Buying second-hand clothes in specialized stores, the new owner tries to get rid of the second-hand smell. These things emit quite unpleasant odors, but do not worry: there are many ways to quickly and effectively deal with such an annoying problem.

How are second-hand things processed?

Things handed over by the former owner to the collection point are subject to mandatory processing using chemicals That's why they get such a specific smell. This is done to rid clothing of possible insects and other harmful microorganisms.

The composition of the preparations used for processing includes the organic compound formaldehyde and the methyl methane radical. Chemicals penetrate the threads of the product. The smell of secondhand clothing is not the only annoyance for the person who bought it. Chemicals left on a dress or shirt, jeans or skirt can provoke inflammation of the skin and even cause poisoning.

How to easily remove secondhand smell from clothes with improvised means

At home, it is allowed to eliminate the aroma characteristic of second-hand using improvised means that are available in almost any kitchen, for example, ammonia.

First you need to prepare a solution of ammonia, consisting of a 10% substance, water and essential oil geraniums. The volume depends on the type of product. For example, you want to remove the characteristic smell from things the size of a man's sweater. To do this, pour 10 liters of water at room temperature or a little higher into the basin, add 100-120 ml of ammonia and 8 ml of essential oil. Soak the item in the prepared solution for 2-4 hours. If this is a denim product, then the time increases to 7-8 hours.

After that, the thing is wrung out and dried for fresh air 3 days. Then it should be washed in the machine with powder and rinse aid. The mode is selected so that the entire washing cycle takes at least an hour. It is best to dry outdoors.

There are several other ways to get rid of the smell:

1. Coffee beans. They must be ground in a coffee grinder, pour coffee powder into a bag made of cotton fabric and tie it. Clothes must be folded into plastic bag and place a bag of coffee in it. Tie the bag tightly and leave for 2-3 days.
2. Natural soap. The smell of second-hand can be removed from clothes with soap. It is necessary to act in the same way as with coffee beans, but only place soap, crushed on a grater, in a cotton bag.
3. If second-hand clothes stink, you can prepare a solution of 100 ml of 6% vinegar, 100 g of salt, 45 g of baking soda to remove the smell. Pour the mixture into a basin with 8 liters of warm water, mix well and lower the item to be cleaned into the solution. It should get wet for 3-4 hours. Then the thing is wrung out and sent to washing machine for 1.5 hours. If the smell is not removed, then the procedure must be repeated again.
4. Flavored salt. Before washing second-hand clothes, it is recommended to soak them in a solution of a substance that can be purchased at a nearby supermarket. It is better to choose salt with the smell of lemon, fir, sea breeze. 300 g of salt are poured into 500 ml of water. No need to wait until the granules dissolve: you should immediately rub the product with the mixture. Leave the thing in this form for 20-30 minutes. And at this time it is necessary to prepare another solution of 500 g of salt and 10 liters of hot water. The thing must be held in this composition for 1 hour, then wring it out, wash it in a typewriter and dry it in the fresh air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ymrmJ49qUo Video can't be loaded: HOW TO GET RID OF SMELL ON SECOND HAND || Second Hand ✿Mari Link✿ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ymrmJ49qUo)

Removing odor without washing

Not all housewives know how to remove the smell of second-hand from clothes that are not recommended to be washed, for example, from jackets made of genuine leather or with fur coat. The most commonly used method of getting rid of the smell in this case is to ventilate the product in fresh air. This procedure is long, but not demanding. special means and time costs.

An unpleasant aroma will help eliminate frost: you should take your clothes out to the balcony for a couple of days. If it is warm outside, then the product can be packed in polyethylene and placed in the freezer for 4-5 days.

After that, the thing should be dried in the room, but you should not turn on the heaters.
Genuine leather product can be placed in plastic bag, pour into it 3 tbsp. l. ground coffee or sea salt, tie tightly and leave for 2 days. After that, the unpleasant odor will disappear. Coffee or salt can be replaced with a rag soaked in vinegar essence.

