Top 20 Most Surprising Things Found During Cleaning

1. $4,000 in a Cereal Box - During a routine clean-up of a caravan, cleaners were astonished to find $4,000 stashed away in a cereal box. This unexpected windfall had been hidden by its previous owners, making an ordinary cleaning day unforgettable.
2. Historical Maps - A homeowner cleaning out their attic stumbled upon a collection of old maps. These maps turned out to be historical treasures, providing a unique glimpse into the area's past.
3. Electronic Gadgets - It's not uncommon for electronic devices to be discarded prematurely. Cleaners often find valuable electronics like laptops and smartphones that have been thrown away, sometimes still in working condition.
4. Diamond Rings - In one memorable incident, a diamond ring was accidentally tossed into the trash and later retrieved by eagle-eyed sanitation workers, proving that sometimes, the most valuable items can be hidden among everyday rubbish.
5. Raccoons - A common but always surprising find, raccoons are known to sneak into trash bins, giving cleaners a shock when they discover these furry intruders during routine trash collection.
6. WWI Shrapnel Round - A chilling discovery was made in a suburban backyard when a homeowner found an unexploded WWI shrapnel round while gardening. The bomb squad was promptly called to safely remove and detonate the relic.
7. First Bra - Amidst a quarantine cleanup, someone unearthed their very first bra, bringing back a wave of nostalgic and embarrassing childhood memories.
8. Medical Waste - Cleaners at a medical waste facility once encountered bins filled with amputated body parts and used needles, a stark reminder of the less glamorous side of medical care.
9. 20-Year-Old Dehydrated Broccoli - A family, digging deep during a spring cleaning, found cans of broccoli that had been hoarded during the Y2K scare, still sealed and preserved two decades later.
10. Gold Bars - In a surprising turn of events, cleaners at an airport discovered gold bars worth millions tucked away in an airplane bathroom, forgotten or hidden by a traveler.
11. Doll Heads - One new homeowner got more than they bargained for when they discovered their attic was filled with dozens of doll heads. The eerie scene was unsettling enough that they decided to just leave them undisturbed.
12. Voodoo Doll - Another attic revealed a six-foot-tall voodoo doll, dusty and heavy with stuffing. Its discovery added an element of mystery and a touch of fear to the usual attic fare.
13. Unexploded WWII Bomb - During renovations, a family was shocked to find an unexploded WWII parachute bomb under their floor. The bomb squad safely removed the ordinance, averting a potential disaster.
14. Soldier’s Pocket Bible from 1864 - A small, gold-leafed Bible, found tucked away in a garage beam, turned out to have belonged to a soldier during the Civil War, adding a personal touch to historical memorabilia.
15. Wedding Band in Garden - A gardener was surprised to find a gold wedding band turned up by their hoe. It turned out to belong to the previous homeowner's late husband, lost for over 45 years.
16. Weapons Cache - Imagine moving into a historic home and finding it was stashed with over 100 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition, hidden throughout the house by a previous owner.
17. First Edition Frankenstein - A remarkable find during a home remodel was a first edition of Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein," signed by the author herself, hidden away by someone who feared banks during the Depression.
18. Celebrity Commode - A plumber who had once replaced the toilet of singer Van Morrison kept the old fixture, leaving it behind in his apartment as a peculiar memento.
19. Bazooka Crates and NASA Parking Lot Dividers - A NASA engineer used surplus from his work to organize his garage and landscape his yard, repurposing bazooka crates and parking lot dividers in his home.
20. Googly Eyes Drawer - In a quirky twist, a person discovered that the bottom of a dresser drawer they purchased was lined with googly eyes, making for a startling and humorous find.

Each item on this list brings its own unique story, reflecting the unexpected and often hidden history that cleaning can uncover, making every dusty corner and forgotten box a potential source of surprise.

Found Something Unusual? Share It With Us!

Have you ever uncovered something extraordinary or bizarre during a cleaning? We’d love to hear about it! Share your unique finds with our community on our Facebook group. Join the conversation and see if your discovery makes it onto our list of astonishing finds. Click the link to tell us your story: Cleaning WorkSource Network.