Thrifting is popular for many reasons: the thrill of the hunt, the cost benefits of buying secondhand, and the satisfaction of giving new life to something otherwise headed for a landfill. But thrifted purchases, from clothing and accessories to such household goods as furniture and decorative pieces, often come with a problem — that distinct odor that permeates thrift stores and the things sold within.
Eliminating the thrift store smell can be challenging. The odors are primarily bio-based, meaning they come from sweat, dead skin and sebum. There can also be a layer of embedded environmental soils, including cigarette smoke, perfume or car exhaust, contributing to the stench that clings to vintage and secondhand items.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of great options for removing those smells. Ahead, you’ll find some of the best (and weirdest!) ways to get that funky, musty thrift store smell out of just about anything.
The extra rinse cycle
If your washing machine offers an extra rinse cycle option, use it when laundering items that have taken on an unwanted smell. An extra rinse can help flush out product and soil buildup that embeds odors into fibers. Also, sometimes an item needs two wash cycles to remove odors, so don’t sleep on simply letting a stinky garment take a second spin in the washer.
Activated charcoal
Activated charcoal, which is also called active charcoal, active carbon or activated carbon, is an incredibly effective odor absorber. It’s also odorless, which makes it perfect for people who are sensitive to smells. It comes in bricks and sachets or can be purchased loose. To use it, seal up the smelly item in a zipper bag or lidded container with the activated charcoal and allow it to sit for 12 to 48 hours (longer, if necessary) to absorb odors.
Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Magic Soap
When regular laundry detergent fails to remove a nasty smell from a washable item, Dr. Bronner and his magical soap come to the rescue. Over the years, I’ve recommended Dr. Bronner’s to treat the smell of tinned fish and gasoline spills on pants (not the same pair!), kimchi that leaked in a tote bag, and secondhand baby clothes reeking so strongly of perfume that two washes didn’t make a dent. It worked every time.
Laundry detergents containing lipase
Lipase is having a moment, thanks to a Redditor who swears that the water-soluble enzyme is the solution to eliminating fat- and oil-based malodor in clothing and household linens. When used in laundry detergent, lipase helps break down bio-based oils such as sebum, the naturally occurring oil in skin that lends that stale and musty, or even rancid, smell to older and used clothing.
Zero Odor Laundry Odor Eliminator
The laundry booster Zero Odor is used in addition to regular laundry detergent. It is highly effective at eliminating odor-causing molecules, leaving clothing and other machine-washable items smelling fresh and clean.
OdoBan
OdoBan is a powerful deodorizing agent that comes in liquid, spray and aerosol forms, and can be used in laundry and on such textiles as carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture. (Note: It should not be used on children’s or flame-resistant clothing as it can reduce flame-resistancy, and not on fabrics that are not water safe.)
Biokleen Bac-Out
When people ask how to get cat pee smell out of the things their cats have peed on or in — and boy, do they ask! — I don’t even let them finish their sentence before responding, “Biokleen Bac-Out.” This powerful enzymatic stain and odor remover is strong enough to eliminate the nastiest of smells, and it can be used with regular detergent or as an odor remover on water-safe items that are not machine washable.
White vinegar
White vinegar is an excellent odor eliminator — it’s also inexpensive, nontoxic and readily available. It can be used in the wash — pour a cup into the fabric softener compartment, which will dispense it during the rinse cycle — or in a spray bottle to mist garments that are a bit funky smelling. The acid in vinegar kills the bacteria that causes odors, and as it dries, the vinegar smell dissipates, so you won’t end up smelling like a pickle.
Vodka
This is a fun one that has its origins in costume design (hockey players use it, too, on their gear). Vodka will remove odors from fabrics and is especially useful on embellished or highly structured garments that should not be machine washed. To use vodka as a deodorizing agent, decant it into a spray bottle and mist the item; as the fabric dries, the vodka smell will fade, taking foul smells with it. Use the cheap stuff and leave the good stuff for drinking!
Sneaker balls
Sneaker balls are designed to go in shoes, but they can also be used to deodorize bags and other items that have taken on a stale or unpleasant smell. They typically rely on zeolite or activated charcoal, deodorizing agents that absorb and neutralize smells, and they are reusable for about two years.
Cat litter
If you enjoy a weird hack, this curveball will delight you. Cat litter, especially formulas that contain activated charcoal, can do double duty as an odor eliminator. Fill a lidded container or closable bag with unused litter, put the smelly item in the box or bag, seal it and allow 12 to 48 hours for the litter to absorb odors.
Carpet and upholstery cleaning machines
Carpet and upholstery cleaning machines work by forcing a cleaning solution deep into the fibers where odor-causing bacteria builds and using suction to extract the solution and soils. If you have purchased or inherited secondhand furniture, rugs or mattresses, using a carpet and upholstery cleaning machine is your best bet for removing stains and smells.
Sunshine and fresh air
Finally, don’t discount the power of sunshine and fresh air. Sunshine is a natural deodorizer, thanks to the antibacterial effects of UV rays, and fresh air can help push odors out of fabrics. Hanging or placing clothing, blankets, rugs, shoes and handbags outside to take in the sun and fresh air will help remove odors. Just be mindful that sunshine also has a bleaching effect on bright and dark colors.
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