, what does that really mean?

Money!

-Yes, you know it, don't you?

-Yeah.

-We've got loads of books there.

More books in there. And books are one of the best things for recycling.

Look at that. My East End.

That's lovely.

A History Of Cockney London. Are you a Cockney?

I was born in Paddington.

Are you Paddington Bear?

-Er, no.

-OK.

Books do sell quickly at house sales.

There's got to be five, ten quid's worth there. A couple of boxes.

Lovely. Good hardbacks.

Great way of recycling is to keep reading and selling books on.

Moving them around.

These boxes are full of stuff.

What does stuff make?

-Money!

-You're right.

Let's move down there. Have a look at that big green monster over there.

Do you know what it is?

-No.

-It's a MIG welder.

-Right.

-You look none the wiser.

No.

Quite simply, the gas in there, compressed gas, comes out the end

of this thing here, you pull the trigger and this feeds outwards.

It's like copper wire.

It heats up and then it melts and welds two pieces of metal together.

These are still being used today in garages all over the country.

But the actual origin of welding goes right back to Egyptian times.

There's pictures on the tombs of a form of welding.

Not the same as this, obviously, because they didn't have electricity.

But it's a nice bit of kit. It's in good condition.

Now, our team have found a buyer for this, so we have to get them

to put it in the van and we're going to the seaside.

-Oh, good!

-Do you fancy a 99?

-Super.

-Flake? Crushed nuts?

-Sounds good.

As well as everything we're collecting for the stalls,

don't forget we've had our fabulous handyman Danny working on

some items that will be sold on at our auction during the house sale.

He's been working on my weather-damaged wooden table and,

if you have a similar table to repair, here's how to do it.

First, remove any rotten pieces of wood

and old nails from the original structure.

Next, replace the new wood

and attach to the frame with non-corrosive screws, like brass,

and saw the planks of wood to fit the shape of a table.

Finally, brush down any debris

and paint the table with an exterior wood paint.

And there it is, a tired table, now ready for a new home.

Well, it's certainly an improvement, but I know that my done-up deckchairs

will be a far better buy at the auction.

First, brush down the frame to remove any dirt.

Paint with exterior wood paint,

leave to dry and give a second coat, if need be.

Finally, cut out the material, loop it round the entire frame

and attach in place with a staple gun.

And that's it.

A chair to rival your table.

But who will come out on top and have an awesome auction at our house sale?

It's been a long day clearing out clutter from Lesley's

beautiful 1920s home.

We've transformed one of her guest bedrooms into a fantastic study

and we've also made £171 so far

by selling a moped

and an occasional table.

There's no doubt we've got a lot done but, despite the hour,

there's still more work to do.

It's getting late in the day now, isn't it?

It's getting dark.

Well, this is a great big room here, but it's full of clutter again.

-Yes.

-You're quite a hoarder, really, aren't you?

I am, really. Yes, I am.

But you've got lots of interesting little bits and pieces.

-But, tell me, can this cupboard go, or this wardrobe?

-It goes.

All right. Well, this is actually quite a nice one.

1920s, 1930s. Think of Hecule Poirot,

the whole sort of art deco era.

What I like about these is they're all solid wood.

This is solid walnut.

Beautiful figured wood.

And it's been decorated with butterfly veneering.

-Have you heard of that before?

-Yes, I have.

Well, there you are.

The basic idea is, that's one piece of veneer, which is this big.

That's cut into very, very thin slices

and then transposed and placed in four different directions.

What you end up with is almost like a herringbone,

or a butterfly effect. That's on both of these doors.

But what's wonderful about these wardrobes is

that you get these individual compartments.

You've got shirts, you've got pyjamas, you've got socks.

It's a wonderful thing to have.

And it's very functional.

Now, you know as well as I know about Victorian furniture.

They're quite narrow.

What's lovely about this 1930s furniture is that

the way that the shirts and the jackets go in,

is that they go in this way, instead of going that way.

What happens with the Victorian furniture

is that you can't close the door.

These will fit the modern style suits, as we're a lot bigger now.

Yes, yes, we are.

I think you could get maybe 30, possibly even £50 for that.