With the help of coffee, you can remove the smell from a fur coat, which must also be put in a bag. But keep it in this form should be longer - up to 5 days.

Medicinal herbs are another good remedy to eliminate the unpleasant chemical odor that accompanies second-hand clothing. Herbal mixture is prepared from the following components:

• mint - 70 g;
• linden - 100 g;
• sage - 80 g;
• yarrow - 110 g;
• pharmacy chamomile - 110.

The prepared composition is poured into a cotton bag. He and his clothes should be put in a plastic bag, which is tied and left in this form for 3 days. After that, the smell should disappear.

If this does not happen, then the procedure is repeated. If folk ways getting rid of the second-hand smell does not work, you can contact the dry cleaners. Although the services of professional craftsmen are expensive, the owner does not have to worry that the product will be damaged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MQba4em780 Video can't be loaded: 6 LIFE HACKS. HOW TO GET RID OF THE Smell of Second Hand Items. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MQba4em780)

Household chemicals

Get rid of the smell of "second hand" will be possible with the help of means household chemicals. These drugs act at the molecular level without causing harm to humans.

Silvester is an effective remedy. It not only neutralizes odor, but also disinfects clothes, while appearance products do not change for the worse.

Using the drug is quite simple. First you need to wash the thing, rinse it several times and wring it out. Then you should pour water into the basin and dissolve the cleanser in it at the rate of 1 cap per 1 liter of water. Soak the product in the solution for 1.5-2 hours, then wring it out without additional rinsing.

Other Tips:

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The specific smell of clothes purchased in warehouses and second-hand shops makes many people wonder how second-hand things are processed. And some people even ask whether things are dangerous after such processing, and whether such processing is harmful to the health of those who buy them. This peculiar odor is familiar to anyone who has ever visited retail outlets where they sell used items, and for many it is one of the main factors repelling purchases.

1 Disinfectants

There is nothing shameful in buying such clothes. They sell both used and completely new things with tags, which for some reason did not suit their owners. Sometimes you can find products from famous brands clothes and shoes that will give a personal touch and allow you to buy an exceptional piece of clothing at a ridiculous price compared to the prices of new items.

Compliance with such standards also includes checking at customs the concentration of chemical fumes to ensure that the percentage indicated on the export certificate corresponds to the actual percentage of concentration of the emitted chemical fragrance. So, ideally, there is no danger of infection or a chemical threat to health in imported clothes.

2 Steam and chamber processing

You can find out exactly how the imported goods were processed in the certificate, which should be in the hands of a trading organization or entrepreneur. If things were imported from a country with an increased level of bacteriological and viral contamination, then the processing is carried out by a special method of chemical spraying in chambers that are hermetically sealed at the time of disinfection. In this case, formaldehyde or methyl bromide is most often used. In many countries there are special factories that sort, disinfect and pack so-called products in special hermetic bags, in which case the trading organization is obliged to ventilate the unpacked items so that they do not spray toxins in rooms where there are many people. positive moment here is that in the occluded space the already processed material is automatically subjected to secondary processing.

Steam processing of things

The steam method is used in cases where things can be irreparably damaged in another way. These include furs and sheepskin coats, leather and suede items, shoes and bags. They are simply processed at a lower temperature of the steam, while the first category is under red-hot steam. Although lowering the temperature does not always help, and things arrive at retail outlets irretrievably lost: crumpled to the point of non-ironing, shrunken up and down, with damaged fur or woolen weaving.

3 Combat odor

Many potential buyers of good things at a relatively inexpensive price are stopped by the specific smell of hand clothes from clothing that has soaked through stores. You can remove a kind of fragrance in several proven ways. Many regular customers of these stores know very well how to remove the unpleasant second-hand smell from clothes. There are several reliable and proven methods:

• dry cleaning (for upper and delicate ones like cashmere);
• repeated washing in flavored detergents;
• single wash with ventilation in the cold;
• soaking in a solution of ammonia;
• rinsing after washing in vinegar solution;
• placement in a separate compartment of the wardrobe, where aromatic sachets or special air vents are stored;
• careful ironing with a steamer or a special steamer.

