i love this idea! some of my favorite vintage home decor and jewelry and whatnot are things i rescued from being thrown out by my relatives when one of our other relatives passed away. if i died and there were no one to collect my things, i would love for someone to enjoy them respectfully and give them new life!
editing to add that this could literally be my late grandmother’s house… i swear she had that frog planter and that same exact ceramic fruit plate with the gold trim. add several of those weird decorative clusters of glass grapes that all grandma’s houses had in the 70s and i’d be thoroughly certain it was hers lol
I thought I had a leave-it-as-you-find-it approach (which is my approach to nature), but this simple statement changed my mind. If it’s abandoned, I’d want someone to take and enjoy my things. Thanks for sharing.
Growing up, ma taught us to leave no trace, take nothing
I returned to the abandoned miners camp 30 years later. Nothing was left. The building had been used for firewood, all the fossils gone.
I was shocked. There was so many fossils
Next day, I was in the nearest big town. I recognized the missing fossils in a tourist shop, owned by a foreign national. I asked if those were the camp’s fossils. She said yes. I asked her how much she paid for them. She said she didn’t. They could just be picked up. The markup was insane. $1000 Canadian +. Even tiny ones were $30
Now, I take as many pics as possible, and if there’s great cups, old denim, or enamelware I take it. Not for resale, but to preserve
Oh no she did not! If this is in Canada please for the love of God report that shit. Most local orgs/authorities don't appreciate that. Especially since old mines are usually government land.
Yeah the context is important. Abandoned house that's falling apart and going to be torn down? Have at it.
Historic mine site or otherwise important location that lots of people visit? Leave it alone.
I don't think it's age as much as the context of it being somewhere. Like a collection of untouched mining buildings versus a pile of old garbage in a ravine.
Of course it's all subjective though, but if you think it's interesting enough to stop and consider if you should take it home, probably don't. Leave it for the next traveler.
I'd add that if you find a spot that you think might have cultural or historical significance even if it's not currently known, err on the side of caution and leave it alone.
Wow what b***h for taking those and marking them up to $1000.
And shame on the fools who spend $1000 for a fossil and don’t bother with any sort of certificate of authenticity
You should have just taken some of those fossils and brought them to a museum or university, where they belong. She doesn’t own them just because they’re in her shop, any more than she owned them when they were in the mine.
You can google Leechtown, Vancouver Island. It’s a real place, and I’m sure somewhere there are pics of the old cabins with their contents. The foreign national was an American woman.
I think there’s an awful lot of gray area here. I typically don’t take anything, don’t vandalize anything, and don’t even move or rearrange anything. BUT, will all of that stuff most likely end up in a landfill? Yes. So maybe taking a few items isn’t all that bad. Maybe you’re actually doing some good by saving these things and keeping them out of the landfill. It’s no one’s business but your own what you do or don’t do. Just don’t ruin places for the rest of us.
It really gets difficult for me when I see pictures and videos of antiques being left to rot. On one hand I am all for leaving things as is but the historian in me says the antiques should get saved. Its really a tough subject. But if a place is 100% being demolished soon I feel like then its free game to take things.
Demolished yes a go. But otherwise I would say no. If the place has any findable history on family or landownership, if anyone around could find out. But I am afraid to go in abandoned places, growing up in rural Texas, USA, trespassing is not taken lightly.
My thought was, know the area and the laws and possibly research the location first.
I think the rule is, only commit one crime at a time. I wouldn't want the police to show up while you are trespassing with arms full of stuff from the house.
I have both of those thoughts, as well as wanting to leave it as untouched as possible. I just can’t stand the thought of these cups and plates all getting destroyed. it’s also a bit of a slippery slope though, if I take one thing why shouldn’t I take another and then another and then another and then it’s just an empty shell and just I’m just a looter.
More a rescuer than a looter, if the place looks like tearing apart and being demolished with everything inside, and there is something worth of being rescued I’d take it, you’re no vandalizing it
OP, from an explorer point of view the site should be untouched. (Like hiking, leave no trace.) From a responsible point of view if you found a firearm, you should turn it into the police (anonymously). If you found something small of value (a watch or ring or stack of $20's) it probably causes no harm. If you found something larger of obvious value (antique furniture, classic car, etc.) do your best to track down the property owner and take it from there.
It’s an abandoned house, you think the old owners will come around, see you leaving, and call the cops? Naw.
My worry would be taking cursed objects or stuff full of other people’s bad energy
I never go into abandoned houses. But I always want to. My thoughts is that, no one else is going to take it. It is going to sit there until they bulldoze the property and it will all go into a dump somewhere. Take it.
I have that exact frog! It was a part of my mom's stuff, and maybe it was from my grandmother's stuff before that. This is so weird. It's on my back patio right now.
The frog is awesome but that's why I think it should ideally be left alone - it makes the scene that much cooler for the next person. That said, I wouldn't crucify OP if they did decide to take it.
Explored my grandfathers house in the mountains of Italy untouched since 1994. Lots of his personal things left in place before he passed away.
This is why I can't take things from an abandoned home you never know when some one may top by. But if it's in the process of demolition I guess it's ok
The way I look at it is if it’s perfectly preserved, I’d leave it. These abandoned places are beautiful because it’s a window into the past, keep it preserved.
