Do Charities and Thrift Stores Wash Donated Clothing?
This post was first published in Dec 2022 and last updated in Mar 2024
If you are committed towards sustainable living, you would know that buying second-hand is one of the best options out there if you need something new to wear. But you may have some questions about how hygienic it is.
In particular, do charity shops wash clothes before selling them?
Most charities do not wash clothing that is donated to their stores – they simply do not have the funds or the facilities to launder the volumes of clothing donations that come through. Charities rely on the general public to do the right thing and wash their clothing before they are donated.
In this blog post, I get into this a bit further, providing some background information on the whole clothing donations and sorting process.
Specifically, you will find further information addressing the following questions:
Let’s get into it.
Do charity shops wash donated clothes?
Donated clothing is not washed by charities before they are put onto the shop floor. When clothing arrives in charity and thrift stores, they are generally hand-sorted and visually inspected and items suitable for sale are tagged and placed on the shop floor for sale, without being washed.
This is true even for charities that have large sorting facilities.
Check out this video from the EPA, where staff from the Salvation Army sorting facility mentioned that they can’t wash your donated clothes:
I spoke to the manager of our local charity. Each day they get bags of clothing donations from the public.
At the store, they visually inspect the item and if they think they can sell it, they tag the item and place it on the shop floor. It’s not washed beforehand.
Because it’s a charity store – they don’t have separate washing facilities on the premises. And they don’t have the budget to send it off to be washed.
Here are some comments from a Reddit thread, confirming that it is the same in other charity stores and sorting facilities across Australia:
The last comment sums it up – the charities and sorting facilities get truckloads of donations. They have limited manpower and most of that goes towards sorting through donations.
As covered in What REALLY Happens to Donated Clothes in Australia, if an item is not suitable for sale, it is either turned into rags, sent overseas or thrown into landfill. Staff at the sorting facilities sort the clothes by hand and they decide where it goes, depending on the condition of the item. And they have a lot to sort through.
A 2021 report by Charitable Recycling Australia notes that an average of 12.1 kg of clothing are donated per person in Australia. Over 310,000 tonnes of clothing per year goes through Australian charities – that’s a lot!
These charities also have limited budgets. Washing clothes costs money and would also take time and space that the charities don’t have.
So it is not surprising that anything visibly dirty or torn is thrown away. And anything that makes it to the shop floor has not been washed before getting there.
Should you wash clothes before donating?
You should always wash your clothes before donating to charity. Charity and thrift stores can not afford to wash clothing before they place them out for sale, so it falls on you to make sure the clothes are washed, cleaned and suitable for sale before you donate.
It doesn’t matter how you are donating your items – whether it’s through the donation bin, directly to charity stores or through a collection drive – always wash your clothes before donating.
I recommend this because it is clear that charities do not have the facilities to wash clothing themselves.
Also keep in mind that when donations come into a charity, they are sorted BY HAND by one of their staff members. The sorting process is not automated – it is entirely manual.
Do you really want your unwashed clothing to pass through the hands of a charity worker?
Wash your clothes, fold them up and then donate them.
And if you really want your donations to help someone out and not do further harm to the environment by ending up in landfill, you need to go the extra step of ensuring the item is suitable for sale.
For more information on this have a read of Donating Clothing? Know What You Can or Can’t Donate
Why do clothes from charities and thrift stores smell the same?
Second-hand clothing tends to give off the same odour as they tend to have the same compounds embedded in the clothes – things like skin particles, sweat, and body oils that our bodies tend to secrete. And it contains particles present in our everyday environment.
This is according to a 2018 New York Times article, which reported on a study conducted by Procter & Gamble on selected vintage clothing.
Procter & Gamble conducted a lab study and found that 12 of the 18 compounds found in second-hand clothing were related to bodily secretions – so skin. sweat and oils.
The rest of the compounds were related to external factors like cigarette smoke, alcohol, gasoline and cleaners.
This is why the smell is the same across different stores – the scent is caused by things that the body naturally contains and scents that you find in everyday life.
And since charities do not wash clothing before they are placed on the store floor it’s no wonder that clothing still has the remnants of bodily secretions and environmental ordos.
There may be some variations in the smell you are hit with.
Some stores may spray their clothing. At least that is the case in some Goodwill stores in America. I have not noticed this to be the case in Australia.
And some pieces of clothing may have particularly strong smells, which you don’t realise until you wear it. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, spandex and rayon are known to trap odours. While clothing made from natural fibres like cotton, linen and wool do not. Synthetic blends also trap fewer odours.
If all this talk of second-hand clothing and odours is turning you off, please don’t be turned off!
The smells are not that bad. And you have to remember, it’s the store smell that I am referring to here. Individual items of clothing tend not to have strong smells. You might get a whiff of something, but nothing different to your clothing.
Finally, I want to address a common concern people have about odours emitted by second-hand clothing – it is highly unlikely that the smell is a result of harmful bacteria or mildew.
Mildew and bacteria on clothing usually emits a very strong smell. When charity workers sort through clothing donations, they will make sure anything that has a strong smell or looks damaged is sent to landfill.
And as the Procter and Gamble study confirmed, bacteria and mildew are not the cause of the smell from second-hand clothing.
If you are still worried, don’t be.
The chances of catching something from second-hand clothing are really low. And it’s a risk you would face anywhere – from wearing new clothes from a shopping centre, catching public transport, staying in a hotel room.
So don’t be turned off from buying second-hand – many people have been doing it for years with no issues at all, including myself. Have bagged myself so many bargains over the years and have had no issues when it comes to second-hand clothing and hygiene.
xxx Tahsin
After more information? You may be interested in....
What to Do With Unwanted Old Clothes – A Complete Guide – for a full list of options, based on how many items you have and what condition they are in
The BEST Places to Sell Clothing Online in Australia – a full guide that will help you choose the best place sell your clothes, covering all clothing types and situations
Is Selling Your Clothes Worth It? Tips to Help You Out – a deep dive into selling clothing online, what price to set and what you can do to make the process easier for you
Where to Donate Clothing In Australia – A Full Guide – the best places to donate your fit for wear clothing, including what to do with a bulk lot of clothes
What REALLY Happens to Donated Clothes in Australia – an exploration of the second hand clothing market in Australia and whether its a good idea to donate clothing to charities
Donating Clothing? Know What You Can or Can’t Donate – if you need to know what charities do or do not accept and the condition clothing should be in before you donate
Throwing Away Old Clothes – Can You and Should You Bin Them? – if you want to know what happens when clothes are thrown into landfill, charity or recycling bins
What to Do With Clothes that CANNOT be Donated – a full guide on what to do with clothes that are not fit for wear
Where to Recycle Clothing in Australia – All Options Covered – a full list of places that accept clothing for recycling, along with details on what REALLY happens when they take your clothes
What To Do With Old Underwear and Bras – Practical Tips – if you want to know whether you can donate underwear and bras, as well as practical reuse and recycling options