It is not very easy to remove the peculiar smell of a hand from things, but it is quite possible. To remove sometimes unnoticed stains, because of which the owner refused the thing, and the seller discounted it, sometimes it is almost impossible.

The world is divided into 3 categories of consumers. Some categorically deny the possibility of buying used items, others buy them with fanatical persistence to save money and look decent, others visit stores in the company of fans and sometimes even buy a couple of things, while carefully hiding the origin of what they bought. As in any ambiguous problem, this one has its own arguments and counter-arguments that convince and do not convince opponents and supporters. The former talk about the possibility of infection, the latter about disinfection. Then opponents talk about the dangers of disinfection, and supporters about certificates and international standards. It is customary to talk in a half-whisper about cases of terrible infections from acquired socks or hats, or simply to think about how to remove the second-hand smell from clothes. There is nothing shameful in buying this kind, provided that the thing is of high quality, practically new, and at the same time inexpensive and purchased in a decent store where it has a certificate, it is guaranteed to be ventilated and ironed, without stains or damage.

Stocks and second-hand stores provide clothes for every taste affordable price. As a rule, things are delivered from America and Europe, for the most part they are all branded. Seconds are worn not only by people with medium and low incomes, but also by the upper strata of the population. It's all about the quality of the goods, second-hand clothes are divided into several categories: lower class, middle, premium and luxury. In stores of this type, you can change your wardrobe for a penny, and not necessarily the clothes will be second-hand. They sell brand new things with labels that fly apart once or twice.

Causes of smell on second-hand clothes

Together with the new item, the owner receives a "unique fragrance" that can be smelled from a distance. People who regularly wear second-hand clothes are familiar with the chemical smell firsthand. When a former owner in a foreign country delivers a thing to a collection point, no one asks him about possible skin diseases. Clothes are simply accepted, and then mass dry-cleaned with vigorous chemistry. Without sanitization, the seller will not be allowed into the market, so this is carefully monitored.

After washing, things are completely disinfected, chemicals remove everything: dust mites, possible skin diseases, bacteria, insects. The only danger to be considered a large number of formaldehyde and methyl contained in the fibers of the product. If clothes are processed incorrectly after they are bought in a second-hand store, there is a risk of inflammation and even poisoning through skin. The richer the fragrance of a thing, the more chemicals it contains. It is for these reasons that it is necessary not only to eliminate the smell, but also to remove radicals from the composition of the fabric.

Effective ways to eliminate unpleasant odors

Ammonia
To prepare the solution, you will need ammonia with a concentration of not more than 10%, water, geranium ether. Based on the volume and overall size of the product.

For example, if you need to eliminate the smell from a pita or a sweater, take a basin, pour 10 liters of warm water (30-45 degrees) into it. Add 110 ml. ammonia and 8 ml. geranium ether.

When it becomes necessary to get rid of the smell of small things (blouse, T-shirt or short shorts), pour 6 liters of water, add 75 ml. ammonia and 5 ml. geranium ether.

In cases with furs and down jackets, it is better to pour 20 liters and add 230-250 ml. ammonia and 35 ml. geranium ether.

When you prepare the solution, you need to soak the thing in it. Please note that cotton and linen products are processed in about 2-3 hours, while synthetics and polyester are processed in 4 hours. You will have to sweat with leather, jeans and fur, the exposure time should be at least 7 hours.

After due date you need to wring out the clothes well and hang them in fresh air for about three days. After the thing is aired, load it into the machine, add more powder and rinse aid, wash for at least 1 hour. Re-hang out to fresh air and wait until completely dry.

If the smell remains after washing, repeat the procedure. Ammonia retains the intensity of the color, after using it, things do not shrink or stretch.