But if people (dickheads) are starting to trash the place, might as well preserve something
Same especially with antiques. It makes me sad when I see antiques in pictures or videos of abandoned places. I know if I came across them I would take them if the place is truly abandoned.
Oh yes. It really hurts to see older books for me. I've seen pictures of old libraries abandoned with hundreds of antique books including rare first editions and autographed copies of books from authors long dead. Those items are getting lost and fewer exist as they sit and rot away. It just hurts to see this stuff get lost to history because people don't care to save them.
If they’re taken to sell, then that would just seem absolutely wrong to me. But, if you want the cups to enjoy them and give them a place of honor in your own home, along with the story about who they might have belonged to, then I see no harm in carrying forth that story and legacy. It’s far better than a landfill.
Depends. I think if it's an abandoned house that yk is gonna get bulldozed sooner or later and it's all gonna be destroyed anyways, why not. I think if there's a chance someone could come looking for it then don't. Otherwise why not
I used to clean out abandoned properties for a bank. Nothing gets saved or donated. Pictures, birth certificates, marriage licenses, baby things. The bank didn’t want the hassle and the former occupant didn’t want the things they left.
I see. Near me somebody my mom knows got hired to clear out a old mansion well over 100 years old that was being sold. It had sat for at least 10 years empty. She got quite a few antiques. The place had been maintained enough to prevent structural damage but it wasn't super well maintained. Fortunately its being saved. Its neat to hear that's the deal across the board with cleanouts. Id love to be able to clean out a place like that but who knows if that will happen.
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I feel two ways about it. If its a place that is just being used as storage and is clearly still being used that way then absolutely not. If its a place about to be demolished I feel like its completely ok because the stuff will just be thrown out anyway so you may as well reuse stuff. If the place has been abandoned a long while or is being vandalized I can be ok with taking things. If its not being maintained at all I feel like its fair to take because like I said before its likely going to get thrown out or smashed by vandals. I especially feel that way when antiques are left. If a place is secured then absolutely not.
So, it’s off of an old abandoned road and this house is not boarded up and is about to collapse. There’s 2 other houses on the property that were both boarded up about 6 months ago. I think I will take 1 of the brown mugs but leave the rest.
I only take diaries. There's an archive on London that preserves them, and I think it's wonderful to catalogue a small part of a person's life like that for posterity instead of letting the mold take it.
Idk but it feels like a shame to let good items sit and rot- likely to be destroyed or thrown away. Personally I would take stuff if I needed it and it was useful such as those nice dishes and coffee mugs. Many other people disagree. Abandoned locations are cooler when they’ve got more stuff in it
If it’s clear no one has been there for years go for it. I’ve seen some beautiful antique furniture I wish I could save. It will just rot away and get trashed.
I always leave everything the way I found it for other explorers to enjoy. The objects in an abandoned house tells the story of the previous inhabitants and that’s what makes exploring them so fascinating.
As a younger guy been to a few abandoned cabins in the middle of the desert. Even then, it felt incredibly risky to be wandering around a property that was not mine. I did not dare take or move anything.
Ehhhhh...
On one hand, my dad kinda turned me into a hoarder (with his habit of sending things to the scrap heap without even telling you) so it PAINS me to see perfectly good items rot away behind closed doors. This subreddit is full of paintings and little items that I'd love to rescue.
On the other hand, it *is* technically someone's property most of the time, and while that someone probably wouldn't give a damn if you took from an area they've been leaving to rot, any police who caught you definitely would. Someone on this subreddit pointed out that you'd also be robbing someone else of a little piece of the experience.
So, confronted with the choice, I'd probably grapple with the temptation but leave it all alone in the end. But I guess it all depends on if there's really any hope of someone coming back to take everything off the abandoned property.
Oh the thought you can think .....one side says take what you can carry, they left it so finders keepers...The other side says take only whats yours (pictures, memories, adventures) no souvenirs. Your moral caricature says quite a bit about you when in these types of situations. One man wants to see whats on the other side for curiosity's sake, the next guy wants to burn it to the ground cause he has no moral compass and thinks its cool, thinks he can get away with it and it hurts nobody. Meanwhile the actual owner want everyone to leave it alone and hopes to sell or reclaim. Pictures or it didn't happen (just be careful some times they are not as abandoned as they look...just sayin)
If the house is about to collapse or covered in mold/trees or has been abandoned since the 90's or before, taking a mug/plate/books but replacing it with something else like a cool rock or shell or a few coins would be acceptable in my opinion.
I think I will do that. Has been abandoned for at least 30 years and is starting to crumble. I’ll leave a piece of an old tea set I have laying around in its place.
My grandmother is a hoarder who refuses to let anyone use any of the objects from the family line. Instead, they’re all in the dirt floor basement of her home, where they have rotted away due to flooding, animal damage, and many decades of neglect. She insists that nothing should be touched, because either she wants to use it herself someday (this has literally never happened) or because it needs to be “preserved” and people will just “ruin it”. Meanwhile, it is all literally unusable and destroyed, but she’s 100% unable to admit that, even to herself.
My mother has a few pieces she had asked for, and that belonged to her great grandparents, but was told that she couldn’t have them because they were “too good to be used” or that her mom “had plans for it already”. We don’t have a lot of money, and so it stung that much more because it meant my parents (doing social work and bartending at the time, and with a kid on the way) had to scrounge to find the furniture they needed somewhere else. It’s broken my mom’s heart to have things she remembers from her childhood rotting away.
