How to Clean Thrift Store Clothing

So you’ve followed my thrfiting tips and scored some amazing finds, but now what? How do you sanitize items like clothing, shoes and accessories once you get them home? I’ve come across some thrift stores that are cleaner than others, but you always {always} want to clean items before wearing them. You never know how many people wore the item before you and you don’t want that stale smell that some second hand clothing can have.

Check out the easy tips below on how to clean your thrifted items.

Clothing:
Simply follow label instructions and treat them as you would a perfectly new garment. If the items says ‘dry clean only,’ then you want to do just that. There’s no point in wasting your money by destroying a garment due to improper care. I know some people who feel all thrifted items should be dry cleaned, but I think this is completely unnecessary and it can get a bit expensive if you’re an avid thrifter like myself. Drop the load in the laundry machine, dry on the highest heat possible and you’re good to go. For delicate garments, hand wash with a product like Woolite and lay flat to dry.

Accessories:
For earrings, rings, necklaces or bracelets, wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and let dry before wearing.

Shoes:
Wipe the inside and sole of the shoe with rubbing alcohol and/or with those handy Lysol disinfectant wipes. *Test the rubbing alcohol out on a small section of the shoe to make sure it doesn’t affect the material*

Do you guys have any other tips to cleaning your thrift store finds?