Coffee beans
Get your coffee bag ready. Grind the grains, place them in a thin cotton cloth and tie. Put the clothes in a plastic bag, send the coffee in there and tie it tightly. Wait about 2-3 days, then remove the item and check the result. Coffee can be replaced with natural soap, in which case you need to grate a whole bar and sew a bag for it.

Any major supermarket sells sea salt in various flavors. Choose the smell of fir, arborvitae, sea breeze, lemon. Salt is produced in packages of 800 gr. and 1 kg. After purchasing it, take 300 gr. composition and grind it convenient way to get fine abrasive particles.

Pour 500 ml. water, do not wait for the granules to dissolve, but immediately start rubbing things with the resulting mixture. After that, leave them for 20 minutes and proceed to prepare the solution. In 10 liters of hot water, dilute 500 gr. salt, put the thing and wait about an hour. Take it out, wash immediately in the machine, dry it in the fresh air.

Table vinegar, soda and salt
Mix 100 ml. vinegar concentration not higher than 6% with 100 gr. table salt, add 45 gr. soda. Pour the mixture with 8 liters of warm water, mix well until the granules are completely dissolved. Dip a thing into the solution, wait no more than 3 hours, depending on the type of clothing. After that, send the product to the machine, select a mode lasting from 1.5 hours. If necessary, the procedure must be repeated.

1. Get a special spray for clothes at the household chemicals supermarket. It not only eliminates odor, but also softens the fabric.
2. Large second-hand stores often sell a so-called perfume to remove fragrance from used clothes. Usually it is enough to get rid of the stench.
3. High-quality perfume, preferably men's, will help to remove the smell. Spray it on your clothes, put it in a bag and wait a few days.
4. Almost all modern irons equipped with a steam treatment function. Pour filtered water into the cavity, add 5 drops of rosemary ether and 8 drops of lemon ether. Turn on the function at maximum power and iron the clothes. Along with creases and creases, harmful chemicals will go away.
5. Get rid of odor with herbal medicines. Take 70 gr. mint, 100 gr. linden flowers, 80 gr. sage, 50 gr. chamomile and 110 gr. yarrow. Put them in a cotton bag, put the clothes in the bag along with the herbs. Tie up and leave for 3 days.

Use special deodorants or folk methods. If the clothes do not have a pronounced smell, wash them without the spin function with a quality powder and rinse aid. Then hang it in fresh air and repeat the manipulations 1 more time.

Video: how to choose second-hand clothes

In Russia, second-hands are in demand among people different ages and belonging to different social strata. It is in such places that you can find quality branded items at bargain prices, and, mind you, not all of them will be worn. The only thing that upsets second-hand fans is the specific aroma emanating from clothes, shoes, and accessories. Let's figure out where it comes from and how to get rid of the smell of second-hand at home.

Cause. The caustic, chemical stench "Second" is not only unpleasant for the human sense of smell, it is also well recognizable (you must admit that no one wants to smell like second-hand things). The sources of amber are chemicals that are used for the sanitization of used items and shoes entering warehouses. Thorough disinfection rids outerwear, jeans, boots and T-shirts of insects, including dust mites, as well as microorganisms that cause skin diseases and fungus.

Do not put on clothes immediately after purchase - washing is mandatory. Firstly, if not completely, then partially remove the unpleasant odor, and secondly, remove the remnants of chemicals. At high concentrations, disinfectants are harmful to health and cause a variety of reactions, from banal itching to severe allergies and poisoning. Store unwashed "second hand" items separately from others.

A specific smell appears due to the sanitization of things

Ways to get rid of second hand smell

1. The most elementary method is airing. Leave clothes for a couple of days on the balcony or open loggia: fresh air, coupled with hot sunbeams or frost will destroy a faint smell.

2. Coffee beans, sea salt with aromatic additives, natural soap with essential oils, a piece of cloth soaked in toilet water, perfume or 9% table vinegar will help to “kill” a specific fragrance. Dry medicinal herbs will also come in handy: collect in a cotton bag peppermint, sage, chamomile, linden flowers - natural and safe remedy ready! Place one of the fragrances described along with your clothes in an airtight bag and leave for a couple of days.

