You be the judge: should my flatmate stop taking things off the street to furnish our home?

The prosecution: Ruby

My flatmate Amala works in costume and set design, so she’s always on the lookout for random things. But when she brings stuff off the street into our home, I get really annoyed. Why do we need other people’s crap? If there is something we need, I’d like to discuss it first.

The other week she found an ugly painting in the road and said, “Shall we hang this up?” I hated it. It was a grey landscape in a chipped gold frame. A few months ago she brought a chair home. I asked her whether she should be worried about bed bugs, but she said she’d checked and it was fine. We kept it but I was quite paranoid, and made her clean and steam it with a special steam-cleaner she has for work.

It would only take one item to infect our whole flat, and I don’t think it’s worth the risk. Once she brought a kettle off the street which was really dirty, and a chest of drawers with all this rubbish inside. She does clean things out, but I’d like the cleaning to be done in the street before it comes into the flat.

I also like having a cohesive look, decor-wise, and sometimes our flat feels very random. I moved in after Amala’s old flatmate moved out, so I had to adjust to the kookiness as it wasn’t “my” place. I’ve managed to put a bit of my own stamp on it now and Amala is understanding, but every now and then we will butt heads over her bringing something in off the street.

She is part of all these “free stuff” groups on Facebook. That’s all well and good, but then she will get distracted and bring stuff home that we don’t need. The other week she brought three dying ferns and palms off the street into our place. If something has a “please take” sign outside it, she can’t just walk past, even if it’s junk. She’s like an addict.

Amala also spends a lot of time on reselling websites, so she thinks that if we don’t want it, or it’s not for her work, she can make money on it. I would just like to be consulted before she brings stuff home. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

The defence: Amala

Ruby is lovely to live with, but she definitely has an issue with my job and all the stuff I accumulate while doing it. I’m a stylist and also work in set design, so I’m always getting ready to deck out a space (or a human).

I spend a lot of time sourcing props and pieces, which I love, and Ruby is quite understanding when there’s a random pillar or giant painting in our living room. But she hates it when I go rogue and want to decorate our flat with things that are leftover from work, or that I find on the street.

She has stopped me from bringing a perfectly good sofa into our home because she was paranoid about bugs. But the joke’s on her, because the one she sits on now was actually found on the street a long while ago. I got it before she moved in – it’s a squishy, yellow velvet sofa which everyone thinks is lovely.

Ruby loves it. Surely that proves that street thrifting can be a worthwhile endeavour?

I honestly think Ruby can relax, because I always clean things before I bring them up to the flat. I’ve got professional cleaning equipment from my job. I steam-clean and I scrub.

The chest of drawers did have some old empty food packets in one of the drawers, but it scrubbed up beautifully and we now have a nice piece of antique furniture in our living room. So it was worth it.

With the plants, I was able to bring them back to life, and that saved on buying new ones. I would never bring a mattress into our home, and I always check for bed bugs.

There’s never anything actually dirty in our home, Ruby is just a bit paranoid because she doesn’t get it. She works a normal nine-to-five, while I might be out cleaning rusty taps for a film set. It’s very different. Sometimes I think Ruby doesn’t understand why I do what I do, but I save us money when I source free bits of furniture, and if she doesn’t like something, I won’t insist on it staying in our flat.

I get that Ruby and I live very different lives, but furniture thrifting is good fun.

The jury of Guardian readers

Should Amala stop reclaiming ‘junk’?
I sympathise with Ruby as I also dislike secondhand and am always worried about what bugs may come with it. However, I’ll give Amala the benefit of the doubt as she’s careful to make sure everything is clean. It’s her place and it looks like she’s trying to accommodate Ruby. If Ruby cannot accept this, maybe she needs to move on.
Leszek, 68

Amala is a thrifty creative, but Ruby is tolerating a cluttered war zone. Amala is using work as an excuse but this is really a lifestyle choice that has perhaps become an addiction. A workshop is the answer: take all your “street finds” there. Leave home to be a relaxing space.
Vanessa, 65

As someone who is not averse to bringing stuff home off the street, I sympathise with Amala. However, I think she should keep this stuff in her own space and not in her flatmate’s. I also find her attitude towards Ruby’s lifestyle a little condescending. A bit of give and take on both sides perhaps.
Glenn, 61

If Amala is sharing a living space with others and wants them to feel at home, she should consult them about any new furnishings she intends to keep.
Kathleen, 37

Ruby seems to have an issue with thrifted furniture in general, given that she does not like a mismatched look. Amala is already considerate enough to remove furniture Ruby doesn’t like and ensures it is professionally cleaned. Ruby needs to appreciate how much enjoyment Amala gets from thrifting.
Hannah, 27

Now you be the judge

In our online poll, tell us: should Amala stop bringing home thrifted objects?

The poll is now closed

Last week’s result

We asked whether Rebecca should pay for her own contact lenses.

68% of you said Rebecca is guilty
32% of you said Rebecca is innocent