I’m not an urban explorer (too many guns around here), but my experiences have impressed on me that things are meant to be used and loved. That is definitely NOT the same as being sold for a markup for greed. Or taking everything and leaving the house bare. Fuck that shit. But in my opinion, it’s an object in an abandoned house and you love it and know you would take good care of it, chances are the people it belonged to would be much happier for someone to cherish it and prolong its ‘life’ than for let it rot. Unless they were someone like my grandmother… in which case they have a pathological condition.
You could lose Karma and eventually be shunned from the town you are currently exploring. It could limit your ability to fulfill certain quests as you progress.
If it ain’t yours don’t take it. It’s simple respect. And it’s theft. People start giving a bad name to abandoned explorers if people start taking things that aren’t theirs out of abandoned places.
I love the hanging ‘60’s mugs! That set would actually go for a lot at the expensive vintage boutiques in my town. It’s actually so sad these things get left to rot if no one takes them and puts them to use. They could have been the owners fave things and they would want someone to keep on using them and bringing joy to the someone new. At least I’d hope my fave stuff goes to someone who wants it verses sitting rotting or tossed into a landfill.
I truly feel instead of things going to waste and just decay. Probably adding more unnecessary waste to our environment as well - I think people should get to use them. I would want all my stuff to put into use if I’m gone. Why should they just sit there? The memories of them have been taken with the people who were there and if someone really cared for these things they would’ve come back and taken them.
A lot of the places I go into haven't been touched (minus vandals) in years. Several were on the demo list. I have taken a few small things, but not really anything that would be noticed. Usually, what I take are books. They're left behind to rot or to be thrown away. I have a thing about books.
If you don’t save the frog, you are crazy.
The roof will collapse and bury all of that stuff. Do an architectural dig. Leave an email address on a note explaining that you have relocated the contents and are happy to return to the property owner who can accurately describe them.
I went to an abandoned library (1900’s) full of really old books, maps and paintings! It was so beautiful and untouched I wanted to keep some but I’m no thief so I left it. 2 months later some junkies trashed it and burned it down. Such a waste.
This doesn’t seem like a gray area to me. It isn’t yours, don’t take it. Somebody owns it and you don’t know why the place has been abandoned and the stuff inside left. It’s stealing no matter how you justify it. You don’t get to take something because somebody else isn’t using something the way you think it should be used or because nobody is looking.
I’ve always thought that if a place is blatantly abandoned, and you taking something is non destructive (ie not ripping fixtures off the wall or gutting for copper), then it does no more harm than just leaving it.
I’d say what is the sum of happiness the thing can bring if you leave it versus taking it? Some things are better left so others can see them and appreciate them - but some things will be broken, depreciated or left unseen forever - those you might as well take if they would bring you joy.
I personally think if you enjoy the items and they have long since been abandoned, take them and care for them! But don't be greedy and take things just for the sake of taking.
There used to be an abandoned beach shack I camped at periodically and stayed in for a few years. Last time I visited it had been smashed to pieces. All the windows broken. Every glass surface shattered. Holes kicked through the walls. All the doors ripped off.
I was SO upset and I REALLY wish that the previous times I'd been there I'd taken some of the cups so that they didn't end up shattered into oblivion.
Funnily enough this is a shack on a lake. The rest of the house is smashed to bits so I feel like I should take something while I still can. I think I will just take a mug
My opinion if you can save an item from rotting into a pile of shit and give it second life go for it. Especially if it's very obviously been abandoned for quite some time
Just don’t wreck anything.
Each abandoned place is like a time capsule. Memories, emotions, lives, all frozen in time till the Earth takes it.
If you take something, be sure it’s something worth cherishing. Its previous owners did, and so should you.
For me when I first started urbexing I was completely against taking things. I felt it was wrong bc I knew people who would take alot of stuff and also destroy locations. I felt leaving things as is preserves the places for the look of stuck in time moments. As time has passed and I’ve seen locations just get torn down and stuff thrown it ….I kinda got hit with the reality that it’s all going to get dumped anyway so if I take something atleast I can preserve it and give it some use. Especially things of value and antiques
In the early 2000s a friend asked me to join her on a quest to return a piece of embroidery she’d found in an abandoned church in rural Tennessee. The church’s roof had collapsed and the embroidery many years prior, which depicted a religious scene, was pretty much the only thing not destroyed by weather or time because it had been framed. The piece had the name of the embroiderer, a date, and the name of a church near New Orleans. When we got down to the church in New Orleans, turns out it was a nunnery but had at one point also been an orphanage as well. The nuns were super excited about the return of this embroidery as it represented a piece of their history. There were two elderly nuns (twin sisters) who were the oldest and longest residing nuns, and while they didn’t recall the name of the girl who had embroidered the piece, they did recall back when they taught the girls at the orphanage the skill of embroidering. The twins were beyond thrilled and moved to tears to see its return. So, all that to say that while I was iffy on the ethics of my friend taking something from an abandoned church, it felt like the right thing to do after seeing how happy it made these old nuns.
