The ACTUAL Risks of Thrifting Clothes

Thrifting has gotten a bit of a bad reputation in popular culture. Until very recently, it was actually far more common to look down on thrifted clothing as "lesser", but luckily the recent popularity of thrifted style has been a major factor in redefining the face of secondhand clothing. HOWEVER, this does not mean that buying secondhand is completely risk free. There are some factors that should be considered when you shop at thrift stores. Most of us are aware of stains and smells, but far more hazardous is the potential to bring home a fresh bedbug infestation. These are very real issues, and while thrifting IS still king when it comes to giving up fast fashion - proper precautions should always be taken.
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Hi! I'm The Stitchess! I'm an interdisciplinary artist and seamstress. I started sewing when I was 8 and loved it so much I made it the focus of my study in college. After a lifetime of battling severe mental health issues - I found healing in the radical softness and Japanese kawaii communities. As much as I love fashion and clothing, I also think it's important to consider how and where clothing is made. I went fast fashion free at the start of 2019 to voice my concerns over the rapid consumerism gripping the garment industry. By no means am I perfect, but I think it's important to show that change is a process. I believe it is always important to strive to be better, even if perfection is unattainable. Thank you so much for letting me share my art and process with you. I hope we can all grow together!
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Intro: Garden in Bloom by Mike Franklyn
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[maxhasproblems]

my parents have always, ALWAYS, taught me to wash anything and everything that’s been thrifted, thank god.

[digimaui]

I work at a (non-thrift) retail store and a little girl made a comment to her mom that when they got home they could wash the pajamas they were buying and wear them that night and the mom said "you don't wash pajamas before wearing them!" and I was HORRIFED. Wash EVERYTHING before you wear it, even if it's new!! You don't know how many times something's been tossed to the floor, stepped on, rolled over, been touched by someone's questionable hands, etc.

[AppalachianAllegory]

I have sprayed garments down with vodka to get rid of smoke smell.

[michalinaagiewka]

When I just moved and almost all of my clothes were still on the floor in some bags my cat decided to pee all over the floor. I put all my clothes in the bathtub w/ hot water until everything was submerged then added a lot of lavender fabric softener (the thing u use to make ur clothes smell nice when u wash them). I left it like this for a while until the water got cold then washed it w/ more laundry detergent and fabric softener than usual. The smell went away completely so I suggest trying this before you give up on clothes that smell bad.

[toericabaker]

16:10 NO. Water is NOT enough to kill bed bugs/eggs. It needs to be HEATED in the dryer. The temperature kills them, not the washing.

[sophie]

From someone who studies chemistry: if freezing the garment doesn't fix bad smell from bacteria (as freezing doesn't kill all bacteria) you can try applying high-concentration alcohol (like rubbing alcohol and alcohol bought at the pharmacy) as that kills most bacteria, I mean: that's what hand sanitizer is, after all

[pumpkinnecromancer]

I’ve been working at a thrift store lately and we have to put a tips list because some people treat us like a dumpster

-wash your clothes before donating!!!
-Don’t donate your undergarments (seriously throw out your old underwear; no one wants that nasty shit)
-no embroidered/personalized items, uniforms, etc.
-any stuffies should also be clean and in decent condition
-glassware should be free of cracks. Don’t worry about having the full set. And obviously you should also wash them.
-our store is in partnership with an animal shelter so if youre donating blankets or towels for animals to use, do not store them with your other donations.
-make sure electronic items work as they should. And please remove the batteries.
-DEFINITELY donate anything that’s typically expensive in regular retail!
-any clothes that aren’t in good condition but are donated anyways (excluding undergarments because ugh) they will be recycled

Honestly any thrift store worker should 100% make some kinda thing like this so other people don’t treat their store like a dumping ground.

[CobraCreates]

I used to work at Target in the clothing department, and for a brief while I worked the super early shift that unloaded the truck and put new stuff out. I cannot describe the dry, nasty, grimy feeling my hands had every day after handling all those clothes. Please for the love of god wash everything you buy, new or used.

