# Clothes from Goodwill, Savers, what is that smell?



## mich

Goodwill or Savers, it's the same smell. I don't like it and it takes a while to wear off. It's still there after I wash and dry a few times. At first I thought it was detergent smell from the donator, but it's always the same smell.

I love buying second hand, great clothes at a fraction the price. But I hate the smell. I am now imagining some toxic treatment they use to "clean" the clothes and it's freaking me out!

I bought a sheet for my son's bed once and had to line dry it for a week to get rid of the smell. Cold weather is on the way and that's going to be harder to do.

What is that smell? And how do I get rid of it quicker? Any ideas?


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## jeteaa

Ya, same here. I wonder if they spray everything with Lysol? I use oxy clean w/ my free and clear detergent. the smell usually comes out after a few washes. Although, clothes with perfume or smoke never seem to not smell.


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## neverdoingitagain

That musty smell? Or are you talking about a different smell?
I buy from second hand/thrift stores quite a bit. I think all clothes get that musty smell after awhile. Its just washing that gets rid of it with your regular clothes. I have clothes hanging in a downstairs closet thats starting to smell like that


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## savannah smiles

Quote:


Originally Posted by *neverdoingitagain* 
That musty smell? Or are you talking about a different smell?
I buy from second hand/thrift stores quite a bit. I think all clothes get that musty smell after awhile. Its just washing that gets rid of it with your regular clothes. I have clothes hanging in a downstairs closet thats starting to smell like that









I notice the same dreadful musty smell whenever I unbox dd1's outgrown clothes to sift through for dd2.


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## littlemizflava

tto and baking soda (sometimes vinigar) in wash, in rince tto with vinigar and tto on a cloth in the dryer. i dont wash on hot and if they were really smelly when drying i smell them before they are dry. i find that the heat makes the smell worse and harder to come out to see seems to work 99% of the time. i need to figure out how to get the smell of (b.o., musty, smoke, weed, drugs, smell out of downfilled jackets)


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## stormborn

I usually hang them outside for a few days, plus spray with vinegar if it's really bad.
I don't think they do anything to the stuff though...every thrift store I've ever been to has that smell. Sorta like attics all smell alike; it's just a combination of other people's smells all jumbled into the 'goodwill funk'.







:


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## babycarrier

I run a x large wash and put in a scoop of borax and some of my regular detergent. leave the lid open and let everything sit overnight and run in the morning.


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## Fujiko

I really want to know what it is, too. I KNOW it's not just "old", "musty", or "attic" smell. I have lots of experience with _those_ smells, and I don't use many chemicals (especially not fragranced chemicals) in my home so whenever I smell something from Goodwill or Value Village I can tell it's chemically. KWIM? Those clothes never smell like various detergents, air fresheners, or even like they've been stored. They all smell like the same chemical.


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## HempyHippyMama

Mothball stuff?


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## rainbowmoon

my DP seriously thought they washed the clothes before they sold them!







I found this out because one time he bought some stuff then proceeded to wear it without washing it first. ewwww!


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## inkedmamajama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *littlemizflava* 
tto and baking soda (sometimes vinigar) in wash, in rince tto with vinigar and tto on a cloth in the dryer. i dont wash on hot and if they were really smelly when drying i smell them before they are dry. i find that the heat makes the smell worse and harder to come out to see seems to work 99% of the time. i need to figure out how to get the smell of (b.o., musty, smoke, weed, drugs, smell out of downfilled jackets)

this is what i would suggest as well-baking soda works wonders on our dumpster dive treasures!!


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## bjorker

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Fujiko* 
I really want to know what it is, too. I KNOW it's not just "old", "musty", or "attic" smell. I have lots of experience with _those_ smells, and I don't use many chemicals (especially not fragranced chemicals) in my home so whenever I smell something from Goodwill or Value Village I can tell it's chemically. KWIM? Those clothes never smell like various detergents, air fresheners, or even like they've been stored. They all smell like the same chemical.

I agree. It's always that exact same smell, kinda salty smelling? Very strange. I wanna know what it is, too.


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## Momalea

Now I'm curious too! I'm pretty sensitive to chemical smells and the Value Village smell doesn't affect me. In fact, I kinda like it.