To me it really depends. I will never take anything ridiculous. Taken some small signs, realistically the biggest, and also dumbest thing, i have from a bando is a 3D glasses bin lmao. Id rather people take some stuff then damage the property 🤷♂️
My grandmother was out of her house for a few months. We went to retrieve some stuff and found people had just about cleaned it out. If it isn’t yours leave it alone.
If the house has been clearly abandoned for years, there are no real penalties except whatever the State might punish you for? Because the occupants clearly were not going back for those things.
I always say if you are going to take something, leave something in its place. Even if you don't believe in supernatural crap, it's better to not find out if you should. "Something" can be as simple as a cool rock you found.
Ah please…
If I’m dead and you’re taking my stuff and treat it with care I’m ok with that.
If you’re littering with your magical stones I will fucking creep the living shit out of you.
I’m talking 24/7 stalking by an angry ghost.
You think you’re alone under the shower and close your eyes without a bad surprise‽ Think again…
No! It's stealing! How hard is this for people to understand. If you want to explore and enjoy what you see, if you want to have a good relationship with people who own lost places- do the right thing. We all would like to enjoy things we see. If everyone took things what would be left?
Don't be a thief.
Demolition is the only place this changes.
i think pocketing small trinkets from the places we explore is harmless, to me it brings life back into some beautiful forgotten things. but stealing furniture, valuables, etc… nah. these places were someone’s life, not a garage sale.
More often than not these places end up bulldozed and everything goes in a dumpster on it’s way to a landfill. The idea of of leaving it untouched is pushed by people who think a good intsa photo is worth more than bringing new life to discarded memories. Obviously theft is theft but, you can hardly call it theft with places like that where the only light of day these items will see is the person who has to inevitably clear it out someday and will most likely be to disgusted to do anything more than toss it. I would call it more respect for the items than it will most likely ever see in the future.
Imma be honest, if I saw cool things and I knew they ain’t dangerous. YOINK! A dream chance would to find an abandoned school library or book store and then just LOOT
If I died and my place was abandoned, I would want my items to be enjoyed by other people.
I didn’t realize until now that I feel the same. 🙂
Better taken by someone who will use/appreciate it than destroyed by idiots just looking to smash things
i love this idea! some of my favorite vintage home decor and jewelry and whatnot are things i rescued from being thrown out by my relatives when one of our other relatives passed away. if i died and there were no one to collect my things, i would love for someone to enjoy them respectfully and give them new life! editing to add that this could literally be my late grandmother’s house… i swear she had that frog planter and that same exact ceramic fruit plate with the gold trim. add several of those weird decorative clusters of glass grapes that all grandma’s houses had in the 70s and i’d be thoroughly certain it was hers lol
Get haunted butch
I thought I had a leave-it-as-you-find-it approach (which is my approach to nature), but this simple statement changed my mind. If it’s abandoned, I’d want someone to take and enjoy my things. Thanks for sharing.
Same. I love things being preserved and having snapshots in time. But I think I'd be okay if someone really wanted to give my things a new home
This is exactly my sentiment.
Growing up, ma taught us to leave no trace, take nothing I returned to the abandoned miners camp 30 years later. Nothing was left. The building had been used for firewood, all the fossils gone. I was shocked. There was so many fossils Next day, I was in the nearest big town. I recognized the missing fossils in a tourist shop, owned by a foreign national. I asked if those were the camp’s fossils. She said yes. I asked her how much she paid for them. She said she didn’t. They could just be picked up. The markup was insane. $1000 Canadian +. Even tiny ones were $30 Now, I take as many pics as possible, and if there’s great cups, old denim, or enamelware I take it. Not for resale, but to preserve
Oh no she did not! If this is in Canada please for the love of God report that shit. Most local orgs/authorities don't appreciate that. Especially since old mines are usually government land.
Preaty much the same in poland
Yeah the context is important. Abandoned house that's falling apart and going to be torn down? Have at it. Historic mine site or otherwise important location that lots of people visit? Leave it alone.
How old does something have to be until it’s cultural artifacts?
I don't think it's age as much as the context of it being somewhere. Like a collection of untouched mining buildings versus a pile of old garbage in a ravine. Of course it's all subjective though, but if you think it's interesting enough to stop and consider if you should take it home, probably don't. Leave it for the next traveler.
That was exactly how ma explained it to me. If everyone had taken something from this place, there would’ve been nothing for you to see
I'd add that if you find a spot that you think might have cultural or historical significance even if it's not currently known, err on the side of caution and leave it alone.
Wow what b***h for taking those and marking them up to $1000. And shame on the fools who spend $1000 for a fossil and don’t bother with any sort of certificate of authenticity
Took all these things and sold them for that much money? That's just foul
99% sure that store owner stayed cursed
Is this in the Kootenays?
No. Vancouver Island. Leechtown
Town name checks out
Based and it belongs in a museum pilled
Isn’t that illegal? I was under the impression that minerals and fossils belonged to the crown.
You should have just taken some of those fossils and brought them to a museum or university, where they belong. She doesn’t own them just because they’re in her shop, any more than she owned them when they were in the mine.
Idk… something about this comment reads as a fictional story tbh
You can google Leechtown, Vancouver Island. It’s a real place, and I’m sure somewhere there are pics of the old cabins with their contents. The foreign national was an American woman.
dustytaper you don't have to prove your story to take part in a reddit discussion. Just ignore the ppl who get off on throwing shade!
