How to remove smells from second-hand items at home, how to remove unpleasant odors from clothes with or without washing?

How to wash it properly?

The first thing that comes to mind is to wash unpleasant-smelling things. However, regular washing does not always help get rid of persistent odor.

The fact is that in the warehouse all clothes are treated with special substances that are designed to destroy microbes living on used items.

It is these chemicals that leave behind an unpleasant trail that cannot be removed with washing powder alone.

second-hand clothes

The water temperature should be the maximum allowable for the fabric. This will improve the quality of washing and remove maximum harmful substances from things.
Read also: How to distinguish silver from a fake: checking silver at home
It is recommended to increase the dose of powder by 1.5-2 times.
After washing, items should be rinsed thoroughly. If the treatment was carried out in a washing machine, then at least 3 rinse cycles should be run.
It is recommended to dry washed clothes in the fresh air.
You should not put your regular clothes, much less children’s items, in a drum with second-hand items.

If the item is made of natural fabric, then it will be easier to remove the unpleasant odor from it than from synthetic fibers. It should be taken into account that the denser and thicker the material, the more effort you will have to put in.

An important step in the fight against unpleasant odors is soaking. Ammonia helps eliminate it.

Procedure:

5 liters of water are taken into the basin;
add 20 ml of 10% ammonia solution and stir;
soak things in the prepared solution;
after 10 minutes they are removed, wrung out and hung out to dry;
When the clothes are dry, they are washed as usual, dried and ironed on both sides.

Ammonia is harmless to fabric, regardless of its color and composition. You can soak both thick jeans and knitted wool sweaters in it.

It is important not to disrupt the sequence of actions and first hang the product out to dry, and only then proceed with the main wash. While you are in the fresh air, formaldehyde will evaporate along with ammonia, and the smell will go away with it.

A solution of salt and table vinegar works well with an unpleasant plume. Use it as follows:

dilute 100 ml of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of table salt in 5 liters of water and stir until completely dissolved;
soak things for an hour, if the smell is intense, then this time is doubled;
Wring out and dry clothes in the fresh air;
After drying, wash the items as usual.

In addition to table salt, you can use sea bath salts. It itself has a bright aroma, for example, lemon or pine.

Reasons for the appearance of a specific second hand aroma

It has already been said that when dressing in Second Hand, there is a possibility of purchasing a used jacket, which means it can be a carrier of human diseases.

Since no one knows what set of skin diseases its previous owner had, therefore the specific second-hand smell emanating from clothes appears as a result of dry cleaning. Without going through this procedure, the item will not enter the consumer market.

So, the European decided to hand over part of his wardrobe to a collection point, which for some reason no longer suited him.

What happens to him next:

Employees inspect items for defects, but are not interested in and do not require a medical opinion about possible skin diseases from its owner.
Accepted products are massively dry-cleaned.
They are washed and disinfected repeatedly to kill dust mites, bacteria, insects, and particles of skin epithelium.

The concern is formaldehyde and methyl, which are part of the products and remain in the fabric fibers after washing.

If you start to care for the purchased clothes incorrectly, then there is a risk of being poisoned by vapors of toxic chemicals that have penetrated the body through the skin. Therefore, first you need to remove the second-hand smell, and only then put the products on your body. In addition, the richer they smell, the more dangerous compounds they contain.

How to remove an unpleasant odor without washing clothes?

Not all things can be washed and soaked; for example, a fur coat or leather skirt bought at a second-hand store will not withstand such treatment. And sometimes there is simply no time for this long process. In this case, you can try to get rid of the smell without washing. The most effective ways:

Steam generator

Before treating the item with a jet of steam, you need to add 3-5 drops of rosemary oil and 8 drops of lemon to the water compartment.

Aromatic herbs

To neutralize an unpleasant odor, you will need a mixture based on:

mint,
linden trees,
sage,
daisies,
yarrow.

