How To Get Rid Of That Charity Shop Smell On Clothes

Bought a preloved item of clothing and discovered it’s got a nasty odour? All is not lost. Here’s exactly how to get rid of that charity shop smell from clothes, using eight natural yet effective methods.

There’s not a charity shop in the land that I can walk past without going in. It’s like a magnetic pull. What can I say, I absolutely love a good rummage through the rails.

I’ve been shopping in charity shops for over 20 years now, and I’m proud to say that the bulk of my wardrobe is made up of preloved pieces. I’ve had some amazing finds over the years – including an amazing vintage Versace skirt for just £9.99. However, I’ve had a few (thankfully rare!) purchases that when I got them home realised they had a bit of an unfortunate pong.

The worst ever was the time when my partner bought a secondhand vintage jacket from eBay, and it smelled like it had spent the last fifty years shoved down the back of a cushion in very smoky and dingy pub. That jacket had seen some sights alright. The stories it could tell! Thankfully, we were able to get that smell out and make it wearable again.

If you’re dealing with a similarly pongy item – whether it’s perfume, fabric conditioner, cigarette smoke, a damp and musty smell, or something else – then don’t worry. I’ve got heaps of tried and tested tips to get bad smells out of practically every item of preloved clothing.

How To Remove Smells From Preloved Clothing

Here are my top tips to get any charity shop smell out of any item of clothing:

Give Them a Good Wash

I find it’s good practice to wash secondhand clothes before wearing them – whether they are from a charity shop or from an online marketplace like Vinted. And a good wash can get most bad smells out without having to do anything else more involved, so it’s a great place to start.

To get started, check the clothing care label, and then wash it using your usual laundry detergent on the cycle the label recommends.

If you want a more belt and braces approach, you can add around 250 grams of bicarbonate of soda straight into the drum before you hit start on the wash cycle. You can also swap regular fabric conditioner for white vinegar. In terms of dosage, you can fill the fabric conditioner dispenser with white vinegar.

Both bicarbonate or soda work wonders at neutralising bad odours rather than just masking them. And the vinegar smell doesn’t hang around – so there are no worries about replacing one bad smell with another. It disspates as your clothes dry, leaving them smelling clean and fresh.

Just don’t add them both to the drum at the same time. Make sure the bicarbonate of soda is in the drum and the vinegar is in the fabric conditioner dispenser. Otherwise, the two will mix in the wash cycle and immediately cancel each other out before they get a chance to work their deodorising magic.

If you’re dealing with delicate fabrics, handwashing them with a gentle detergent can be just as effective. You can also add a little bicarbonate of soda to the soapy water for that extra deodorising boost.

Let Fresh Air Get To Work

Once you’ve washed your clothes, avoid putting them in the tumble dryer. It’s good advice at the best of times (#EnergySaving), but even better advice when it comes to clothes with bad odours. This is because the high heat can bake in bad smells.

If you’ve got garden space, hang your item on the washing line to dry. And if you don’t have garden space, pop your item on a clothes horse next to an open window. The fresh air and sunlight can make a world of difference to how an items smells.

Try a Natural Odour Absorber

If you’ve tried washing and air-drying and the charity shop smells are still lingering, then there are a few other tricks to try.

The first is to try a natural odour absorber, such as bicarbonate of soda. This is because bicarbonate of soda isn’t just good in the wash – it also works wonders when sprinkled directly onto dry clothes.

There are a couple of different ways to use it. You can lay your item out on a towel, and apply a liberal coating of bicarbonate of soda. You can leave your item to sit overnight, and then shake or brush off the bicarb.

Alternatively you can pop your item of clothing in a sealed bag with a few large spoons of bicarbonate of soda. Give the bag a good shake, and then leave the bag sealed or for a day or two to absorb the odours.

Opt For Borax For Musty Smells

If your clothes smell specifically of mould or mildew, then borax is the thing to reach for.

To use it effectively, dissolve around 100 grams of borax in a sink of warm water. Let your clothes soak in the solution for about 30 minutes before popping them in your washing machine with your usual detergent, or handwashing them.

Bust Out The Vodka

If you need a quick temporary fix to tackle smells on your charity shop clothes, you can use vodka to make a non-toxic fabric refresher spray. It might sound offbeat, but the alcohol temporarily kills the odour-causing bacteria responsible for causing those bad smells. Plus, like vinegar, vodka dries without leaving a smell behind.

Simply fill a spray bottle with vodka, and test the spray in a hidden spot to make sure the vodka doesn’t damage the fibres. If all looks ok, you can then give your item a good mist, before leaving it to dry.

Theatres rely heavily on this tip to keep their costumes fresh in-between shows. Not convinced? The Nationale Opera & Ballet use vodka on their tutus to keep them from smelling bad.

Use Newspaper For Leather Jackets & Bags

Newspaper is surprisingly effective at drawing out unwanted smells, especially from leather jackets and bags that can’t easily be washed. The paper helps to absorb any lingering scents, leaving your leather item smelling fresher.

All you need to do is crumple up a few sheets of paper and place them inside the item – including the sleeves and pockets. You should then wrap your jacket or bag in newspaper (although just be careful if it’s a light colour that the newsprint won’t rub of on to it). You’ll then want to pop it in a bag or box lined with newspaper for anywhere between a couple of days and a couple of weeks, depending on the severity of the smell.

Try The Freezer

It might sound odd, but I’ve found that popping smelly clothes into a bag and leaving them in the freezer overnight can help kill bacteria that cause odours. This works particularly well for vintage fabrics that can’t be washed as easily, but also for clothes that aren’t visibily dirty and just need a freshen up.

I’ve written a big guide to freezing clothes with all you need to know.

Peppermint Castile Soap

Finally, if all else fails and you cannot get that charity shop smell out for love nor money, then all is not lost. Dr Bronner’s Peppermint Liquid Castile Soap (available at Ethical Superstore) is the stuff you need.

It’s quite expensive (almost £16 for 475 ml) but you just need a little bit, and I haven’t found anything it won’t take nasty smells out of. Plus it’s incredibly versatile, and you can use it in heaps of different ways.

If you’re handwashing, you only need around 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of soap to a sink of water. Let your clothes soak for around 10 minutes in the soapy water, before giving them a bit of a scrub and a a rinse.

If you want to use it in the washing machine, it’s a bit less efficient, price-wise, as Dr Bronner’s suggest using a whopping 80 – 120 ml of soap. It’s also wise to add some vinegar to the fabric conditioner drawer and some bicarb into your drum. However, it certainly packs a punch in dealing with those bad odours.

Wait, Don’t Charity Shops Wash Clothing?

Lots of people assume that charity shops wash every item before putting it on the racks, but the reality is that no, most charity shops don’t wash clothing donations. This is because most don’t have the time, resources, or facilities to launder all the clothes they receive.

Instead, they rely on donors to ensure that items are clean and in good condition before they’re handed in. Many shops may steam-clean garments to freshen them up and remove creases. However, this is more about making them look presentable on the rails, rather than anything else.