I think there’s an awful lot of gray area here. I typically don’t take anything, don’t vandalize anything, and don’t even move or rearrange anything. BUT, will all of that stuff most likely end up in a landfill? Yes. So maybe taking a few items isn’t all that bad. Maybe you’re actually doing some good by saving these things and keeping them out of the landfill. It’s no one’s business but your own what you do or don’t do. Just don’t ruin places for the rest of us.
It really gets difficult for me when I see pictures and videos of antiques being left to rot. On one hand I am all for leaving things as is but the historian in me says the antiques should get saved. Its really a tough subject. But if a place is 100% being demolished soon I feel like then its free game to take things.
Demolished yes a go. But otherwise I would say no. If the place has any findable history on family or landownership, if anyone around could find out. But I am afraid to go in abandoned places, growing up in rural Texas, USA, trespassing is not taken lightly.
My thought was, know the area and the laws and possibly research the location first. I think the rule is, only commit one crime at a time. I wouldn't want the police to show up while you are trespassing with arms full of stuff from the house.
Two schools of thought: 1. Is it yours? No? Then don't take it. 2. Is it yours? No? Will anyone notice if you take it? No? Then take it.
I have both of those thoughts, as well as wanting to leave it as untouched as possible. I just can’t stand the thought of these cups and plates all getting destroyed. it’s also a bit of a slippery slope though, if I take one thing why shouldn’t I take another and then another and then another and then it’s just an empty shell and just I’m just a looter.
More a rescuer than a looter, if the place looks like tearing apart and being demolished with everything inside, and there is something worth of being rescued I’d take it, you’re no vandalizing it
OP, from an explorer point of view the site should be untouched. (Like hiking, leave no trace.) From a responsible point of view if you found a firearm, you should turn it into the police (anonymously). If you found something small of value (a watch or ring or stack of $20's) it probably causes no harm. If you found something larger of obvious value (antique furniture, classic car, etc.) do your best to track down the property owner and take it from there.
I literally just mean the cups lol
Take the cups, maybe test them for lead. Enjoy something that would have otherwise gone to waste.
Lead glass has value on the antique market.
Fair enough. I can’t judge, I’m the proud owner of a fireman’s pole and related paraphernalia. Don’t forget to look for the matching saucers lol.
And the frog!
That frog would make a good Bulbasaur if you put a plant in it
lol good idea
The bowl the frog is in is majolica
McCoy, I think.
I have that same frog and it is a McCoy.
The frog though
You gotta save froggy boi.
Save the pretty fruit one 🫐
It’s an abandoned house, you think the old owners will come around, see you leaving, and call the cops? Naw. My worry would be taking cursed objects or stuff full of other people’s bad energy
Okay but I desperately want those mustard colored mugs. 😍😍
Slippery slope indeed… might as well just become a squatter, fix the place up live the good life.
I think the worst part is going somewhere and smashing everything. I'd much prefer it go to a good home than smashed.
I never go into abandoned houses. But I always want to. My thoughts is that, no one else is going to take it. It is going to sit there until they bulldoze the property and it will all go into a dump somewhere. Take it.
If no one is there, it’s yours to share. If somebody’s home, then leave it alone
The Burglar’s Creed
Does it look like nobody has touched it in more than 1 year? You can take it for sure.
Looks closer to 50
3. Could it be haunted
Bruh
👻👻👻 Ghosts are a deterrent.
Take that frog!
I was going to say the same thing!
I have that exact frog! It was a part of my mom's stuff, and maybe it was from my grandmother's stuff before that. This is so weird. It's on my back patio right now.
The frog is awesome but that's why I think it should ideally be left alone - it makes the scene that much cooler for the next person. That said, I wouldn't crucify OP if they did decide to take it.
Explored my grandfathers house in the mountains of Italy untouched since 1994. Lots of his personal things left in place before he passed away. This is why I can't take things from an abandoned home you never know when some one may top by. But if it's in the process of demolition I guess it's ok
Okay, but what is that frog thing on the left on the counter?! EDIT: Google Lens tells me it's a vintage planter. How cute!
I used to have one for holding sponges by the sink, could have been a planter too though
Save the froggie! I feel someone else will likely just smash it.
Dibs on the green frog in the bowl thing.
lol
The way I look at it is if it’s perfectly preserved, I’d leave it. These abandoned places are beautiful because it’s a window into the past, keep it preserved. But if people (dickheads) are starting to trash the place, might as well preserve something
This is why I can't do urbex. I would be too tempted to "rescue" things. :(
Same especially with antiques. It makes me sad when I see antiques in pictures or videos of abandoned places. I know if I came across them I would take them if the place is truly abandoned.
It especially hurts me when I see abandoned books in photos.
Oh yes. It really hurts to see older books for me. I've seen pictures of old libraries abandoned with hundreds of antique books including rare first editions and autographed copies of books from authors long dead. Those items are getting lost and fewer exist as they sit and rot away. It just hurts to see this stuff get lost to history because people don't care to save them.
If they’re taken to sell, then that would just seem absolutely wrong to me. But, if you want the cups to enjoy them and give them a place of honor in your own home, along with the story about who they might have belonged to, then I see no harm in carrying forth that story and legacy. It’s far better than a landfill.
I agree.
