I dog and chicken-sit for my clients when they’re out of town. I always go to their place and take the animals out/feed them a couple times a day. But in June they’re going out of town for a few weeks and don’t want to leave the dogs home alone that long. (I’d still be checking on the chickens.) Consequently, they’re going to come by my place to introduce their dogs to my dogs so I can potentially watch them here. She specifically asked to meet at my place so she can scope it out and make sure it’s suitable for their stay. (I host dogs here all the time.)
A few months ago, I noticed they’d put a very large rug out by the street for bulk pick up. A little awkward, but I thought it was in great condition so I loaded it up, cleaned it and now have it laid out in my living room.
I never asked because it’s an unspoken rule that furniture out by the street is fair game, but I feel SUPER uncomfortable about them coming by and recognizing it. I don’t think I did anything wrong, but it’s definitely embarrassing. It’s a rug from Target, so not impossible that I’d happen to have one. But I think it’d be even worse to pretend to own the same one and they happen to see some identifying mark on it. Do I wait for them to mention it and awkwardly tell them I took? Bring it up? Hide it? (Please don’t tell me to lift up my couch again.)
TLDR; The rug they dumped on the street is in my living room and I’m embarrassed.
35 comments
Take the rug up. Or be honest.
We put stuff out by the road hoping it will get picked up and repurposed. I wouldn’t think anything of it. But you clearly are worried so just remove it for the visit.
If I was in this situation, I’d hide the rug in a closet.
You didn’t steal it, first of all.
If you had known they were getting rid of it would you have asked for it before it went to the curb? Do you think they would have said yes?
I wouldn’t really worry about it (from the title I thought you had actively stolen it and blamed it on the dog’s ruining it or something). If they put it in the curb, it was meant to be for free and that’s ok
I’d bring it up to get it out of the way.
Hey- do you remember putting a rug at the curb? I decided to bring it home and it looks great – had it cleaned and everything. I felt a bit awkward so I didn’t bring it up before. Simple – and if it were me on the receiving end of this communication, I’d say – I’m really glad someone liked it well enough to have it cleaned and make it a part of their home.
If it’s a target rug, simply say you bought it there. Completely plausible.
NTA!
You didn’t steal something that was out in the curb! It was going to be taken to the landfill. You found it. It’s been cleaned. You have something in your house that you love! If you do get asked, you can say that it came from Target. Using this phrasing says where it came from originally, not where you found it.
Edited for misspelling.
Lol I would definitely hide it. You didn’t steal it but it could still be very akward. Just avoid the whole situation and hide it
honestly they prob wont notice most people dont pick up on small details and if you are really worried you could just roll it up and hide it
When they come over I’d just say “hey how do you think it looks, not bad for a reclaimed rug”. Don’t try to hide it wear your dumpster diving prowess loud and proud. 🙂
I would hide it in a closet or garage (rolled up reversed if possible so the part that touches the floor is on the outside of the roll)
INFO:
Is it so unique that they know there you got it?
My rugs are from a major store, if someone else had one I’d gotten rid of I’d just say, “Oh, I used to grade a rug like that.” with no assumption that it WAS mine. Do you have any reason to think they wouldn’t just think you got one from the same place?
You didn’t steal it. If she figures it out you can say that boarding animals means a lot of carpet wear and tear so you are always on the look out for replacements.
I would bring it up immediately and without apology. “I’m looking forward to having you dog over. By the way, when you put that great rug out by the road, I loved it and grabbed it before anyone else could. I’m assuming you wanted someone to get use out of it. You’ll see it when you come over.”
I know as someone who leaves things out at the curb and who picks them up, that people leave them out specifically hoping someone will take them so they won’t be wasted. I personally would be charmed to see a friend with an old rug of mine that was working for them.
If it’s a target rug, absolutely don’t bother mentioning it and chances are they won’t either. And don’t hide it either, that’ll be a huge inconvenience that you’ll have to go through if they ever visit again
Some people are happier to know their hand-me-downs have gone to someone they know. Putting it on the curb for a stranger is the less desirable outcome for them.