All components are taken in equal proportions, mixed and distributed into several cotton bags, which are placed on a shelf with second-hand items. After 3 days, not a trace will remain of the unpleasant plume.

Exposure to cold

This is the least expensive way to combat foreign odors. In winter, you can hang things outside for a few days. During the warm season, it is recommended to use the freezer. They are wrapped in plastic and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. After this treatment, things need to be dried.

Coffee beans

Freshly ground grains help cope with the smell. They are ground into powder, which is poured into a cotton bag.

All items from the second-hand store are placed in a plastic bag, and ground coffee is also placed in it. The bag is tied and left for 3 days . During this time, the coffee will absorb the unpleasant smell, and the clothes will be saturated with the coffee aroma.

You can use ground store-bought coffee, but the effect will be less noticeable. You need to be prepared in advance for the fact that after removing the clothes from the bag, a distinct coffee smell will remain on them.

Natural soap

It is used in a similar way to coffee beans. The bar is grated, placed in sachet bags and stored. After 3 days, the fabric will be saturated with the pleasant aroma of your favorite soap.

The reason for the unpleasant odor on second-hand clothes and its effect on the human body

Before used clothing goes on sale, it is treated with special chemicals. They do this in order to destroy fungi, bacteria and other organisms that could be inherited from previous owners. Formaldehyde and methyl bromide are most often used to disinfect clothing and shoes. They are the culprits of the terrible “second-hand” aroma. Formaldehyde is a poison and a carcinogen, so in large quantities it can be harmful to the human body. According to sanitary standards, the remaining formaldehyde gas must be neutralized, but this is not always done efficiently. To be on the safe side, it is better to take care of this yourself. Then the clothes bought in second-hand stores will definitely be safe for you and your loved ones.

In second-hand stores you can buy very high quality and stylish clothes.

Helpful information

Tips to help remove unpleasant odors from things:

Until processing, items from second-hand stores should not be stored in the same closet with your own clothes. Otherwise, she will also be saturated with their smell.
If you are unable to get rid of the unpleasant odor the first time, the washing procedure must be repeated.
You need to air your clothes in the fresh air for several days. It's good if it's frosty outside. Cold air allows you to completely get rid of even the most persistent odors.
Using fabric softener helps enhance the effect of washing.

Traditional methods

Experienced housewives often use ammonia to remove unpleasant odors. It gets rid of all kinds of odors well and removes toxic substances on fabrics. Ammonia with the addition of geranium ether is mixed with water. New items are soaked in the resulting solution for several hours. Immediately after, they do push-ups and hang out in the fresh air for 48 hours. Next they are thoroughly washed. And finally dry once again and completely.

Pay special attention! Products not recommended for washing are rubbed with the solution using a soft sponge.

Ammonia does not stretch clothes. But this method should be used with extreme caution when cleaning silk, guipure and chiffon products - they can become damaged.

A cotton bag with crushed coffee beans and new items are placed in a tightly tied bag for 48-72 hours. Bean coffee, unlike instant coffee, has a deeper and richer aroma. At the beginning of the procedure, coffee beans should be ground in a coffee grinder or blender.

Experienced housewives replace coffee beans with natural soap. The procedure is identical, only grated soap shavings are placed in the bag. This method is good for processing items that are not recommended for washing. These include leather and suede products, as well as fur.

Flavored salt will do the job well. It is recommended to give preference to persistent aromas (lemon, thuja, sea breeze). Salt mixes with water. The clothes are first treated with the resulting solution using a sponge and left for a while, after which they are soaked in the newly prepared solution. This method is well suited for thick fabrics.

Vinegar (100 ml.), salt (100 g.) and soda (45 g.) are poured with water. As soon as the granules have dissolved, the item purchased at a second-hand store is soaked in the resulting solution for several hours, after which it is thoroughly washed. This method is not suitable for cleaning silk and chiffon, as it can cause irreparable damage to the fabric structure.

If the smell is weak, airing will clean the clothes. Without the use of additional means, things are hung in the fresh air for several days.

