How to Clean Thrifted Clothes and Remove Op-Shop Smells

You find a mid-century wool blazer for the price of a coffee. The lining is intact, the buttons match, and it smells faintly of someone else's wardrobe. Do you wash it, air it out or walk away?

Thrifting is part treasure hunt, part laundry science, and the science part matters: you rarely know how a piece was washed or stored before it reached the rack. This guide shows you how to clean thrifted clothes properly, from the sniff test in the shop to a first wash with an antibacterial step, so every unique piece earns its place in your wardrobe.

Why thrift shopping is worth the (small) effort

Clothes rarely wear out as fast as we stop wanting them. A decent shirt often has years left when its first owner moves on, and buying second-hand keeps it out of landfill a little longer.

There's a carbon angle too. The European Environment Agency names production, meaning making fibres, turning them into fabric and manufacturing garments, as the biggest source of textiles' climate impact. Choosing pre-loved clothing can reduce demand for that production.

Here is where simple maths helps. A $12 jacket worn 40 times costs 30 cents a wear. The same jacket left on its hanger costs $12. Helping the environment and your budget both come down to buying what you'll really wear, then caring for it properly.

Check before you buy: the 60-second shop-floor test

Take the piece to the brightest spot in the store and head straight for the places a hanger hides.

• Underarms and collar: look for yellowing, greasy shine or odour that has soaked into the fibres.
• Cuffs, seams and inner thighs: check for thinning fabric, small holes and strained stitching.
• Waistbands and zips: stretch the elastic gently, it should spring back. Run the zip all the way up and down.
• Lining and care tag: the tag gives fibre content and the cleaning route, and the lining often shows whether the garment will survive a wash.

Two extra tricks. Smell the inside of the underarm and waistband rather than the front, because perfume sits on the surface while body odour lives deeper. Then scrunch a corner of fabric in your fist for five seconds: if it stays badly creased, expect a date with the iron.

A missing button is a happy mend. Brittle elastic, widespread thinning or a peeling coating usually isn't. Shopping online? Ask for measurements and close-up photos, ask whether the seller uses scented laundry products if fragrance bothers you, and check the return window before you try any treatment, because washing may affect your options.

One last question: would you still want it if the mark never came out? If the answer is no, buy only when you understand the cleaning risk.

Are second-hand clothes hygienic after a normal wash?

Wash second-hand clothes before wearing them, even when they look spotless. You can't know how the previous owner washed them, how long they sat in storage or what they brushed against on the rack. A normal wash is a sensible start, but there are 2 other jobs as well.

The simple way to add that step: Lucent Globe Laundry Sanitiser

Our Laundry Sanitiser sheets give a thrifted wash its antibacterial step without bleach or a hot wash. Each pre-measured sheet goes into the drum with your usual detergent, and it works in cold and warm water. Independent testing recorded a 99.9% reduction in Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli bacteria*.

That makes it a smart habit for pieces that sit against skin and sweat: tees, activewear, jeans, towels and bed linen. A box holds 30 sheets, so there's no cap to fill and no plastic bottle to store. Curious how sanitising differs from disinfecting? Our guide to sanitising laundry without nasties explains.

Read the tag before you wash thrifted clothes

The care label covers the whole garment, lining and trims included. A cotton outer doesn't automatically make a structured jacket machine washable. Vintage clothes deserve extra caution too, since older fabrics and linings can be less forgiving.

How to wash second-hand clothes for the first time

1. Quarantine on the way home. Keep new finds in their own bag until they've been washed, so they don't meet your clean wardrobe first.
2. Prep and separate. Empty pockets, close zips and secure loose seams. Split whites, colours and anything that may shed dye. Washing an uncertain piece alone lets you judge the result without risking other clothes.
3. Spot-treat the problem areas. Use a fabric-compatible stain remover on collar grime and underarm marks, following its directions. Test colourfastness in a hidden area first, and don't scrub ageing fabric.
4. Follow the tag, not the clock. Pick the programme on the label rather than defaulting to a quick wash. Leave room for clothes to move, and measure detergent for the load and soil level. More product won't fix more smell.
5. Dry, then assess. Remove clothes promptly and hang them with space between pieces. Reshape washable knits and dry them flat, and use a tumble dryer only if the label allows it. Judge the result only when the piece is fully dry, then re-check the collar, underarms and lining. If one spot still smells, treat that spot rather than repeating the whole routine.

For everyday machine-washable pieces, our laundry detergent goes straight into the drum: one sheet for a full 8 kg load, or half a sheet for a 4 kg half load. Choose Fragrance Free if you want to judge leftover odours without adding another scent. Then add in one Laundry Sanitiser beside it and run your normal cold or warm wash.

How to get thrift store smell out of clothes

"Op-shop smell" is really several different problems wearing one coat. Smell is a clue about your routine, not a germ test, so match what you notice to your next step.

If the smell survives one targeted retry, we also got something for that, our scent booster beads. 

Vinegar, baking soda and steam: trick or myth?

Baking soda and vinegar make a satisfying fizz, but they neutralise each other, and neither replaces detergent. 

Steam can relax a wrinkle where the label allows it, but a quick pass isn't a proven sanitising treatment, and it won't wash body oils away. And when the tag rules out hotter water or long soaks, don't escalate. More heat isn't a shortcut.

Brightening vintage and pre-loved whites

Thrifted whites often turn up a little dull or yellow after years in storage. For a sound cotton shirt or tee, UV Whitening Sheets can help: add one sheet to the drum alongside your detergent and wash according to the garment label. Our whitening sheets use tripple technology to brighten up to 8 shades whiter.

Keep them away from vintage silk blouses, wool knits, leather and cashmere, which aren't suitable. Whitening also can't repair worn fibres, holes or lost stretch, so check for thinning before you buy, and accept that not every old mark will disappear.

Mend, wear, repeat

Once it's clean, a small repair makes the biggest difference. Sew on the missing button or close the open seam before it grows.

Then judge success simply: is the piece comfortable, clean and useful in your wardrobe? A pre-owned shirt doesn't need to look unworn to earn a few more years. Treat each thrift haul as a small experiment: inspect, read the tag, wash gently and note what worked. After a few rounds, you'll walk into any thrift store knowing exactly which treasures are worth taking home.

*The Lucent Globe Laundry Sanitiser sheets have been independently tested by TÜV under ASTM E2274-24, demonstrating a 99.9% reduction in Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli bacteria.