Is thrifting really unhygienic?

Why the hell do so many people continue to think that the laundered clothing donated to thrift and charity shops is somehow dirtier and less hygienic that a “new” garment that has travelled through many different factories, hands and machines worldwide without being washed even once?

Take a peek at the journey of a single, brand new fast fashion garment below and then let me know your thoughts.

Is thrifting really unhygienic?

Katie Hope recently published a fantastic article with the BBC detailing the journey of a single Zara dress:

“The lyocell fabric fibres from Europe were shipped to Egypt, where they were spun into yarn. This yarn was then sent to China where it was woven into a fabric. This fabric was then sent to Spain where it was dyed, in this case pink. The fabric was then shipped to Morocco to be cut into the various parts of the dress and then sewn together.

After this, it was sent back to Spain where it was packaged and then sent to the UK, the US or any one of the 93 countries where Inditex has shops.”

That’s quite a dirty journey – and doesn’t even include how many other bodies had possibly tried on the garment before it finally ended up being purchased “brand new” and perhaps worn for the first time by its new owner unwashed.

It really is impossible for me get my head around the completely illogical thought process behind the belief that laundered, preloved garments purchased at a thrift or charity shop are somehow less clean than something brand new. (so much so that I even made a video about it)

And, as all thrifty divas know, shopping preloved is an absolutely hilarious adventure, especially when you hunt through those groovy racks with a friend:

If you still have a few reservations about shopping secondhand let my amusing cast of characters show you why thrifting and reusing should be an important part of everyone’s life:

Is thrifting really unhygienic? Share your thoughts below.

 Want to transform your entire wardrobe for pennies? Grab all of my groovy CoaR tutorial collections right here:

11 Comments

  1. this is a really eye-opening post and video. i used to have the thought that charity shopping wasn’t necessarily hygienic but over the past few years, it’s the majority of my purchases. the journey of a single item of ‘new’ clothing is fascinating, and could be far dirtier! x

    1. Thanks very much Leanne, it’s absolutely fantastic that you’ve changed the way you think about secondhand gear & thrifting:D
      I’ve started a new “preloved gear positivity video” series, check out the first episode 😉 https://awesomesauceasshattery.com/2017/04/14/mythbusting-thrifting-secondhand-not-gross/

  2. I completly agree: new isn’t clean. But as I live in Munich (Germany) there are not so many thrift stores, so I am going to flea markets: to sell and to buy.

    1. I lived in Berlin for 8 years (I recently relocated back to Canada after 20 years living abroad) and only found 2 “real” thrift/charity shops during my time there. The flea markets were a fab alternative but you really needed to search for a proper bargain buried in the fake “vintage” and junk 🙁

      When thrifting in Germany do a google search for “Sozialladen” + your post code to find the honest to goodness “real” charity shops in your area. In my experience stores that have “thrift”, “secondhand” or “vintage” in their names are actually not proper non-profit charity shops that benefit those less fortunate but are instead overpriced, for-profit businesses that take advantage of donations to make a tidy profit. This is a particularly bad problem in Berlin: http://www.exberliner.com/features/second-hand-scam/

      My fave Sozialladen in Berlin had prices starting from €0.10 and I rarely paid more than €1 or €2 for my groovy gear. They also had special €0.50 & €1 days on various items twice per month, yay! http://socialladen.de/ 😀

      1. Thank you for the infos, the next time I go to Berlin I will make time to go there.

  3. Kat says:

    Love your video, thanks!

    1. Cheers my dear! Share it around and let’s get more people shopping preloved and hitting the thrift store! 😀

  4. Tara Leininger says:

    I’m more concerned with washing new items before wearing them- you don’t know who has tried the garments on without underwear!

  5. Meg Miller says:

    And then there’s this from the National Institutes of Health:: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4465480/

    My closest friend ALWAYS washes new clothes. I thought she was crazy until I started looking into it further.
    Now, wherever it comes from, I wash it. Once out of the dryer, it’s fresh and it’s mine – no worries.

    1. It’s really quite terrifying just how much bacteria, chemicals and just plain “invisible filth” are on brand new products. This is a great (and easy) read about those toxic clothing monsters that lurk in new garments: https://awesomesauceasshattery.com/2015/04/24/a-tale-of-toxic-clothing-monsters/

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