Coffee

This method is more suitable for items made from materials that are not recommended to be washed (leather, suede, fur). To do this, it is better to give preference to whole bean coffee over instant coffee, as it has a richer and more persistent aroma.

Grind the coffee in a coffee grinder, blender or meat grinder, take a cotton bag, pour the crushed coffee beans into it and tie it.
Place your items in a plastic bag (it’s convenient to use Zip Lock bags) and put a bag of coffee in it. Tie or close and keep things like this for 2 to 5 days. For leather items, 2 days will be enough, but it is better to keep fur items for the maximum period.

How to remove second hand smell from clothes that cannot be wetted

Leather and fur products have a significant drawback - they cannot be wetted, otherwise they may lose their appearance. We remove minor aroma using the following methods:

long-term ventilation;
interrupting the smell.

Leather

Ammonia will help remove chemical treatment residues from the entire surface of the product. Dissolve alcohol (1 tbsp) in water (1 tbsp), saturate a sponge with the mixture, and squeeze it out. We process the item from the outside and inside, wrap it in a bag, leave it in it for 6 hours, and then ventilate thoroughly for at least 3 days.

Steam ironing

Regular steam ironing with an iron will help remove a slight unpleasant odor. A steamer or an iron with a steam generator will be useful for this, although a regular iron with steam will also help. In addition to getting rid of odors, this method guarantees cleanliness and additional disinfection of things.

If desired, add a little essential oil to the water poured into the tank of the iron or steam generator.

Hang the item on hangers or a chair and run steam over the surface, smoothing out any dents at the same time.

When using this method, the main thing is to take precautions, use a respirator or a regular gauze bandage, since the substances with which things were processed are harmful to the human body. Also be careful with the steam itself, as it is released at a temperature of about 100 degrees and can cause burns.

After steaming, hang the items to dry in a ventilated place.

Fabric deodorant

In stores you can buy a special fabric deodorant, also called perfume, to remove odors from things. Its only drawback is that it removes the smell temporarily and cannot become the main way to solve the problem (or, alternatively, use it regularly).

Such products are sold in the form of a deodorant or spray; in addition to removing odor, they also soften the fabric. The predominant number of such products also have antibacterial properties, that is, they destroy bacteria in the fabric, disinfecting it.

They are used quite simply - from a distance of 25-30 centimeters, spray the product in an even layer on the fabric 2-3 times.

Vinegar

If there is a stench from things bought at a second-hand store, use table vinegar. It contains acid that can combat many unpleasant odors.

How to wash clothes that smell like second-hand goods:

Pour table vinegar and a little fine salt into a basin. Sometimes soda is also added.
Rub the clothes a little with your hands, just be careful. Depending on the fabric, such movements may cause stretching.
Leave the items to soak in the vinegar solution for several hours.
Pour out the liquid and rinse the basin. Pour clean water and rinse the product well. Change the water as it gets dirty. If the liquid still smells like vinegar, change and rinse again.

This is a good product for dealing with smelly things. Removing odor with vinegar is safe for any material, but not for the skin of your hands. If you have microcracks, calluses or other skin damage, wear rubber gloves when handling this product.

Sea salt with aromatic additives

Sea salt with different scents or regular salt will cope with the aromas of chemical products, but you will need to buy aromatic oils.

To get rid of the stench, follow this procedure:

Dilute aromatic sea salt in a small amount of water. Decide on the amount of ingredients yourself, the main thing is that you get a paste.
Rub this paste over the entire product. You will need a lot of it if it is a jacket, sweater or pants. Therefore, buy more than one pack in bulk at once, or buy the cheapest one in the store.
After half an hour, when the item is saturated with the aroma of sea mole, soak it in a salt solution at the rate of 0.5 kg per 10 liters of water.
After 2 hours, wash the product as usual. Use the correct powder, temperature and wash cycle.

After such procedures, things smell nice. There will be no trace of the smell of chemical reagents.