-Does that sound all right to you?

-It sounds great to me.

And I think, rather than try and drag it down the stairs ourselves,

we should try and find a buyer for it.

Let someone else worry about shifting it.

If we work on that sort of figure, we'll see what we can do.

Having cleared out loads of Lesley's clutter, our time has come to an end.

We've been through the house all day, saving it from piles

of bric-a-brac and getting this house back to its original splendour.

We'll see more of Lesley's new home later.

But after a long day rooting through the rubbish,

it's time to catch up with the opposition.

So, there we are. The evening is upon us, as you can see.

Paul, in Essex, we call this night-time.

-OK, well, it almost is night-time, isn't it?

-Yes.

But we're doing OK. We're in the lead.

Oh, we're in the lead! We sold a table for 120 quid.

Do you want a medal?!

-We sold the moped, didn't we?

-Yes.

-£51.

What have you got for the house sale?

Well, we've reckoned up about £150 worth for the house sale.

Is that all? What have you been doing all day?

-Oh, we've been busy enough.

-Have we got about £200?

-I think so.

-Different class, see?

You've got to sell it all first.

-Have you had fun today?

-Yes, fantastic day.

I don't even need to ask!

All right, guys, the important thing you've got to remember

is you've got to get in touch with friends, family, relatives,

neighbours, even people you don't like, get them to the house sale,

-because that's when we need to make the real money.

-Yes.

All right, then.

-Paul, put the kettle on.

-OK.

After our big clear-out, Lesley and the team have been inviting

as many people as possible to come and spend

some cash at the house sale.

And with £600 to make, just from selling her clutter,

there's a lot to do.

We've already made £171 from private sales when we were here last.

But there's still loads more money to make from these lovely customers.

It's been over a week now since we visited Lesley's house

and helped to clear out all that unwanted clutter.

Now it's time to turn those items into cold, hard cash.

Due to a lot of hard work,

there's been a great turnout of these lovely people.

And they all want to spend their money so, without further ado,

I'm going to declare this house sale open!

ALL: Yay!

There are plenty of people here.

All we have to do is to make sure they find something they like

and part with their cash.

Too right. And with all Lesley's gardening equipment,

I'm hoping to grow a healthy profit.

Well, we're selling the shovel and the spade together.

You just want to buy the spade on its own?

Yeah.

Make me an offer I can't refuse.

I don't know how much they're worth.

I went to the garden centre. They had them there.

They were £30 each, brand-new.

On my budgie's life, I wouldn't lie to you.

-Really?

-Yes.

I'm not so sure about that.

But, obviously, we're not going to get that for it today.

But it is brand-new. Make me an offer.

I'll give you a tenner for both.

Oh, I think that's quite a mean offer.

Well, I'm mean.

How about a tenner each?

-I'll give you £15.

-You be quiet, you.

She's the one with the money.

I'm the one with the money.

Do a score and we'll have a deal.

Come on, please. I beg you.

Look at that.

What a lovely lady.

Thank you very much.

-Lovely.

-Dig for victory.

So, they've gone from cluttering up the conservatory to a £20 note.

I dig that!

And Lesley's green-fingered cast-offs from the garden

will hopefully make me money too.

I really like these, actually. They were in the garden.

Or you can have them with the tops off.

These come off and then you can use them as freestanding baskets.

I just want the one.

-So £10, is that all right?

-Yes.

That's lovely.

-Can I have the money?

-Thank you very much.

Lesley's gardenware is going down wonders with her horticultural neighbours.

But this young customer doesn't look like a gardener.

Ah, now then. I've got just the thing for you.

This actually was named after you, Chattabox.

Is that right, Mum?

Is he a real chatterbox?

How about some leather-bound books on Charles Dickens?

Good bedtime reading.

I think they're a bit hard for him.

Yes, I think he needs to grow a bit.

I think he does. How about some dolls? Would you like some dolls?

No. Can we sell you anything?

Ice hockey? Oh, wow!

Is that for you?

That's awesome.

This one's £5, but we are open to offers, Toby.

Do you have any pocket money on you?

