How To Get Thrift Store Smell out of Clothes

Is there a way to remove lingering scent from thrifted clothes? It is a well-discussed question.

The short answer is maybe.

Why maybe? Well, it all depends on the type of fabric and the product used to infuse that scent into the clothes. Since we have no way of knowing what product was used, it may be necessary to layer solutions to get the result you need. In some cases, the scent will not completely come out, but it may reduce to a tolerant level.

How to Get Thrift Store Smell Out of Clothes?

When you purchase second-hand clothes, they often carry scents that can be unappealing or unexpected. The most common scents trapped in second-hand clothes are:

• Strong laundry detergents, scent beads, and dryer sheets or fabric softener
• Perfume
• Body odor
• Cigarette smoke
• Mustiness from mildew
• Mothballs
• Food smells, like grease

Effective Methods to Reduce and Eliminate Scents from Thrift Store Clothing

Thrift store finds can be a treasure trove of unique fashion, but they often come with lingering scents that can be off-putting. After experimenting with various methods to tackle the strong laundry soap scent on two recent purchases, I’ve compiled my experiences to help others facing similar challenges.

My Experience with Odor Removal Techniques

Recently, I bought two pieces of clothing that had an overpowering scent from heavily fragranced laundry soap. Here’s a summary of the methods I tried and their effectiveness:

How to get the perfume smell out of clothes?

The two easiest natural remedies to get the perfume smell out of your clothes are:

Lemon and Water Solution
One of the easiest ways to eliminate the odors from perfumes or other fragrances is to mix lemon juice with water. Simply combine lemon juice with a cup of water and apply it to the sections of the clothing that have absorbed the perfume. After allowing it to sit for 15-30 minutes, rinse the fabric or launder it as usual.

Essential Oils and Vinegar Mix
A mix of essential oils and white vinegar serves as an effective deodorizer. The essential oils provide a pleasant aroma while vinegar eliminates unpleasant smells.

In a spray bottle, mix a cup of white vinegar with a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus oil. Spray this solution on the areas affected by the perfume and leave it for 20 minutes. Afterward, just rinse or wash the fabric.

Sunshine Exposure (4 Days)

I hung the clothes outside in the sun for four days, hoping the fresh air and sunlight would naturally eliminate the odor. Unfortunately, this method did not yield the desired results.

Vinegar Soak with Baking Soda Paste (2 Days)

I soaked the clothing in a vinegar solution, then applied a baking soda paste. Despite the potential of these natural ingredients to neutralize odors, this method also failed to significantly reduce the scent.

Borax Soak (2 Days)

Next, I tried soaking the items in Borax for two days. While Borax is known for its cleaning properties, it did not effectively minimize the lingering fragrance.

Bleach Soak (2 Days)

Reluctantly, I resorted to soaking the clothing in bleach for two days. This was the only method that yielded a noticeable improvement. While it did not eliminate the laundry perfume scent, it made the items tolerable enough to wear. However, I prefer to avoid using bleach whenever possible, as we only keep a small bottle for emergencies.

While bleach provided some relief from the overpowering scent, it was not the solution I had hoped for. The experience has highlighted the challenges of removing strong fragrances typically caused by heavily scented laundry products, such as fabric softeners and dryer sheets.

If you, too, are struggling with similar issues when it comes to thrift store clothing, I encourage you to share your successful methods! Your insights could be invaluable to others who want to continue enjoying the benefits of second-hand shopping without the burden of unwanted odors.

The Problem with Lingering Scents in Thrifted Clothes

When it comes to thrift store clothing, one of my biggest concerns is the heavy, lingering scent that often accompanies these items. This odor can be a result of remaining chemical residues from heavily scented laundry products. Over time, these chemicals can leach out, especially as we sweat in the clothes.