It is ventilation and the use of natural absorbents that are considered the most gentle ways to remove the smell of "secondhand" from outerwear from fur, suede or leather, as well as their artificial substitutes.

3. Soak clothes before washing. As an anti-odor agent, use sea salt baths with bright aromas: lemon, pine. First, rub the thing with salt diluted with warm water to a paste-like state, and after 20-30 minutes, pour saline solution (10 liters of warm water per pound of salt) for an hour and a half.

Sea salt is one of the best odor absorbers.

Products from natural fur or leather should not be soaked so as not to spoil the structure of the material. Clean the item with any of the suggested compounds using a soft sponge or brush (this recommendation also applies to leather shoes and bags). The best option- Give a fur coat or "leather jacket" to dry cleaning.

4. Ammonia is suitable for processing, which can be found in a home first aid kit. For soaking skirts, T-shirts, blouses, summer dresses and trousers, 20 ml of alcohol is enough (for 5 liters of warm water). Jeans, sweaters, windbreakers, raincoats will need 50 ml of alcohol for the same amount of water. Soaking time: cotton, linen - from 30 minutes to one and a half hours, synthetic fabrics - 4-6 hours, faux fur or leatherette - 6-7 hours.

5. A combination of 9% table vinegar and table salt works in a similar way (1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons per 5 liters of warm water, respectively). Light items should soak for at least an hour, and clothes made of dense materials - from 3 hours.

After soaking, gently wring out the clothes and hang to dry (preferably in the fresh air) for a couple of days. Then wash as usual, adding fabric softener.

6. If you have a steam iron or steam generator, use these devices. Iron the clothes at the maximum temperature (set the mode depending on the type of material). First, add a few drops of any essential oil to the water tank. But be careful: caustic fumes can cause poisoning, so wear a respirator or gauze bandage during the procedure.

Over the 20 years that second-hand stores exist in Ukraine, they have changed a lot. The ruins with dirty rags, in which only the poor were rummaging, were transformed into solid stores.

Original and sort

What items go to second hand

Original. Things collected by kind people are put in a huge opaque bag. It weighs 80 - 150 kg and costs 1.5 - 3 euros per kg.

And although it is the most a budget option purchases, only large stores with a large turnover can afford it, because a lot of money is often lost on these savings. After all, these bags are a lottery: no one knows what is inside.

Someone gets a bunch of expensive and almost new branded clothes. And someone can get a bag from this batch for 600 euros inside with terrible and washed out blankets with pillows.

And one more thing: due to the fact that the product is packaged, it is treated with a higher concentration of chemicals and it smells stronger.

Assorted. In a transparent bag, things are sorted by type and season - men's sweaters, women's dresses, warm bathrobes, etc.

In addition, things are packed according to the degree of wear. Unworn clothes with tags can cost as much as 25 euros per kg, and things with spots and holes can be bought for 2 - 3 euros per kilo.

In a cheap bag, 30% of things are frank garbage, which is suitable only for dogs on a litter. Another 30% is taken for rags, the remaining 40% can be sold. It is on them that the maximum price is set in order to return not only what was spent on the purchase, but also to be able to pay taxes, rent and pay the salary to the seller.

If in the first three or four days after delivery, the goods are not bought, they are stale, and it is very difficult to make money on them - the longer they lie, the cheaper they are sold, and even more stinks.

Myths about second hand

The abundance of various clothes, which often look chic and are sold very cheaply, could not but surprise the inhabitants of the post-Soviet space in the hungry 1990s.

As a result, second-hand stores have acquired a huge number of myths. Importers, shopkeepers and ordinary sellers helped us understand their veracity.

• Money is often found in the pockets of clothes, which foreigners donate as help to the poor. The sellers keep the money for themselves.

