Vintage clothes are generally safe to wear, provided they are properly cleaned and disinfected to remove residual allergens, germs, bacteria, and potential odors. While they rarely pose major health risks, they should always be laundered or dry-cleaned first. Sensitive skin types should beware of older detergents or materials.
Second-hand clothes could spread skin and hair diseases particularly pediculosis and scabies. In addition, these clothes must wash, iron or disinfect to diminish the chances of pathogen transmission to human.
Surface residues and odors may come out in the wash, but embedded toxins like PFAS, formaldehyde, and heavy metals are chemically bonded to fabrics, especially in fast fashion items from brands like Shein and Temu.
Certain pests are drawn to long-stored belongings like vintage clothing. People have always been warned that moths can damage fabrics - particularly natural fibers like wool and silk - if they don't take precautions to store them properly.
An outraged shopper has claimed their 'shopping addiction has been cured' after appearing to find a 'live bed bug' in their Vinted parcel. Sending Vinted parcels is down to the seller, not Vinted.
Bare spots or holes in your clothing, drapes, or carpets are telltale signs. You might also notice casings from moth larvae or dead moths near windows, light fixtures, or air vents. These indicators suggest a potential moth problem that needs addressing.
An easy way to identify products that adhere to these standards is to look for the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Label. This label ensures that the garment has been tested for a list of both regulated and non-regulated potentially toxic substances and exceeds international standards.
Toxic fabrics like polyester, acrylic, nylon, and acetate are often made with harmful chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin. Look for clothing made with natural dyes and minimal processing to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals.
Clothing is a well-known carrier of many disease-causing pathogens. This means that germs from the original clothes owner's unique skin microbiome could still be found on secondhand clothes if the items weren't cleaned prior to selling.
Use a short cycle at low temperature, so that you don't damage the most delicate garments. This way, you will remove most of the dirt before disinfecting them. Immerse the second-hand items in a bowl of hot water (not boiling) with a small amount of washing powder and a powder clothes disinfectant.
The "333 rule" in clothing refers to two popular minimalist fashion concepts: the viral TikTok trend of using 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 shoes to create numerous outfits (9 items total) for styling practice, and the more extensive Project 333, where you select 33 items (including clothes, shoes, and accessories) to wear for three months, excluding essentials like underwear, workout gear, and sleepwear, to simplify your wardrobe and reduce decision fatigue. Both methods focus on versatility, quality over quantity, and creating a functional capsule wardrobe.
Clothing can contain germs like bacteria, fungi, viruses and even parasites, which can cause illness. This is especially true during flu season, which typically lasts from October to May.
What happens if I wear thrifted clothes without washing?
Not washing your second-hand clothes before wearing them puts you at risk of coming into contact with dangerous fungi, bacteria, parasites, and even chemicals.
While mainstream society quickly embraced toilet paper's convenience and hygiene benefits, many Amish communities continued using traditional materials like leaves, rags, or corn cobs for personal sanitation.
You will find that zippers are also not often found on Amish clothing instead snaps, hooks and pins are used. The aversion to zippers among the Amish can be traced back to their belief in Gelassenheit. Gelassenheit is a German term that emphasizes humility, submission, and yielding to God's will.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
Fabrics certified by reputable standards like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or OEKO-TEX® are often considered the least toxic. Among natural options, organic cotton, linen, and hemp—when minimally processed—tend to be safest.
Clothes moth season usually takes place in Spring and Summer, around April and May, when the female moths start mating and searching for the perfect spot to lay their eggs. Moths are most active during these months, with another wave of emergence in August and September.
Clothes moth larvae (the juvenile or immature life stage) is technically a type of caterpillar. They feed mostly on wool, fur, hair, horns, hooves, feathers, and occasionally on organic materials like leather, lint, mohair, and silk. Larvae of this pest are after keratin, a protein found only in animal-based materials.
