Got extra clutter sitting in your garage, basement, spare bedroom, or closet? Before you drag it to the curb or send it to the landfill, consider listing those usable items for free on Facebook Marketplace.

What you no longer need might be exactly what someone else has been looking for.

Giving items away can be an easy way to clear out your home while keeping useful furniture, household goods, and other belongings in the community.

Why Give Away Items for Free?

The obvious benefit is clearing out space without paying for removal or waiting for trash day. But the real reward can go much deeper.

That old coffee table collecting dust in your garage might help someone furnish their first apartment. A set of dishes you no longer use could help a college student. An extra dresser could make a big difference for a family trying to furnish a home on a tight budget.

Instead of becoming trash, your unwanted items can get a second life.

It also keeps usable items circulating locally rather than sending them straight to the landfill. One person's clutter can genuinely become another person's useful household item.

Tap Into Local "Free Stuff" Groups

Facebook Marketplace isn't the only place to give things away.

Facebook has countless "Buy Nothing," "Free Stuff," and neighborhood groups where people post items they no longer need. These groups are often organized around specific neighborhoods or communities, making it easy to connect with people nearby.

You may be surprised by how quickly useful items get claimed.

Try searching Facebook for groups using terms like:

• "Free Stuff Salt Lake City"

• "Buy Nothing Salt Lake City"

• "Free Stuff [Your Neighborhood]"

• "Buy Nothing [Your City]"

• "Utah Freecycle"

If you're in the Salt Lake Valley, you can often find groups specific to communities such as Murray, Sandy, West Jordan, South Jordan, Millcreek, Holladay, Taylorsville, and surrounding areas.

How to Score Free Stuff Yourself

Giving things away isn't the only benefit. Facebook Marketplace can also be a great place to find things you need for little or no money.

Looking for a desk, dresser, couch, bookshelf, appliances, or other household items?

Try this:

1. Open Facebook Marketplace.

2. Search for the item you need, such as "desk," "couch," or "dresser."

3. Set your maximum price to $5.

4. Look through the results for listings marked free or priced extremely low.

5. Check the listing carefully and arrange a safe pickup.

Because Marketplace's filters don't always make $0 listings easy to find, setting a small maximum price can sometimes bring free items and inexpensive listings into your results.

Give Your Unwanted Items Another Chance

Before throwing something away, take a moment to ask yourself: "Could somebody else use this?"

If the answer is yes, posting it for free could save you a trip to the landfill while helping someone in your community.

And if you simply don't have the time, energy, vehicle, or ability to sort through everything yourself, that's where a responsible junk removal company can help. At One Man's Junk SLC, we work to sort through every load and look for opportunities to donate, recycle, reuse, repurpose, or resell usable items whenever possible.

Sometimes getting rid of junk doesn't have to mean throwing everything away. It can mean giving useful things one more chance to find a home.

Listing Usable Items for Free on Facebook Marketplace