Well, seeing as that game's named after you, I'll throw that one in.

How about a fiver for those two?

Well, we got two children's games.

An ice/air hockey game and we've got a Chattabox game for his brother.

I thought the best haggler was Lesley, I think. Yeah.

Another sale, Mark. You may be on thin ice here.

We'll see about that, Paul.

-Young man, are you buying the trolley jack?

-I am.

-Excellent. How much would you like to pay for it?

-£10.

200? I like you.

You're good. Do you want a job?

Did you say 200? What did you say?

I'll give you a tenner for it.

Can you make it 11?

-Yeah, go on, then.

-Good man, put it there.

Top man. Thank you very much.

Every extra pound helps.

You need every extra pound today, Mark,

as we're swamped with customers.

How much is your mirror over there?

Well, we're hoping to get £20 but we're open to offers, Caroline.

Do you want to have a closer look at it?

I'll see if it will fit in the boot of my car.

Well, they're back-on screws, so we can take the mirror off.

It's got a screw.

There we go. If I just bring this over here.

-Do you want a new mirror, Freddie?

-Do you like that mirror?

It's very attractive. There's only one snag, though.

I don't know what it is about mirrors, but there's always that bloke looking at me.

That's a bad joke, even by your standards!

-Shall we buy the mirror?

-Is that all right, Fred?

-Yeah.

-That's excellent. Thank you very much.

-Yes, thank you.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the best salesman on these stalls?

We are! Because we must be well ahead of you so far today, Mark.

That's what you think!

I'm afraid to say I'm about to wipe that smile off your face.

Because before we started today, Olwyn and I popped down to

nearby Southend to try and sell our welder from the garage. And...

Go on, then. Sell away!

Hello, Lawrence.

This is an Oxford welder MIG 120 that we've got for sale today.

How much are you looking for?

Well, it's in good nick, isn't it?

Yes, it's excellent condition. It's very little used.

What would be your starting price?

We'd look to sell something like this particular model

for around the 200, £250 mark.

Right.

It's absolutely in fine working order.

OK, let's have a little look.

I think it's been hardly used, really.

Yeah, everything looks in order.

How much were you looking for?

Between 200 and 250, you think?

That's the thing. We're a second-hand shop,

but we have to sell things at these second-hand prices.

So, you know, I'd have to offer you a little bit less than that.

So I was thinking in the region of £150.

Ooh, we were hoping for quite a bit more than that.

-What can you stretch to?

-Erm, 170.

A little bit...

Well, we've got a set mark-up we have to go for, so I'm not looking

to pay any more than 175 for something like this.

-OK.

-What, with VAT...

Is that your best offer?

Pretty much, at the moment, yeah.

OK.

If that's his best offer, it's over to you. Your moment.

OK, yeah, that's fine, then, Lawrence. Thank you very much.

-All right, I'll write this up for you.

-Lovely, thank you very much.

'I was very pleased to sell the welder today.'

I think we got a very good price for it. So it was good. We raised £175.

Ouch! That hurt. But good work from Olwyn.

That'll be a great boost to our £600 target.

Too right! And as you've started the day well ahead of me,

I'd say we must be pretty evenly matched right now.

So it's time to move up a gear.

Three quid. Go on, it's yours.

Move your leather pants out of the way, Lesley.

He won't let go of those leather pants!

We both have some great things to sell here

which are going down well with our discerning customers.

What did you say, keep the change?

-Yes.

-Good girl, thank you very much.

Right, let's see what we've got here. We've got some nice old 45s.

-Do you play 45s?

-Certainly.

Do you have an old jukebox or something?

No. We used to, yeah, but not any more.

Right, OK.

So that's two, four, six, eight...

There's some good ones in there. The Beatles.

..14, 16, 18, 20.

There's one named after you, Lesley.

What?

Hot Love, it says there.

-Oh, right.

-How about £20, the lot? There's a load in there.

-Is that all right with you?

-Mm-hm.

You don't want the leather trousers to go with it?

They were Mick Jagger's!

Never mind the rock 'n' roll, I've got the art of selling.

What are you going to do with it, darling?

I don't know. I like the frame, it's nice.