Maybe because I associate the smell with a good deal?
I do make sure to wash all clothes before wearing. I have always been able to get the smell out with just one wash though.


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## marimara

I always thought it was the mixture of all the clothes from all those different houses mixing together. I wash w/Arm and Hammer detergent and do a vinegar rinse and it gets rid of the smell 98% of the time. Only a VERY old garment (or smoke, or sometimes synthetic fabrics are hard to clean) will hold onto the smell for more than 2 washes. I buy lots of vintage fabrics and am kinda used to it. I try to avoid buying synthetic fabrics for that reason. Plus I smell things in the store before I buy them. If they are really rank then I don't buy it.


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## yukookoo

yeah its lysol or some other spray disinfectant

I consulted with a company that helped people with disabilities find work and one of the places they worked was thrift stores, so through following clients around doing assessments, I got to go in the back of the store and watch them take clothes from big dumpster sized boxes, spray them with lysol or disinfectant A LOT OF IT up and down and then hang them up to go out.


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## UptownZoo

Yeah; I asked about it once. It's too expensive to wash it all, but if they didn't deodorize it somehow, the whole store would smell like BO all the time, so that's not good.

I'm a huge thrift store shopper, too, and I've tried everything. I've never found anything I can put in the wash and get the smell out in one cycle. What I've found that works is to first soak overnight in the washer with borax and detergent, then wash and rinse. Then I wash again, in the hottest water safe for the fabric, this time with ammonia. The reason for this is, I've found that so much of what I buy secondhand has loads and heaps of fabric softener in it, which is very sticky. Since it's so sticky and embedded deep in the fibers, it's hard to wash out plus it retains that odor. Ammonia is the only thing that can really eat away all that yucky waxy stuff, especially in heavier things like blankets and jackets. I know it's not the most natural thing you can do, but honestly it's the only thing I've found that really works. I'd rather use something harsh in the machine that I know will completely rinse away (ammonia will not linger in the fibers after rinsing any more than vinegar does) than put something harsh on our bodies!

If all that fails and it still comes out of the dryer stinky, I hang it all outside in the sun for awhile (heat doesn't matter so much as sun, which is the best deodorizer). Then I wash and dry again, which is not necessary for most people but DH and youngest DS have severe allergies so I do it.

Lots of work, yes, but since I save around $1000 per year by buying used, it's worth it.


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## UptownZoo

Oh, and on a side note, can you imagine how icky it all is for the people whose job it is to spray that stuff all day long? I don't think I could stand it! If I have to spray things, even natural, non-toxic cleaners, I do it outside whenever possible, or open all the windows because I can't stand those smells. Yuck! I hope they at least provide masks in most stores to filter out the worst of it.


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## bigteamug

I would assume they don't wash it, and I have started washing anything that comes from the thrift store as soon as I get it home, and it stays in the plastic bag until then...with the return of bedbugs, it just seems like a good idea. I also no longer buy stuff that cannot be washed from a thrift (or if I did, it'd sit in the garage or something for quite awhile first....found some shoe bargains I couldn't resist recently, but they were like new).

the funk smell does seem to vary from store to store - St Vincents used to smell _really_ bad, and they have gotten better in the years since then.


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## jocelyndale

It's gotten much harder to remove over the last several years. I no longer buy used clothing because of how tenacious synthetic fragrances are getting. I think the goodwill smell is a combination of detergent fragrance, fabric softener, febreze, and possibly lysol or another disinfectant spray.

Anyhow, it's not worth it to me to buy used clothes, not if I have to wash them a zillion times and hang them up in the sun and rain for six months. May as well just wear rags, in that case.


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## Drummer's Wife

This is icky. I had no idea they didn't wash anything, much less that they sprayed it all down with lysol type crap.

I also am thinking twice about buying used clothing from anywhere b/c I cannot tolerate strong smelling perfume-y detergents or clothing saturated in fabric softener. I just bought DS some jeans from another board and washed them over and over again - and they still reek. I am super sensitive to chemicals, though, so I should just stick to new and save myself the trouble. I wish the whole world was synthetic fragrance-free









No wonder thrift stores always smell funky (this is always DH's excuse to never go to one).


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## JamieCatheryn

Mine smell like febreeze or fabric softener when we get them until after a few washes.


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## onelilguysmommy

I know of one that does wash everything that comes in and it still smells funky in there. Blech!


