Done right, de-cluttering during spring cleaning can yield more cash than just spare change found amid the couch cushions.

We Americans are in love with our stuff, and we have way too much of it, says Gail Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. If you haven t used it or worn it in a year, sell it. In addition to profiting from the sale, you may be able to cut costs to store and maintain items.

Before you sell, do a quick online search for the item, using the make, model and other identifiers as keywords, says Brandie Kajino, a professional organizer in Vancouver, Wash. It s not uncommon to undervalue a used or older item -- that is, after all, the entire premise of collectibles shows like Antiques Roadshow.

Hosting a garage sale or setting up eBay listings is one way to clear things out, but there s no guarantee that you ll get top dollar. Before you resort to a big sale, try these tactics to profit:

Appliances

States' rebate programs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are in full swing. If you're ready to replace an air conditioner, refrigerator or other appliance, you could cut the purchase price by choosing a new one that's more energy efficient and recycling the old one. For example, an Illinois resident buying a $1,000 refrigerator could get a rebate for 15% of the purchase price ($150), plus another $100 for providing proof of recycling cutting their total bill by 25%. Many states have run through their rebate money quickly (in some cases, even just a day), so check if your state has program funds left before you decide to invest in a new appliance.

Books

If there's no secondhand bookstore nearby, compare each title s price at Cash4Books.net, run by Beaverton, Ore., store McKenzie Books. If you sell at least five books with the site, it offers free FedEx shipping. For payment, choose check or PayPal (you ll get a 3% bonus to offset PayPal fees). Don t expect to clear your bookshelves entirely, though, or make a huge profit. Whether a title sells and how much you ll get depends on the store s inventory, customer demand and condition of the book.

Clothing

Bring your gently worn pieces to a clothing reseller or consignment shop, Cunningham says. Resellers buy the item outright, while consigners agree to put it out in the store for a month or two and take a percentage of the price if it sells. Depending on where you live, shops of either type may want only high-end brands and designer names, she says. Before you bring in clothes, call around to compare fees -- some consigners take more than half of the selling price.

DVDs/CDs/Videogames

Secondhand disc sellers including BRE Software and CashforCDs.com offer cash for your playable media. Sell enough items and each site offers a prepaid mailer to cover postage. Choose to receive a check or payment via PayPal. As with books, whether a disc sells and how much you get depends on the store s inventory, customer demand and condition of the item. BRE Software offers less if you don t have the box and instructions for videogames, while CashforCDs.com won t accept discs without the front and back covers.

Electronics

Even that old iPod with the cracked screen may be worth something. A host of gadget sites and manufacturers buy used cellphones, digital cameras, MP3 players, computers and other devices. A first-generation BlackBerry Storm, for example, would fetch $84 at Gazelle.com if it s in working condition and has all its accessories. If your item can t be resold as is, many companies offer some value for its parts. Payment and prices vary by site, so shop around before accepting an estimate. Most sites also pay shipping to send in the gadget. Make sure your device is cleared of any personal information before you send it in, Kajino says.