Very nice, very nice.

-Not so sure about the picture.

-That was Paul when he was younger.

-Oh!

Would you like to make an offer we can't refuse?

Well, no.

No?! We'll do it this way. Is a pound too little?

Yes.

Is £100 too much?

Can we meet in the middle somewhere? Is a tenner too much?

Well, it's more than I want to pay.

Well, what do you want to pay?

-Four pound?

-Fiver?

It's only a pound more. You're a good girl, thank you.

-Five new pounds.

-All right.

Bish-bosh!

Between us, we must be in the frame for reaching our £600 target today.

But our task isn't just about the money, we're also looking to

reclaim rooms in this house where the cluster has got out of control.

Lesley was hiding her hoarding habit in upstairs rooms

and out the back of the house.

But we're helping her make the whole of her home impressive again.

The conservatory at the back of the house had become a dumping ground

and certainly not a nice place to sit and relax.

But, after some hard work, it's got a whole new lease of life.

We'll be finding out what Lesley thinks of her new-look conservatory later on.

But, for now, our money-making mission continues.

Are you interested in this lamp?

I am, indeed.

It goes with your decor at home, does it?

Well, it goes with my family's decor, not my decor necessarily.

-OK.

-Well, it's a really nice lamp. It's almost brand-new.

But what I would recommend, like all electrical goods,

is to get it tested before you actually use it, all right?

Yes, before you plug it in.

-We were hoping for a tenner for this, right?

-Yes.

-That's a fraction of the cost of an original art deco item.

-Lovely!

-A tenner it is.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah, that's lovely.

Thank you very much.

Test it out first, but what a wonderful thing.

Lovely, thank you.

I bought it from Lesley because, as I was standing there,

she got to me quickly and sort of pushed the lamp into my hand.

I thought it would go well at home with the rustic feel of the house.

'I've got to be giving you a run for your money now, Mark.'

'Well, I wouldn't get too comfortable, Paul.'

Would 28 be too much?

-No.

-28?

-28.

You're a gentleman. Thank you very much.

Lovely bit of shmutter!

Thank you very much. Was it 28? Lovely.

That's great.

Don't fight over it, girls. Don't fight over it!

Who wants to buy it? Come on, you two.

-Would you give me £2 for it?

-Yes.

-Would you give me £3 for it?

-Yes.

-Would you give me £4 for it?

-Yes.

-Would you give me a fiver for it?

-No.

-Would you give me a fiver for it?

-No.

Blimey O'Reilly!

Go on, give me your four quid. Take it away.

-I'll take 2.50 for that one. How's that?

-2.50? Yeah, all right.

What a top man!

And now an opportunity to make even more money.

We're selling off our newly renovated items, so it's auction time.

I've got a pair of lovely deckchairs here that were in the shed.

They've been refurbed and look beautiful.

Hands up who thinks they look nice.

There we are. There's at least 12 of you.

I was never very good at maths.

Right, who's got a pound for a pair of deckchairs?

-Yeah?

-There's a bid.

This man here said a pound.

Two pound to you. Three pound to you.

Anyone got four pound? Four pound?

Over the back. You smiled at me! Four pound.

A fiver to you, sir? Fiver, he's nodding.

Who's got six pound?

There! There you are, six pound.

I'd call that creative auctioneering! They're not bidding.

Ah, but it's cheering everyone up

and, hopefully, will help these chairs sell for a better price.

If you look at me... Nine pound, you looked at me! Anyone got a tenner?

Ten pound at the back. Anyone got 11?

£11? Everyone's put their head down.

Did you notice that?

Right, anyone got 11? Going once at ten...

£11 there!

Anyone got 12?

Going once at 11.

Going twice at 11.

Sold to the gentleman there.

-Paul Hayes, over to you!

-Good going, Mark.

Now I've got to try and match that with my wooden table.

OK, we have lot number two.

Would any who has a garden please put their hand up.

Right, all you are potential bidders,

because we have a fantastic garden table.

Believe it or not, this table was a complete wreck when we were here.

-Can I say that?

-Yes, it was.