Health Implications of Lingering Scents

Any scent that persists beyond a typical washing and drying cycle is likely a chemical that poses potential health risks. Wearing clothes infused with these synthetic fragrances daily can lead to long-term exposure to harmful substances. Just as consuming unhealthy food can adversely affect our bodies over time, exposure to these chemicals can accumulate and wreak havoc on our health.

For those who prefer unscented laundry products or cannot tolerate the overpowering smells of scent beads and artificially fragranced detergents, shopping for second-hand clothes can be a challenge. I understand this struggle firsthand, as I am also sensitive to strong scents. This article aims to shed light on the issue and explore potential solutions.

The Challenge of Thrift Store Scents

Thrift store clothes can hold overwhelming odors, particularly when the previous owner used laundry products laden with artificial fragrances. The combination of these products can drive scents deep into the fabric, making them difficult to remove. The chemicals used to create these long-lasting scents are engineered to adhere permanently to fibers, requiring significant effort to eliminate.

The Savings of Thrift Shopping

Do you buy thrift clothes? While there’s a lot of discussion about how purchasing thrifted items helps reduce landfill waste—and I appreciate the eco-friendly aspect—my primary motivation for thrifting is saving money.

Did you know?

On average, thrift store shoppers save nearly $150 per month. This monthly saving amounts to about $1,700–$1,760 annually according to CNBC & several industry reports and articles.

Yes, the eco-conscious part of me loves extending the life of clothing and keeping more items out of our overflowing landfills. However, the financial savings I gain from buying secondhand clothes is what truly drives my passion for thrifting. Brand-new clothing can be prohibitively expensive, making thrift stores an attractive alternative.

I thrifted these TWO new gym outfits for a total of $11.00 !💪

Why would I spend $40+ on an outfit to wear to the gym when I can get one just as cute from my local thrift store?

No matter your reason for purchasing second-hand clothes, whether it’s the savings, the eco-angle, or supporting your local community, you will inevitably come across a stinky garment at some point, so it’s important to know how to get thrift store smell out of clothes.

Effective Solutions for Removing Heavy Laundry Soap Scents from Thrifted Clothes

If you’ve ever purchased thrifted clothing only to find it infused with an unreasonably heavy laundry soap scent—likely from scent beads like “Mountain Rain” or “Spring Flower”—you know how frustrating it can be. Despite hoping that the smell would fade with a few washes, it often lingers. Recently, after washing my husband’s workout clothes with these new items, he experienced the same strong perfume scent. Ugh!

To help others facing this challenge, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 solutions for removing detergent smells from clothes. Many of these tips come from followers of Tangie, while others are strategies I found online and plan to try. These methods are also effective for odors caused by smoke, food, mildew, and body odor.

Top 10 Solutions for Removing Detergent Smells

Booze Treatment

Fill a spray bottle with cheap vodka or plain grain alcohol. Spray the fabric well on both sides and allow it to air dry completely. For those wondering how to get the perfume smell out of clothes, isopropyl alcohol has also been successful for some. However, be cautious, as certain fabrics like wool, silk, acetate, rayon, and acrylic may be damaged by harsh alcohol.

Sun Treatment

Hang the item(s) in direct sunlight for a couple of days. The sun’s UV rays can help break down the odors.

Classic Vinegar Soak

Soak the clothes in a mixture of vinegar and water, then wash them with added baking soda. This classic method helps neutralize odors.

Baking Soda Bath

Cover the perfumed clothes with baking soda and place them in a sealed container for a few days before washing.

Baking Soda Soak

Dissolve 1 cup of baking soda in water and soak your clothes for several hours or overnight. Wash with white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. If possible, pause the wash cycle for an hour before letting it finish. Repeat as necessary.

Washing Soda

Use 1 cup of washing soda (not baking soda) for a full load of laundry in hot water. This can effectively break down stubborn scents.

Coffee Refresher

Place the smelly clothes in a zip-lock bag with a parcel of unused coffee grounds in a filter. This method can help absorb unwanted odors without staining the clothes.

