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| A recent thrift store purchase |
If you've bought clothes in a thrift store you know the smell I'm talking about. And it doesn't come out of some things very easily! I've had luck using white vinegar to remove the offending stink. I read to use it in the rinse cycle but that wasn't always enough so I use it in the wash cycle with the detergent and do a double rinse - sometimes putting a little in the first rinse too. How much? I don't really measure -- about a cup for a large load.
I've heard people have had success with Borax and baking soda -- and also a water/vodka mix that's sprayed on but I've never tried those. I will not use Febreeze on anything! I can't even put into words how much I hate that stuff! It actually bothers my breathing!
I normally never buy anything that can't be thrown in the washer, but I admit I took my chances with the above jacket. I washed it...in the vinegar -- for the $3 it cost I thought it was a risk worth taking. And it worked! No smell and a perfect fit.
Have you tried anything else? Any suggestions?
Edit: 2/3/12 - I tried the Borax on a couple of things and it worked very well for me.
7 comments:
Yep, know that smell, but I have no other suggestions than what you have mentioned already. Vinegar is so good for so many things!
I'm assuming we're not talking Balsamic... ;)
Glad to hear it worked!
Thank you for the tip, I thought only washing and sunlight worked (but not very well!)
I rely on a product called Odoban. It is more ... industrial than Febreeze. But, since you abhor the latter, you probably won't like the former. It even removes the stench of cat pee.
Oh, I didn't know about this! Thanks for the tip.
Apparently the smell is related to mildew, the spores of which can be killed by tea leaves. Depending on the color, you could try adding a strong cup of tea (hold the milk!) to the wash and drying the item in the sun. I have used tea to wipe over a cupboard that was harboring mildew with very good results - the mildew has not returned a year later.
To me, "thrift-store-smell" is a ghastly perfumey smell that is difficult to lose...I'm pretty sure it's something they SPRAY on the clothes to get rid of the REGULAR "thrift store smell"!(sort of a musty, old cloth-y smell, right?) Frankly, I think I PREFER "musty, cloth-y"smell to "sickly fake-o perfumey stench"; the only good thing about it, is that it means "I am at the thrift store/I've been to the thrift store and SCORED"!
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