Cause

The stench emanating from clothes after buying them at a second-hand store is unmistakable. Many people don’t know how to wash second-hand items, so they don’t buy them.

Surely, most people don’t even know why their clothes stink. They believe that this scent was left over from the previous owner of the item.

The reasons for the appearance of stench lie in the use of chemicals. Stores do not sell dirty products.

When they arrive at the reception center, they are not immediately hung up on tremors and taken out to the common room. First of all, the clothes are treated with strong chemicals, which emit a specific aroma.

This treatment is necessary to remove dust mites, host biological components, dirt and bacteria. That is, all products must be disinfected.

For this purpose, a formaldehyde aerosol cleaning material is used. It is this substance that leaves such a recognizable aroma.

Special chemicals are completely safe for people, as stated by the manufacturers and the store sellers themselves. However, not every person reacts this way; many experience irritation or allergies.

Therefore, you can’t do without washing. After purchasing items from a second-hand store, you need to wash them with your own powder.

Steam treatment

If the house has a steam generator or a modern iron with this function, use it. This is even easier than soaking and washing in special solutions that still need to be prepared. In addition, this method is not so long.

Add a few drops of essential oil to a reservoir of water. Wear a mask to protect your respiratory tract as corrosive fumes may cause poisoning.

Turn the iron on to the steam function and go through all the clothes. Let the item dry and repeat the procedure again.

Set the temperature according to the instructions on the clothing label. Remember that natural wool, synthetics and silk do not like high temperatures. But cotton and linen can be processed at 90 degrees.

Household chemicals

Household chemicals will help solve the problem of second-hand smell. They can be purchased at any store of similar specificity. These products act at a deep molecular level, remove odors and at the same time disinfect clothes. At the same time, they are completely safe for humans and for the fibers of things.

Using such drugs is quite simple:

First you need to wash the item, rinse and wring out well,
then pour water and product into the basin in the amount specified in the instructions,
soak the items for 1-2 hours, wring out without rinsing and hang to dry in the fresh air.

Ammonia

For the first method you will need ammonia.

First you need to prepare a solution of water and 10% ammonia. Dilute ammonia at the rate of 5 ml per 1 liter of water. If the item is bulky and dense, you can immediately take 10 liters of water and pour 50 ml of ammonia into it. If desired, you can add any essential oil to give things a pleasant smell.

Pour water into a basin (the water should be at room temperature), add ammonia and essential oil (optional).

Soak things in this solution for 2-9 hours depending on the density of the fabric:

for cotton fabric 1 hour is enough,
for synthetics and knitwear – 2-4 hours,
for wool – 4-5 hours,
for thick fabrics, jeans and outerwear, the soaking time increases to 7-9 hours.

When the required time has passed, wring out the clothes and hang them in a well-ventilated place for 24-48 hours, after which the clothes can be washed as usual.

Dry cleaning

If none of the above methods help, then you should contact a dry cleaner. Although professional cleaning services are quite expensive, the problem will be solved, and the item will retain its shape, color and integrity. Moreover, if you managed to get an exclusive or branded item, then the end justifies the means.

Having bought an item in a stock store, women often wonder how to remove the second-hand smell from clothes. Not everyone can afford European quality products at stunning prices, but a branded blouse at the best price will definitely find its buyer in a special store. It is worth noting that most often things have labels, and this is an indicator of unworn clothing, but nevertheless they emit an unpleasant odor that will have to be dealt with.

How to get rid of the smell if the item cannot be washed

Not all items can be soaked or washed, since such procedures can easily ruin the color and appearance of the material. In such cases, it is recommended to use other methods.

A small number of items are packaged in a bag and placed in the freezer. During the cold season, a bag of things can be hung outside for 3-5 days.

Processing fur products and fur coats requires the preparation of a special solution. Vinegar, water and ethyl alcohol are mixed in equal parts. The item is processed using a soft sponge soaked in the resulting solution.