UMaine Orono To Skip ‘Clean Sweep Sale’ Again This Year, But Vows It Will Return

For the second year in a row, the University of Maine in Orono has cancelled their annual "Clean Sweep Sale."

This sale has been a tradition for decades. It's both a chance for students to unload items that they needed during the school year,  but don't want to take with them with they pack up for the summer and a chance for the community to get a great deal on items they may want to buy.

At the heart, it's a gigantic end-of-year yard sale. The Clean Sweep sale started on campus, by some old storage units. Students donate what they don't want to bring home, custodial staff round up things left behind after people move out, and the University gets a chance to unload things like furniture and fixtures that are still usable, when updates to facilities are made.

It grew into something so big that they moved the event to the Alfond Arena, filling it to the brim with offerings.

Last year, due to the renovations at the Alfond, the UMaine Bodwell Center, which has taken over the planning of the yearly sale, had to cancel the event because of the work being done. They were hoping to bring the sale back in 2025, but it doesn't look like that has been possible.

"Folks have been asking so here is the information you didn't want.  The Clean Sweep Sale is canceled again for this year.  Construction is still making the building inaccessible.  This is an important program on campus, and it will come back!  Hopefully for next year."

Here's hoping they are able to bring the event back in 2026.