[shannonbananan]

I live near a local vintage fashion store (not quite a thrift store but it’s the best i got) and instead of sizes they put the measurements on the clothes! I was so happy when they showed me, especially as a plus size person.
Also to anyone listing clothes online: PLEASE PUT THE MEASUREMENTS! Especially for “oversized” clothes, don’t tell me it’s a medium when the bust is 50”

[hwrencleaveland]

the last point reminds me of the time I took a pretty nice arm chair in off the curb. looked decent. didn't smell. so being dumb, poor and in college we took it in. fast forward a couple weeks and I have some friends over getting ready to go out for my friends birthday. someone looks down and goes "whats that" and the chair was DRIPPING bugs. we hauled it out immediately and put a sign on it saying infested. moral of the story: always be wary of second hand textiles.

[mxterkai]

If you're a plus sized woman, I highly suggest looking in the men's section and seeing if there is something (usually tops) that you can tailor to fit your waist, etc. I'm non-binary. I have a large chest and I prefer masculine clothing most of the time. Wearing men's clothes and investing an extra $10 on tailoring has saved me a ton of money and allowed me to diversify my wardrobe. But I have female-identifying friends (cis and trans) who use this method and they come up with some really cute outfits!

[Syntox]

I've never had a problem with disease, bugs, etc buying second hand stores, and most places I thrift from are clean...I've never thought of this stuff

[naemiaw]

Having a fashion education, I would add that washing new clothing is still very important because the industry uses lots of coatings and primers for varied uses like preventing mold (obviously not LuLaRoe lol), bugs, or even setting the colors, preventing folds so the clothes appear crisp on the racks, etc etc. All these can leave traces even if the most toxic stuff is washed in the manufacturing process, it's always better to be careful.

[Themagpiecanfly]

Tips from a textile conservator in training:
Moth Ball smell (camphor or naphthalene)- this will not ever fully leave a garment and will be reactivated with water (do not steam garments with this smell). Airing out the garment will get rid of the smell in the time being. Be cautious with items with this smell, moth balls are potentially carcinogenic and I wear a respirator when working with these compounds in the lab.

Pests- clothing moths and carpet beetles are my worst nightmare so I quarantine all thrifted (and especially yard sale things) in my car for a week or so. Freezing the garment, whether in the freezer or outside if it is super cold for a week or more will kill just about anything. If you’re on a time crunch, pop the clothing in the dryer on high for 20mins or so. This should kill any pests (including mold!). I do not see this as a super prevalent problem in thrift stores, but it is certainly a possibility and an infestation can be disastrous.

WASHING WOOL WILL FELT IT! So don’t wash it, put it in the dryer or freeze it to get rid of pests. Silk can also be ruined with washing as can heavily tailored garments.

And surprisingly, oxi-clean gets out almost anything. Would not use this on an antique object, but great for thrifted cloths.

[haleyspence]

Being plus size and loving thrifting is a big struggle. I don't end up buying a lot of clothes at the thrift store for myself. I have a couple pieces that I *love*. But mostly, the desire to be plus size and anti-fast fashion means: making my own clothes a lot of the time. Finding sustainable/not overtly awful fabric has been a trial. "Luckily" for me, I recently inherited several yards of different fabrics from my grandma's stash.

[friedrice]

If you are triggered by or uncomfortable with measuring yourself, it can really help to carry string instead of a measurement tape. Wrap it around yourself and compare to the garments, except you don't have to look at any numbers and you are less likely to be able to track change over time without cutting saving the string. This means you are less likely to get obsessive about it.

[Waterliliy]

i work retail and i have been bitten by spiders that where on fuzzy rugs, towels and clothes, and from what i was told the spiders made nests in the clothing department.

[cyanide_lollipop]

Best things about thrifting:
price;
cool stuff you can't find in "regular" stores;
PURSES, HANDBAGS AND JEWELRY (my addictions, admittedly)

[oddytea]

For cat pee smell: Wash in washer with half a cup white vinegar. Do it again. Then wash normally without vinegar in washer. Then one last time without vinegar but with some fabric softener with a clean cotton scent. Even if you usually don't, do it this once. That usually does it :) Also does it with smell of puke, cigarette smoke and many more.

[sophisticatedPJs]

stitchess: *talking about stains in thrifted clothing*

Me, someone who almost exclusively wears black: hmm yes very interesting