20 Mule Team Borax

Soak the items in a Borax solution before washing them as usual. Borax is known for its odor-neutralizing properties.

Essential Oils

Some essential oils like cedar, rosemary, peppermint, lemon, clove, and cinnamon may be strong enough to overpower the smell on the clothes. It won’t get rid of the existence of the chemical smell, but may be able to mask it, while allowing you to wear the clothes so you work on getting the embedded scent molecules out through multiple washes between wears. Just be mindful not to put the oils directly ON the clothes, as they can leave an oil mark. Try putting the oils on a cloth or cotton ball and putting it with the clothes in a closed container for a few days.

Freezer

For bacterial smells like body odor, you can reduce or eliminate the bacteria by putting the garment in the freezer for a few days, which should kill quite a bit of the bacterial colony. Then, wash the item to get the dead bacteria out of the fabric.

Boil

Oppositely, you can boil clothes that are safe in hot water (ie NOT synthetic, plastic fabrics like polyester) to kill bacteria. Use a large soup pot and boil enough water to cover the clothes (it’s best to do one garment at a time, for safety!). Boil and stir for at least 5 minutes. Let the water cool down so you can safely remove the wet item. Then, either let it air dry or pop it in the washing machine.
This method could help reduce the scent of laundry soap by destroying the scent molecules with high heat.

Simply Wait

Allow the clothes to air out outside of your drawers for a while. Keeping them in a well-ventilated area can help dissipate the scent over time.

Avoid Musty Environments

Store your clothes in a clean, dry place where they won’t pick up new undesirable smells, such as a musty attic.

Additional Tips for Smelly Clothes

While the above methods are excellent for tackling heavy laundry soap scents, here are some other solutions for odors caused by smoke, food, and body odor. However, these may not be as effective for synthetic fragrances:

• Essential Oil Sprays: Create a natural spray using essential oils diluted in water to refresh clothes.
• Activated Charcoal: Use activated charcoal bags in your wardrobe to absorb odors over time.

Here are some other solutions to smelly clothes problems caused by things like smoke and body odor, however, these methods may not be the most helpful for heavy laundry soap scents.

If you’re having trouble getting results with these methods, try adding in some good old-fashioned elbow grease. For example, after letting your item soak in vinegar, try scrubbing the cloth with baking soda either with a scrubbing brush or by rubbing the fabric against itself (just be sure your scrubbing method won’t damage the fabric).

Check out our articles about stain removal here and here!

Looking for ways to remove stains?

Stains on clothing can be frustrating, but with the right techniques, you can effectively remove them and restore your garments. Here are some tried-and-true methods for tackling various types of stains:

Act Quickly: The sooner you treat a stain, the better your chances of removing it. Blot the stain gently with a clean cloth to absorb excess liquid without rubbing it in.

Cold Water Rinse: For most stains, rinsing with cold water can help lift the stain before applying any treatment. Hot water can set certain stains, so avoid it initially.

Dish Soap for Grease: Mix a few drops of dish soap with warm water and apply it directly to greasy stains. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before rinsing.

Baking Soda Paste: For stubborn stains, create a paste using baking soda and water. Apply it to the stain, let it dry, and then brush it off before laundering.

White Vinegar: This natural remedy works well for deodorizing and removing light stains. Mix equal parts vinegar and water, apply it to the stain, and let it sit for 30 minutes before washing.

Commercial Stain Removers: For tough stains, consider using a commercial stain remover. Always follow the instructions on the label for the best results.

These methods can help you tackle a variety of stains, keeping your clothes looking fresh and clean.

By manually forcing the vinegar and baking soda through the fabric, the friction might help remove more of the scent molecules than soaking and swishing alone.

Have any of these options worked for you?

I am currently testing my newly thrifted workout clothes with options #2 and #4 in hopes the overpowering perfume scent goes away!
I will post an update to this article soon.

Thanks for reading.
Xoxo Angie