Our fabulous handyman has brought it back to life, made it this wonderful neutral green colour.

Who wants to give me a fiver for this fantastic table?

Fiver at the back. Thank you. Anybody else?

Come on, there must be somebody.

Six at the front, thank you very much.

£8, sir, at the back to the gentleman in the...

THEY LAUGH

-Do you want to make it a round tenner, sir, in the blue?

-No, no.

£8 I have, for the gentleman in the outdoor jacket.

A round tenner, sir? No.

£8, then, we have with the gentleman at the back.

Is that everybody?

All right, OK. I think that's done. Is that all right with you?

-Yes, that's fine.

-OK, I'm going to close the sale.

Now is your last chance. Going once.

Going twice.

And it's sold.

A round of applause, please. Thank you very much.

Not bad. That's even more money in our kitty.

It's getting late in the day and we've still got stuff to sell,

so it's time for some final reductions.

All right, guys, everything that's left has to go to a charity shop if you don't buy it.

So we're accepting any offers on anything now, OK?

So if you make an offer, we're going to say yes, is that right?

-Yes, of course.

-Paul, are we saying yes to any offers?

We're always saying yes.

We've a lot to get rid of, so we're going to have to sell, sell, sell.

What are you after, then?

-Two candles.

-Spot-on, yeah.

-£2?

-Two pound is great.

So who are you buying that for?

-That'll be for my grandson.

-Are you sure?

Well, he might let me play with it!

How about £3? Excellent, well done.

Can we have this mirror, please?

-How much would you like to pay for it?

-Five pounds?

We was hoping for £105.

No. Dad says no.

We've only got five pounds.

-You've got a deal. How's that?

-OK, lovely. Thank you very much.

Thank you, darling.

It's a tight contest and there's no telling who's going to win

the battle to raise the most cash.

-I'll have a hanging basket.

-Lovely! OK, that's a couple of pounds.

Or you get two for four quid, whichever you like.

-I'll have two.

-Oh, lovely.

Thank you very much. That's lovely.

Do you want to put that back in there? All right, there you go.

Thank you very much for that.

Those are buy one, get one free.

Those are £2 each, those ones. And the Pictionary.

How about three for a fiver?

Does that sound all right to you?

Just give me that, and that's the little thing for it.

Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

'You may still have customers, Paul,

'but I've got people fighting over things at my stall.'

-Is that worth a pound to you, my friend?

-Yeah, I'll pay a pound.

-Will you do two pound?

-I'll do two, yeah.

-Three?

-I'll go for five.

-Seven.

-Seven!

-Seven?

Don't walk away, the rich man.

Eight? Nine? He's going to take ten.

I bet he says ten.

Come on, don't be let down by this.

-All right, 11.

-Hey-hey!

He's done ya! How embarrassing.

How embarrassing!

Go to 15. 15.

-Did you say 15?

-15.

15, top man!

He's blown you out! He's just gone 20 quid. Can you beat that?

I heard 15.

Oh! Ha-ha-ha!

-There's one born every minute.

-I ain't going more than that.

-What, you ain't going to go 16?

-I ain't going...

-That's a nice bit of smudge, that is. Look at that!

-Yeah, look!

Don't worry about the frame. Look at the actual picture. It's beautiful!

No, can't do no more than that.

-15, is that your lot?

-15.

-Put it there, top man!

-Thanks very much.

-You've got to pay up now.

-Look at that.

Make me an offer, anything you like.

They go up in value, do they?

They will go up in value, on my budgie's life.

BUYERS: Aah!

Tenner for the lot. Done!

Top man!

Well, you may have had a final spurt at the end there,

but before it's over and we count up our totals,

someone has shown an interest in the wardrobe from the guest bedroom.

What I like about it is that it's a nice size.

It's not going to take up too much room.

It's solid walnut and it's been butterfly veneered.

-Can you see the way it's like four panels?

-Oh, yes.

But the best thing is inside here.

What you've got here is a place for your shirts, your pyjamas,

your sundries at the bottom.

-What are sundries?

-We're not sure what sundries are.

-Socks and undergarments.

-There we go.

-OK, right.

And you've got your clothes hanger there as well.