If I was your client, I would not care. I would be glad the rug found a new home. I also probably wouldn’t recognize it or just think you have great taste like me. Fyi, you did not steal it. I put stuff out all the time hoping others can use it. I have picked up some awesome finds as well
Their dogs are gonna rat you out if you try and pretend it’s not their rug lol I would hide it, or be upfront and say um remember that rug you guys put out for bulk pick up? Yeah I bulk picked that rug right up LOL I hope it’s ok.
The dog should be comfortable with the rug at least! Hopefully…
My girlfriend talks about having lived in an affluent area and how the people living there actively encourage you to pick up their junk. They want to get rid of it and they want you to have the opportunity to own it if you see fit. Win/win.
Consider that if you hide it, then send update photos to them of their dogs, she may see it in the background where a bare floor was when they came over. That seems like it would be even more strange to her than if you just had it there the whole time.
Is your client an asshole? Is there a reason you think they’d be upset? I would not be upset at all if someone took something off the curb. I’d be super happy that it’s not going into a landfill.
If they ask about the rug, be honest and say you picked it up when they were getting rid of stuff back in [whatever month or season this happened]. People don’t leave rugs by the street if they intend to keep them.
And honestly, as somebody who’s left things by the street to see the items in the homes of neighbors or friends, it’s really not awkward. At worst it’s a two minute “oh nice, so glad it got a good home!” chat.
If the common rule is that big things on the curb are free to take, then you didn’t steal it. You saved it from the landfill.
If I put ANYTHING on the curb and then came across it at someone else’s home, I would be glad that they got use out of it.
I would NOT bring it up. If they mention, “Oh funny, I used to have the same rug.” You say oh that is funny.. and move on. I think bringing it up, especially before they come over, would feel so awkward to me. Like you’ve done something wrong which you haven’t. They were throwing something away or giving it away, so they most likely do not care what happened to it.
If I were the client, I’d be so happy to know my stuff was being used instead of dumped in a landfill. I just think this not the right time, or reason to share that with them.
My neighbor took a grill I set out by the curb and marked “free”. I didn’t think anything about it; in fact his wife mentioned it in passing and I asked if they could use the propane tanks we have for it (I wasn’t comfortable setting those on the curb, obviously). I hope they get good use out of it now that it’s warm out!
We put things by the curb actively hoping someone will take it and it won’t go to the landfill/we won’t have to call, schedule, and pay for bulk pickup. As someone with extreme anxiety I understand your concerns, but honestly? You didn’t steal it *and* you saved it from the landfill. I would mention it before they come over just to relieve your mind, but I really wouldn’t worry about it.
I’d walk them into the house and with a flourish say “Aaaand this rug may look familiar,” mentioning you grabbed it from the curb and had it cleaned. I’m sure they’d find that funny and wonder if the dogs might find the carpet comforting. It’s not a big deal!
Gaslight and obfuscate.
I’m not saying how you should feel, it totally depends on the person’s demeanor, but it’s definitely not worth stressing over.
But I’ll share a little story, we put our old lamp out for trash, and my neighbors across the street (I ended up babysitting for) took the lamp. We joked about it when I was getting a tour of their place and it made me miss that lamp!
It’s really no big deal, if they’re chill people you could just joke about that being their rug, and how one’s trash is another’s treasure.
When they show up, I would just point at it and laugh and be straight up “there’s your old rug! Hope you don’t mind but I saw you left it by the road and I had a use for it so I snagged it! Why did you guys throw it out?” Something like that should do.
Edit: I see a lot of my way of thinking in this post and its hilarious.
Too bad. That rug really tied the room together.
I think you should be proud. You kept a thing that still had usefulness out of the landfill. That’s a good thing.
Clearly what you need to do is draw attention away from the rug. My advice is to go to any store that sells posters, buy one of the Mona Lisa, put it in a nice frame. When they get to your house direct their attention to it right away and tell them that it’s not a replica, it’s the original that you stole from the Louvre.
This should start a conversation that distracts from the rug, and if they do manage to notice it at some point they will just be flattered that an art thief with your tastes and credentials found their discarded Target rug worth stealing.