  No. Small denominations and coins are indeed regularly found in things, especially in bags. Knowing this, sellers must inspect pockets before sending a batch for sale. But this money is not a conscious help: the owners simply forgot to take it out.

• If a helicopter is depicted on the packages with things, then the things are intended for dropping from helicopters by victims of some kind of disaster, if the bear cub is things for orphanages.

  No. Organizations that collect clothes often paint different logos on the bags. So they explain to which charitable purposes they are going to donate part of the money received from the sale of things. Logos can be very different and should not be taken literally.

• Second hand - a weapon of slow killing of the poor. Things are impregnated with poisons and viruses, and people wearing them begin to get sick and die.

  No. Second-hand stores have existed all over the world for decades, and both homeless people and celebrities buy clothes in them. Of course, many of them get sick and then die, but for completely different reasons. Employees of second-hand stores, who have been working in this area for years, are not only alive and well, but even quite well off. Yes, things have a specific smell, because they are carefully treated with hot steam and disinfectant gas (40% paroformalin), which kills viruses and bacteria. But for human health, these substances are almost not dangerous - except that allergy sufferers need to be careful. Moreover, paroformalin is washed off - you just need to wash the item several times after purchase

• Traders are selling humanitarian aid, which should in fact be distributed to the poor for free.

  Yes and no. It happens that used clothes are sent as a gift, and they are put on sale. Parishioners, for example, of a Baptist church in America send things to their Ukrainian "brothers", and they do not distribute them, but sell them. If you see a lot of stationery, children's books and toys at a second-hand store, this also usually indicates that the goods are actually humanitarian. But this rarely happens - most often used items are collected for legal sale.

Geography of used things

America arguably the worst secondhand store ever.
Firstly, the American nation continues to suffer from obesity, because usually clothes from there are "hippo" sizes. Secondly, the things themselves often come quite dirty. Thirdly, our mods are very different.

Ireland, one of the best suppliers of used items, especially for children. Because of state support, clothes for babies are so cheap that sometimes the Irish share chic and never worn children's things.
True, due to the fact that the country is small, the supply of things to us is also small.

Australia, another good country in the world of second-hand, but little represented on the Ukrainian market. Due to the fact that cold days are infrequent on this warm continent, warm clothes practically do not wear out, and rich Australians in summer change quite often.

Britannia, it is believed that the best second-hand goods are brought from here. The British are rich enough to buy things from good natural materials. And they regularly get rid of them because English apartments are small, and obsolete things give way to new ones.

Norway, in this country it is quite cold, so excellent fleece waterproof things are brought from there, warm jackets and other warm clothes. However, the rest of Norwegian things are also of high quality. In addition, good home textiles are supplied from there.

Germany, economical Germans very carefully wear things almost to disrepair and only after that they hand them over to those in need. So german clothes second hand is not very popular. But home textiles (curtains, bed linen and towels) are brought from there very good.

France, both fashionable (even couture) expensive things, and torn grandmother's tights can be brought from there. It all depends on the district of the city in which the clothes were packaged - good ones are brought from the elite, and rags from the slums. If you are very lucky, you may come across a vintage designer exclusive.

Italy, things are good. They bring a lot of them, because, firstly, Italians are used to buying a lot of clothes and shoes, but they don’t have time to wear them out, and secondly, they have a wonderful tradition to get rid of everything unnecessary on New Year’s Eve.

Competitor in the face of China

Second-hand is by no means a competitor to ordinary stores: “There are not so many people who buy clothes both in second-hand stores and in boutiques at the same time - these groups of buyers almost do not intersect.

But to whom our clothes are the main competitor, it’s cheap Chinese, which is also imported illegally under the auspices of customer-supplied raw materials (fabrics from which clothes should supposedly be sewn in Ukraine, and then taken back) or the same second-hand.

These paperwork tricks help the Chinese pay less taxes and end up selling things cheaper. Let's not talk about quality Chinese clothes- there are good things in it. But the fact that China is the undisputed leader in the sale and production of things is a fact.