Linda Forsythe, who works at A-1 Quality Cleaners in Butler Township, looks through the business' unclaimed clothing racks. She said she calls people at least six times and holds onto items for up to six months before selling them to recoup cleaning costs. Even wedding dresses, she said, are sometimes left behind or forgotten.

It could be a pile, a drawer or a closet, but many businesses maintain a lost and found.

Some say keys, sunglasses, jackets or umbrellas are the most common items left behind. But others boast diversity in their lost-and-found treasures.

Fickle findsWhen asked about the most unique item in the lost and found at Conley Resort in Penn Township, business manager Renee Iannotti hesitated before she answered."Jesus," Iannotti said, describing a wall ornament that was found after an apparent religious retreat."It was left unclaimed and seemed wrong to put Jesus in the lost and found, so we put the cross on the wall in the office," she said."I have the utmost respect for our housekeeping staff. They have found some pretty unusual things when cleaning the rooms," Ianotti added."Of course we have the usual razors and toothbrushes that you might expect. But occasionally, guests will leave behind entire suitcases of clothes, entire wardrobes hanging in closets as well as coats and shoes," she explained.

Being a golf resort in the summer, the golf shoes and golf clubs are typical items to find left behind."Sometimes coolers still filled with beer are left on the carts," she said."We have the water slide, and one winter, we found a big winter coat left in the pool area on a freezing winter day and marveled at how on such a cold day someone who had been swimming would walk out and leave that behind: They must have been cold on the way to their car," Ianotti said.Legally, the hotel is required to hold items left behind for 30 days before clearing them out of the lost and found."Every couple months or so we take what is acceptable to a local charity and donate it, hoping that someone who really needs it will find it," she added.Thrifty Car Rental in Cranberry Township has found some interesting items while inspecting cars upon their return. Manager Ethan Eberle said he is shocked by one item routinely left behind."We often find garage door openers in the cars after renters turn in their rental cars. I think we have a handful of them on hand now. The owners have been contacted, but they've never been claimed," Eberle said.The car rental's most commonly left items are CDs."We probably have more than 40 CDs that customers leave in the vehicle," said Eberle, who added that owners are contacted before items are shelved for pickup."Often with CDs, people don't return to claim them," he said.

"One time we found an entire set of golf clubs, clothes, shoes — the entire golf package — in the back of a car," he said. "Now, that was claimed much faster than a CD, but not as fast as I thought it would be."Finding what is left behind at the pool is a bit easier with the approach of the Penn Valley Athletic Club located on Monroe Road in Penn Township.Assistant pool manager Sarah Clouse said once or twice during the swimming season, lifeguards hold a "fashion show" dressed in items left behind."Our staff and guards will either wear or display the items as they do their jobs around the pool or during their breaks," she explained."People will actually come up and look at you and say, 'Hey, that is my hat' or 'my suit' or 'Those are my goggles. I wondered where they were,'" said veteran lifeguard Cory Baker of Saxonburg."Our members get a laugh out of the guards and staff on that day, and we have a good time," Clouse said. "But the best part is, our lost-and-found pile dwindles, and our members are reunited with their stuff."Items typically left include swim suits, towels, hats, goggles, shoes and clothing."We also find toiletry items and sports equipment and pool toys left behind as well," Clouse said.Additionally, the staff at Penn Valley Athletic Club displays items during the last week of the season, and the unclaimed items are cleaned and donated to local charities.

Storage units are a haven for left behind or unwanted items, but the offerings are not as glamorous or as valuable as one might think. Kim Smith, who operates Smithco Storage in Sarver, has found plenty."What is left behind is usually junk or things the owner didn't want to take in the first place," said Smith, who believes items left behind aren't forgotten by accident."Only one time was I surprised by something left behind. I found a box of photos of children from birth through graduation and thought that was unusual," she said.Smith said she has a charity group come in and go through the unclaimed items and distribute them to people who can use them.Other storage places such as Hindman Movers and Storage hold auctions for the items that remain unclaimed after a certain length of time.Just as irreplaceable as family photos are wedding gowns that sometimes are left at dry cleaners."We've had wedding dresses left behind for up to six months," said Linda Forsythe, who works at the A-1 Quality Cleaners in Butler Township."After calling them at least six times and holding it for six months, we then try to sell it only to recoup the cleaning costs that we've already invested.""One time, by the time the dress was done and customer was reached, the couple had already split and the dress was no longer wanted," Forsythe said.Currently, the business has one wedding dress that is available for sale because the customer has not returned phone calls or returned to claim it.The dress was added to the rack where other unclaimed garments are being sold for their cleaning costs."After we've tried to recover our expenses, we'll donate them to charity," Forsythe said.

Penn Valley Athletic Club lifeguards Renee Clouse, left, Jeanna Smialeck, Cory Baker and Aaron O'Leary hold a "fashion show" with lost-and-found items.

Conley Resort's most unusual lost-and-found item was a crucifix, which now hangs in the office.

Banquet manager Dawn George sifts through lost-and-found items at the Conley Resort in Penn Township. Because it is a golf resort in the summer, golf items are frequently left behind, but housekeepers sometimes find entire suitcases and wardrobes. If items are left unclaimed for more than 30 days, the resort donates acceptable items to local charities.