-I think it's a fantastic thing.

-Mm-hm.

-And it's for sale today, isn't it?

-Yes, it is for sale today.

-Do you want to talk money?

-Well, we were hoping for £50.

35.

£35, does that sound all right to you?

Yeah, that sounds fine to me. Yes.

Well, I think you'd better shake on that.

-Yeah, that's lovely, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much. That's lovely.

Do you want it delivered?

-Probably delivered.

-OK.

-I'm only round the corner.

Excellent. That's very nice of you. Thank you very much.

Well, not a bad end to the day. Another £35 for our total.

But that really is it.

Everything left over will be going to a charity shop,

because there's no way Lesley is letting it go back in the house.

Too right! Especially now the house is looking back to its best.

We'll find out who's made the most money today and whether, between us,

we've made our £600 target.

But first, Lesley has a new-look conservatory to look at.

I hope she likes it.

It's time to have a look at your conservatory, Lesley.

Will you please shut your eyes?

-OK, no peeping.

-No peeping.

All right. Now, remind me what your conservatory looked like before

we sent in our fabulous makeover team.

A mess, with hardly any space on the floor to walk around.

Lots of rubbish that needed to be disposed of.

OK, well, let's take a look and see how it looks now.

I think you're going to love it.

Just keep going, I've got you.

-OK.

-Eyes shut?

-Eyes shut.

One, two, three, have a look at that!

Oh!

Oh, wow!

Oh, my goodness, it's gorgeous!

-Oh!

-So how different is it now?

-It's fantastic.

-You really like it?

Yes, I really, really like it.

Oh, I can sit out here with my glass of wine and look out on the garden.

-It's fantastic.

-And what about over there?

-Look at all that, a lovely shelving unit.

-Oh, yes, shelving.

Oh, my goodness! This is just... Ohh!

Oh, that's brilliant!

What can I say?

It's just absolutely gorgeous.

And have a quick look over here as well, at the table and chairs.

-Haven't they done a great job?

-They really have.

Thank the girls for that.

-I love the floor, actually.

-Yeah, the flooring.

They're just wonderful.

I can't... Oh, it's fantastic.

So you've got a good usable room again.

-Yes.

-And is that clutter going to come back in here?

-No!

-No, the clutter's outside and it's going.

-It's gone.

It is never coming back. It's gone.

Oh, thank you so much!

Ah, you're very welcome.

-You've got use of the room again. It feels great, doesn't it?

-It does.

Well, that's the kind of reaction we're after. She clearly loves it.

For someone as green-fingered as Lesley,

this conservatory means she can enjoy the garden all year round

without being surrounded by all her old junk.

All that junk has been banished from everywhere Lesley had stuffed it.

Upstairs was cluttered chaos.

But now, the guestroom is inviting again.

And Lesley has a brand-new study.

The entire house feels like it's back to its former glory.

But now, it's time to find out how much the unwanted clutter has made.

Have we reached our £600 target?

And which team has grabbed glory and turned the most trash into cash?

So, Lesley, your target was £600.

£300 for yourself and £300 to get a cow to Africa, is that right?

That's right. That was the target.

How do you think you've done?

Well, I think we've made the target price, £600.

-Do you? You're confident, ain't ya?

-Yes, I'm confident.

-Who's won?

-Ooh, that's a good question.

Shall we find out, is it red team or blue team, who do you think?

-I think it might be the blue team.

-Oh, do you think so?

I think so.

-It's the North-South divide.

-Shall we find out?

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

That's amazing! Well done. It was that welder, wasn't it?

-Did you have a day off?

-No, we were busy, weren't we?

-Yeah, we were busy.

-All right.

So you wanted 600.

You've actually made £633.50. Isn't that great?

It's great.

Of which you get £316.75.

And your charity which, again, is...

Send a Cow to Africa.

Send a Cow to Africa. They get £316.75,

and for that, we can send that cow first-class!

Yes, we can!

A few weeks later and

Lesley's clutter collecting is a thing of the past.

It's such a relief to have got rid of everything that, for four years,

I've wanted to clear out and never had the incentive to do it.