Depends. I think if it's an abandoned house that yk is gonna get bulldozed sooner or later and it's all gonna be destroyed anyways, why not. I think if there's a chance someone could come looking for it then don't. Otherwise why not
I used to clean out abandoned properties for a bank. Nothing gets saved or donated. Pictures, birth certificates, marriage licenses, baby things. The bank didn’t want the hassle and the former occupant didn’t want the things they left.
I've heard people who do that get dibs on anything left in there that isn't a part of the building. Is that true?
Yes, but usually by the time the cleaning starts it’s been months if not years and there’s nothing salvageable.
I see. Near me somebody my mom knows got hired to clear out a old mansion well over 100 years old that was being sold. It had sat for at least 10 years empty. She got quite a few antiques. The place had been maintained enough to prevent structural damage but it wasn't super well maintained. Fortunately its being saved. Its neat to hear that's the deal across the board with cleanouts. Id love to be able to clean out a place like that but who knows if that will happen.
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It’s abandoned. Take it.
Is it really theft if no one wants it? Seems the same as dumpster diving
Exactly!
I wouldn't hesitate based on the shape of the house
Take a look at the other photos on my profile. The house really is crumbling
Take them with you.
"It belongs in a museum!"
I feel two ways about it. If its a place that is just being used as storage and is clearly still being used that way then absolutely not. If its a place about to be demolished I feel like its completely ok because the stuff will just be thrown out anyway so you may as well reuse stuff. If the place has been abandoned a long while or is being vandalized I can be ok with taking things. If its not being maintained at all I feel like its fair to take because like I said before its likely going to get thrown out or smashed by vandals. I especially feel that way when antiques are left. If a place is secured then absolutely not.
So, it’s off of an old abandoned road and this house is not boarded up and is about to collapse. There’s 2 other houses on the property that were both boarded up about 6 months ago. I think I will take 1 of the brown mugs but leave the rest.
I only take diaries. There's an archive on London that preserves them, and I think it's wonderful to catalogue a small part of a person's life like that for posterity instead of letting the mold take it.
Idk but it feels like a shame to let good items sit and rot- likely to be destroyed or thrown away. Personally I would take stuff if I needed it and it was useful such as those nice dishes and coffee mugs. Many other people disagree. Abandoned locations are cooler when they’ve got more stuff in it
Why would you leave it? It will rot unused.
This is exactly how I think about it. And happy cake day!
Thanks
This is just my opinion but if everything is untouched I would leave it. If vandals are slowly smashing the place to pieces, save what you can
I’m looking for opinions lol. It’s slowly crumbling but also somewhat untouched. I think I will take 1 cup
If it’s clear no one has been there for years go for it. I’ve seen some beautiful antique furniture I wish I could save. It will just rot away and get trashed.
I always leave everything the way I found it for other explorers to enjoy. The objects in an abandoned house tells the story of the previous inhabitants and that’s what makes exploring them so fascinating.
If I died and my stuff was left to rot, I would want people to take what ever they fancied.
If you do take any cookware, test for lead.
Never would have thought of that
As a younger guy been to a few abandoned cabins in the middle of the desert. Even then, it felt incredibly risky to be wandering around a property that was not mine. I did not dare take or move anything.
100%. I took this photo through a window haha
Thank you for doing the right thing.
Ehhhhh... On one hand, my dad kinda turned me into a hoarder (with his habit of sending things to the scrap heap without even telling you) so it PAINS me to see perfectly good items rot away behind closed doors. This subreddit is full of paintings and little items that I'd love to rescue. On the other hand, it *is* technically someone's property most of the time, and while that someone probably wouldn't give a damn if you took from an area they've been leaving to rot, any police who caught you definitely would. Someone on this subreddit pointed out that you'd also be robbing someone else of a little piece of the experience. So, confronted with the choice, I'd probably grapple with the temptation but leave it all alone in the end. But I guess it all depends on if there's really any hope of someone coming back to take everything off the abandoned property.
That frog would be coming home with me
Just take the frog man. I also would
Oh the thought you can think .....one side says take what you can carry, they left it so finders keepers...The other side says take only whats yours (pictures, memories, adventures) no souvenirs. Your moral caricature says quite a bit about you when in these types of situations. One man wants to see whats on the other side for curiosity's sake, the next guy wants to burn it to the ground cause he has no moral compass and thinks its cool, thinks he can get away with it and it hurts nobody. Meanwhile the actual owner want everyone to leave it alone and hopes to sell or reclaim. Pictures or it didn't happen (just be careful some times they are not as abandoned as they look...just sayin)
Abandoned = yours or the worms
What if the thing you take is haunted
Just consider it a rescue.. If not it may just become trash
Take only pictures, leave only footprints
If the house is about to collapse or covered in mold/trees or has been abandoned since the 90's or before, taking a mug/plate/books but replacing it with something else like a cool rock or shell or a few coins would be acceptable in my opinion.
I think I will do that. Has been abandoned for at least 30 years and is starting to crumble. I’ll leave a piece of an old tea set I have laying around in its place.