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## allnaturalmom

*Quote:*


Originally Posted by *UptownZoo* 
Then I wash again, in the hottest water safe for the fabric, this time with ammonia.


How much ammonia? I've never used it before, but I'm desperate over here!


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## 2xy

I worked at a Value Village for a while (like, 20 years ago) and don't remember them spraying the clothing with anything.


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## jane-t-mommy

A friend recently had a lice outbreak at her house and had to de-louse everything. She used a spray for items that couldn't be put into the wash (like furniture....) she said it's the same stuff they use at Goodwill....it's really cut down on my shopping joy.....


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## GardenStream

We don't shop at Goodwill because of that smell. My DH will actually start coughing and wheezing when we get in there. He had asthma as a kid and I have never seen him have any issues with it except when we walk into Goodwill.

Luckily we have a wonderful thrift store right across the street from Goodwill that doesn't have that smell at all. It's clean, nice, organized, and cheap.


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## UptownZoo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *allnaturalmom* 
*
*

How much ammonia? I've never used it before, but I'm desperate over here!









One cup.


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## allnaturalmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UptownZoo* 
One cup.


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## annekevdbroek

I always thought it was a combination of mildew/musty + a mixture of all the artifical fragrances dumped on everything.

I talked to someone once who sorted clothing donations and she said many of the bags of clothing come in and the clothing is dirty - its like someone donates their dirty laundry bag full of stuff. So, when a bag like that is dumped in on a table or in a bin for sorting, with a few bags of other clothes (that might have been clean) all the funkiness just mingles together.


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## ccavrose

I recently discovered the Goodwill Outlet, and got a bunch of leather belts, leather purses, and straw bags for $8! But when I got them home I realized that most of it had that Goodwill smell, and because they are not washable, I'm not sure how to get the smell out. Any suggestions.


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## MovnMama

Honestly, it's just musty-ness. They don't spray with any chemicals. I worked as a mgr for Val Vil for a while in 2002 - 2003 and worked the sorting table. Here's how it worked:

1. People donate stuff. The condition of the stuff is the responsibility of the donator. They put it on the porch and Recipient agency picks it up (ARC, battered women's shelter, whatnot.)

2. Stuff is stacked on carts(40s, 30s, etc. I have know idea why they're called that but they're different sizes.) as a super, we had to verify that the whole cart was full because Val Vil buys those carts from their NPO partners. Getting moneys worth, yk.

3. Sorters (that's their job, sorting icky used clothes) sort the clothes and they trash the gross or stained stuff. No washing happens at all. Sellable stuff is hung on hangers and priced by the privets for sale.

4. You buy it, wash it, and wear it. If it's smelly, don't buy it. Yeah, the store kinda smells, but not each piece. A lot of people DO wash before they donate. Others just pull that 20 year old bag out of the attic/basement and throw it on the porch. If u think about it, used books often smell the same way for the same reason.

So It's kind of a gamble, that way... (Ha, I was going to say "kind of a wash" but that seemed wrong, somehow..) LOL

K


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## MsFortune

I buy a lot of thrift store clothes and I don't have this problem. Just washing the clothes normally works for me.

The only smell I have gotten is musty old smell. Sometimes it does not wash out of vintage polyester but only if its super funky to start with.


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## Ruthiegirl

Could it be a Goodwill policy? I do not notice any chemical smell in our local thrift shops, but none of the are Goodwills. There is a musty BO smell, but I have shopped second hand for so long now that I kind of like that smell.







I just wash everything and am good to go.


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## lotus_j

I grew up in the backroom of Value Villages (my mom was the manager). They never used to wash the clothes nor did they spray it with anything. Its possible that they started doing that over the last 5 years since I haven't been in their backrooms since about 5 years ago. I doubt they would add an extra expense though.


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## swede

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *2xy*
> 
> I worked at a Value Village for a while (like, 20 years ago) and don't remember them spraying the clothing with anything.


I was recently in Saver's and the employee there told me they put it right out from the donation bag. They don't wash or treat anything at all. If it's not in good enough condition to put out, they donate it on to another charity( one that gives clothes to be used as stuffing/filling in other things).


