It came as an unholy shock.
A seemingly guilt-free hoarder, who loved both his faith and the vulgar, fled his home, leaving behind his entire collection of X-rated and religious material – which later caused problems for the house’s new owners. done
Sydney Lima, 27, and her boyfriend Kieran Walsh, also 27, were looking for an apartment when they stumbled upon a three-story Jersey City, New Jersey, house that was cheaper than most apartments.
After booking a viewing in February 2022, the couple made the unholy discovery that the entire house was covered from floor to ceiling in porn, Bibles and other trash.
Both Lima and Walsh recall having to wade through 3-foot-tall piles of rubble in the two-bedroom house.
“You couldn’t get in the door, there was so much stuff, it’s wild,” Lima told Jam Press. “When we finally got in, I was just blown away. I have never experienced anything like this. “
“There wasn’t an inch of the house that wasn’t full,” said the optimistic homeowner.
“I feel like I was inside that person’s mind. There was too much stuff, and you couldn’t walk without stopping,” he added. “There was stuff everywhere, but at the same time, it was so organized, it was amazing.”
“The biggest thing we got in the house was books. He had books everywhere,” Lima recalled. “There was no part of the house that was not piled high with books.”
Lima also revealed that the previous tenant had seemingly kept every piece of mail she received.
“He was a very sarcastic man,” Lima recalled. “He had a lot of religious stuff, like stuff for the Catholic Church and Bibles, and he also had a lot of porn.”
In April 2022, the couple decided to give the apartment a new lease on life and began cleaning out the stack.
“I’m into vintage fashion, and I really only shop at thrift stores and second-hand shops, so I was like, ‘I’ll take over, this will be my dream come true,'” Lima said. said “I guess it was meant to be.”
He said they first started with “all the little things, like the mail” and then moved on to books, trash and more.
Lima recalled that he made several trips to a local store, where he was able to re-home several truckloads of stockpiled books.
“We found this bookstore nearby that took all the books,” Lima said. “We probably went back and forth about 20 times with a big truck full of books and they welcomed them with open arms.”
However, the couple did not throw everything out. According to Lima, both she and her boyfriend saved several records, glasses and vintage playbill covers to use as decorations.
“It has really consumed my mind. It really amazes me what we put in, and then seeing the transformation is surreal,” Lima said. “I’m really looking forward to trying to make it my own, make it cozy and incorporate some of the things we’ve got at home.”
After a year of hard work, Lima said she loves the process, and the couple is excited to move in later this month.
“I’m constantly thinking how lucky I am to have all these treasures inside of me,” Lima said. “I get to see a glimpse of the past and live in a place that we made with our own hands.”