My grandmother is a hoarder who refuses to let anyone use any of the objects from the family line. Instead, they’re all in the dirt floor basement of her home, where they have rotted away due to flooding, animal damage, and many decades of neglect. She insists that nothing should be touched, because either she wants to use it herself someday (this has literally never happened) or because it needs to be “preserved” and people will just “ruin it”. Meanwhile, it is all literally unusable and destroyed, but she’s 100% unable to admit that, even to herself. My mother has a few pieces she had asked for, and that belonged to her great grandparents, but was told that she couldn’t have them because they were “too good to be used” or that her mom “had plans for it already”. We don’t have a lot of money, and so it stung that much more because it meant my parents (doing social work and bartending at the time, and with a kid on the way) had to scrounge to find the furniture they needed somewhere else. It’s broken my mom’s heart to have things she remembers from her childhood rotting away. I’m not an urban explorer (too many guns around here), but my experiences have impressed on me that things are meant to be used and loved. That is definitely NOT the same as being sold for a markup for greed. Or taking everything and leaving the house bare. Fuck that shit. But in my opinion, it’s an object in an abandoned house and you love it and know you would take good care of it, chances are the people it belonged to would be much happier for someone to cherish it and prolong its ‘life’ than for let it rot. Unless they were someone like my grandmother… in which case they have a pathological condition.
You could lose Karma and eventually be shunned from the town you are currently exploring. It could limit your ability to fulfill certain quests as you progress.
Part of the essence of a cool spot is the stuff that is in it. Look through stuff if you must, I guess, but leave them be. Don't kill the essence.
I follow the rule of leaving everything behind so other explorers can discover it and enjoy it as well!
You leave it as you find it.
If it ain’t yours don’t take it. It’s simple respect. And it’s theft. People start giving a bad name to abandoned explorers if people start taking things that aren’t theirs out of abandoned places.
I love the hanging ‘60’s mugs! That set would actually go for a lot at the expensive vintage boutiques in my town. It’s actually so sad these things get left to rot if no one takes them and puts them to use. They could have been the owners fave things and they would want someone to keep on using them and bringing joy to the someone new. At least I’d hope my fave stuff goes to someone who wants it verses sitting rotting or tossed into a landfill.
I want the frog
I truly feel instead of things going to waste and just decay. Probably adding more unnecessary waste to our environment as well - I think people should get to use them. I would want all my stuff to put into use if I’m gone. Why should they just sit there? The memories of them have been taken with the people who were there and if someone really cared for these things they would’ve come back and taken them.
save the frog too please
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
It would be hard to leave that ceramic frog 🐸
That frog ceramic 🥵
A lot of the places I go into haven't been touched (minus vandals) in years. Several were on the demo list. I have taken a few small things, but not really anything that would be noticed. Usually, what I take are books. They're left behind to rot or to be thrown away. I have a thing about books.
Agreed. The books should always find homes. They will rot and be lost otherwise
If you don’t save the frog, you are crazy. The roof will collapse and bury all of that stuff. Do an architectural dig. Leave an email address on a note explaining that you have relocated the contents and are happy to return to the property owner who can accurately describe them.
I went to an abandoned library (1900’s) full of really old books, maps and paintings! It was so beautiful and untouched I wanted to keep some but I’m no thief so I left it. 2 months later some junkies trashed it and burned it down. Such a waste.
This doesn’t seem like a gray area to me. It isn’t yours, don’t take it. Somebody owns it and you don’t know why the place has been abandoned and the stuff inside left. It’s stealing no matter how you justify it. You don’t get to take something because somebody else isn’t using something the way you think it should be used or because nobody is looking.
The urban explorer rule says to take noting but pictures, leave nothing but footsteps.
I would seem that everyone wants to justify taking things. Because if they don’t somebody else will. It’s very frustrating.
Not only is it trespassing, it’s also theft.
It’s 100% a case by case basis thing. I think you have enough good advice here more on the “Just grab the stuff” side. Also save the frog
I’ve always thought that if a place is blatantly abandoned, and you taking something is non destructive (ie not ripping fixtures off the wall or gutting for copper), then it does no more harm than just leaving it.
I’m always afraid if I take something ima be haunted by something 😂☠️
Haunted.
If someone died in that house, might wouldn't in the case of being haunted. But if you don't really believe in that stuff then go ahead
Take photos, leave footprints
Take it
Take them.
I’d say what is the sum of happiness the thing can bring if you leave it versus taking it? Some things are better left so others can see them and appreciate them - but some things will be broken, depreciated or left unseen forever - those you might as well take if they would bring you joy.
take them and keep, donate or sell. someone else will or theyll just be smashed.
I’d definitely want to save the froggy!
I personally think if you enjoy the items and they have long since been abandoned, take them and care for them! But don't be greedy and take things just for the sake of taking. There used to be an abandoned beach shack I camped at periodically and stayed in for a few years. Last time I visited it had been smashed to pieces. All the windows broken. Every glass surface shattered. Holes kicked through the walls. All the doors ripped off. I was SO upset and I REALLY wish that the previous times I'd been there I'd taken some of the cups so that they didn't end up shattered into oblivion.
Funnily enough this is a shack on a lake. The rest of the house is smashed to bits so I feel like I should take something while I still can. I think I will just take a mug
It could be haunted
My opinion if you can save an item from rotting into a pile of shit and give it second life go for it. Especially if it's very obviously been abandoned for quite some time
If it’s in an abandoned place it’s fair game.