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## diana_of_the_dunes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fujiko*
> 
> I really want to know what it is, too. I KNOW it's not just "old", "musty", or "attic" smell. I have lots of experience with _those_ smells, and I don't use many chemicals (especially not fragranced chemicals) in my home so whenever I smell something from Goodwill or Value Village I can tell it's chemically. KWIM? Those clothes never smell like various detergents, air fresheners, or even like they've been stored. They all smell like the same chemical.


When I was in college, I bought an old wooden ironing board at Goodwill... I was so excited about it, and when I showed it to my boyfriend (now DH), the first thing he said was that it "smells like poverty."







(He has no problem shopping at Goodwill or thrift stores now, but his mom shopped there exclusively when he was little, and often bought him ill-fitting clothes because they were nice, or clothes he hated because they fit. He likes it much more now that he gets to pick his own clothes.)

I've noticed the same smell from clothes from Once Upon a Child as well, though not as strong, and I know they don't treat with anything. I think a lot of it is just the mish-mash of fabric softener/detergent scents, plus a bit of old and musty thrown in. It also takes us a few washes to get the funk out, but I've never done anything special to pre-treat. I'll have to try some baking soda or something next time.


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## choli

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *annekevdbroek*
> 
> I always thought it was a combination of mildew/musty + a mixture of all the artifical fragrances dumped on everything.
> 
> I talked to someone once who sorted clothing donations and she said many of the bags of clothing come in and the clothing is dirty - its like someone donates their dirty laundry bag full of stuff. So, when a bag like that is dumped in on a table or in a bin for sorting, with a few bags of other clothes (that might have been clean) all the funkiness just mingles together.


Oh that is gross. I can't imagine not at least washing and folding the clothes before I donate. Sometimes I iron them as well.


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## amcal

All the Goodwills around here use an air freshener that has a very chemically almost cinnamony smell. Combined with all the old furniture, shoes, unwashed clothes etc... it creates a strong odor.


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## NettleTea

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ccavrose*
> 
> I recently discovered the Goodwill Outlet, and got a bunch of leather belts, leather purses, and straw bags for $8! But when I got them home I realized that most of it had that Goodwill smell, and because they are not washable, I'm not sure how to get the smell out. Any suggestions.


I recently bought a huge ziploc bag of embroidery thread from a yard sale. Unfortunately it smelled strongly of fabric softener. So I took a small sized ziploc type bag and poked several holes in it with an ice pick type tool (a fork would also do it just fine) and then I filled it with baking soda and added drops of lavender oil to the baking soda. I put this bag of baking soda inside the ziploc bag of embroidery thread, sealed it up and left it for a few weeks. Problem solved. The thread no longer carried the odor of fabric softener. I'd suggest taking the items that smell and putting them in a sealed bag or container of some sort along with a bag of baking soda mixture like the one I made.


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## Jane

I think it's some form of mold. I smell it in storage situations. Some people's garage sales smell like that. It's kind of a mix of Old Book-moisture-dust-Oil-Mildew. I'm really sensitive to it since it is the one smell trigger that gives my husband migraines. The moment I smell it, I hustle him OUT OUT OUT of there.
That and tea tree oil, that's the other trigger, if it's in large amounts.
I haven't had too much trouble washing it out of things with a good heavy duty washing. I wouldn't buy something that couldn't be washed with a good brush and left in the sun for a while. OR thrown in the washing machine on warm/heavy with a little oxy.

I do miss thrift stores and garage sales. But I like my husband more.


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## NettleTea

I might be wrong, but I think that there's two different smells being discussed in this thread. One is the musty, dirty, "old clothes" type smell. And the other is the strong, chemical, "air freshener" (barfy) smell that is HELL to remove from clothes and other items. I've experienced both and I'll take the musty smell any day over the chemical smell.


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## DaughterOfKali

My mom shops at Savers and told me about the smell. That's nasty that they spray them with disinfectant! We have severe asthma/allergies so we can't buy second hand clothes from places like that. Yucky.


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## hildare

i don't know what the value place is but i frequent the goodwill.

to me, it smells like some sort of laundry detergent. i honestly think that at the goodwill they wash the clothes first. how could there not be dirty stuff? or do they throw it out.

whatever it is, it doesn't smell like the nonscented laundry stuff we use, and it usually overpowers our eco friendly unscented stuff for the first couple of washings but it comes out eventually...

i was so curious i tried to call them to ask but they transferred me to voice-mail-land.