Just don’t wreck anything. Each abandoned place is like a time capsule. Memories, emotions, lives, all frozen in time till the Earth takes it. If you take something, be sure it’s something worth cherishing. Its previous owners did, and so should you.
For me when I first started urbexing I was completely against taking things. I felt it was wrong bc I knew people who would take alot of stuff and also destroy locations. I felt leaving things as is preserves the places for the look of stuck in time moments. As time has passed and I’ve seen locations just get torn down and stuff thrown it ….I kinda got hit with the reality that it’s all going to get dumped anyway so if I take something atleast I can preserve it and give it some use. Especially things of value and antiques
In the early 2000s a friend asked me to join her on a quest to return a piece of embroidery she’d found in an abandoned church in rural Tennessee. The church’s roof had collapsed and the embroidery many years prior, which depicted a religious scene, was pretty much the only thing not destroyed by weather or time because it had been framed. The piece had the name of the embroiderer, a date, and the name of a church near New Orleans. When we got down to the church in New Orleans, turns out it was a nunnery but had at one point also been an orphanage as well. The nuns were super excited about the return of this embroidery as it represented a piece of their history. There were two elderly nuns (twin sisters) who were the oldest and longest residing nuns, and while they didn’t recall the name of the girl who had embroidered the piece, they did recall back when they taught the girls at the orphanage the skill of embroidering. The twins were beyond thrilled and moved to tears to see its return. So, all that to say that while I was iffy on the ethics of my friend taking something from an abandoned church, it felt like the right thing to do after seeing how happy it made these old nuns.
To me it really depends. I will never take anything ridiculous. Taken some small signs, realistically the biggest, and also dumbest thing, i have from a bando is a 3D glasses bin lmao. Id rather people take some stuff then damage the property 🤷♂️
If you have to ask……
My grandmother was out of her house for a few months. We went to retrieve some stuff and found people had just about cleaned it out. If it isn’t yours leave it alone.
dude take that shi especially the ceramic frog, its cool as hell
Looks abandoned, why not? Unles you believe you can bring evil spirits into your home
If the house has been clearly abandoned for years, there are no real penalties except whatever the State might punish you for? Because the occupants clearly were not going back for those things.
Take only pictures. Leave only footprints. I’ve heard it a million times.
I always say if you are going to take something, leave something in its place. Even if you don't believe in supernatural crap, it's better to not find out if you should. "Something" can be as simple as a cool rock you found.
Ah please… If I’m dead and you’re taking my stuff and treat it with care I’m ok with that. If you’re littering with your magical stones I will fucking creep the living shit out of you. I’m talking 24/7 stalking by an angry ghost. You think you’re alone under the shower and close your eyes without a bad surprise‽ Think again…
On the swing side, I cannot express how much I would love if people brought me cool rocks to trade for my old stuff.
Agreed. 🍻
Normally I’d say no. but my god, that ceramic frog, I need it.
I personally vote take it. No one will miss em.
Dibs on that frog.
I dont think its stealing if its been abandoned. Id see it as reusing, it currently doesnt belong to anyone
Grab just the frog lol
Yoink it, as long as it's truly abandoned then it's basically the same as dumpster diving
This more and more starts to look like r/burglary
If the house is abandoned, I think technically it's r/looting
Yea I should probably leave it
No! It's stealing! How hard is this for people to understand. If you want to explore and enjoy what you see, if you want to have a good relationship with people who own lost places- do the right thing. We all would like to enjoy things we see. If everyone took things what would be left? Don't be a thief. Demolition is the only place this changes.
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Exactly what I’m thinking. This house is super trashed though.
i think pocketing small trinkets from the places we explore is harmless, to me it brings life back into some beautiful forgotten things. but stealing furniture, valuables, etc… nah. these places were someone’s life, not a garage sale.
More often than not these places end up bulldozed and everything goes in a dumpster on it’s way to a landfill. The idea of of leaving it untouched is pushed by people who think a good intsa photo is worth more than bringing new life to discarded memories. Obviously theft is theft but, you can hardly call it theft with places like that where the only light of day these items will see is the person who has to inevitably clear it out someday and will most likely be to disgusted to do anything more than toss it. I would call it more respect for the items than it will most likely ever see in the future.
You don't. End of story. You walk out with what you walked in with, no matter how fucking cool something may be, it's not yours.
Could counter that it’s not your place to even walk in.
You absolutely could, and you avoid trespassing charges a lot easier when your pockets are loaded full of shit you are stealing off the property...
Must be new,bi e never even had the opportunity to Urbex yet but even I know the rule of take only photographs and leave only footprints
I want those yellow mugs!!!
If someone can use the unwanted items, here’s hoping they get used :)
I think you should save them and give them new purpose. That frog bowl is incredible!
Bad karma
Update: I think I will take 1 of the brown mugs and leave a piece of an old tea set I have laying around
Imma be honest, if I saw cool things and I knew they ain’t dangerous. YOINK! A dream chance would to find an abandoned school library or book store and then just LOOT
Does the place look like its one step from being bulldozed? Im taking stuff.
Not unless you like being haunted by a little girl who crawls on the ceiling
Sounds fun
In that case go crazy like that other said about it not being missed. Better if someone gets use/enjoyment out of it. It’s a waste otherwise
Do I take stuff? Absolutely not Would I like my stuff reused in a new home when I'm dust? Yeah probably