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## consumeraj

I, too, have noticed the chemical/perfume smell from ALL of the Goodwill stores in the pacific northwest area. It does not respond to normal washing, in fact I've washed clothes up to 6 times with little effect. Other stores - such as the local Orthopedic Thrift shop - do NOT have that smell. I have asked the local manager at Goodwill if she sprays anything on them, and she denies this. So, I'm just starting my research. I suspect it's an anti-bug treatment, but we really need to find out. I don't want to be wearing toxic chemicals just to save a buck!


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## pek64

Our local thrift store clothes have a cedar smell, but it washes right out. I wouldn't wear anything if the smell didn't wash out. I would recommend looking for smaller, local thrift shops.


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## 4evermom

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *consumeraj*
> 
> I, too, have noticed the chemical/perfume smell from ALL of the Goodwill stores in the pacific northwest area. It does not respond to normal washing, in fact I've washed clothes up to 6 times with little effect. Other stores - such as the local Orthopedic Thrift shop - do NOT have that smell. I have asked the local manager at Goodwill if she sprays anything on them, and she denies this. So, I'm just starting my research. I suspect it's an anti-bug treatment, but we really need to find out. I don't want to be wearing toxic chemicals just to save a buck!


Try doing the first wash with a bunch of vinegar (a couple cups). Then do a second wash with a bunch of baking soda (another couple cups). I've always been able to get smells out with enough baking soda. I think the first wash with vinegar helps strip waxy residue and build up from things like drier sheets. Then the second wash with baking soda can really get into all the fibers of the fabric.

I think the chain thrift stores are required to disinfect everything. I've heard the guy at Salvation Army tell people they can't buy something because it hasn't been disinfected yet (when the customer sees something in the sorting area). There aren't any washers so I bet it's a lysol type spray. I've seen people at St Vincent De Paul's spraying furniture with a squirt bottle, probably an alcohol mixture.

You might get better info from Goodwill if you ask how they disinfect donated clothes rather than asking what toxic chemicals they spray;-) Then, they will be more likely to want to reassure you that the clothes are clean and disinfected and not just hung up in whatever state they have been donated in. Whereas if they think you are worried about chemicals, they might want to reassure you that they didn't spray anything on them. The truth might be another type of non-spray treatment.


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## loveandgarbage

Wow, so this is why my eyes get itchy if I'm at a thrift store!


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## 4evermom

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *loveandgarbage*
> 
> Wow, so this is why my eyes get itchy if I'm at a thrift store!


Bummer! I get headaches from all the off gassing or whatever in stores filled with new products.


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## consumeraj

Thanks, that's a good approach....I tend to come in swinging, ha....but also, I have a concern for people who are spraying this stuff. Large corporations have ways of ignoring the health of the workers, but I'm hoping Goodwill is not one of those companies. I have filled my house and closet with their philanthropy.

I used about a half gallon of white vinegar on an entire load and that got most of the smell. Will try the baking soda next time.


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## Poddi

Ours tend to smell like nothing, or dryer sheets. I hate the dryer sheets smell and wash them a few times first. Most thrift stores here are relatively new, though so they don't have musty smell yet. We usually go to one that's just opened last year. I don't think they washed them all, though, just deodorized. Because sometimes after I wash a garment, it tend to smell a bit stale. I think that means I washed the deodorizing stuff off so the original smell came out. But another wash or two would take care of that.


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## kt~mommy

i think its mothballs and "old" smell... i never have trouble getting the smell out with the first wash. i usually wash my thrift purchases in warmer water than i normally would use, and my powdered detergent does the rest... maybe a drier sheet would also help?


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## elizabethtilley

I suspect that the smell is fabric softener, either from the thrift stores themselves (if they wash the clothes) or from previous owners. I have tried a number of things, but some clothes just had to be thrown out b/c the smell would not go away. Airing outside works pretty well; repeated washings help some. I also have a charcoal stick that manages to absorb odors pretty well: I got it for purifying water, but I use it mainly to deodorize things. It's literally a stick about six inches long and it's black. I put it in an airtight bag or box with the smelly clothes, and leave it there for a week or so. It usually absorbs the perfume.


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