Podcast #4 – Caring for your Thrifted Treasures

In our 4th podcast episode, Ryan and I talk about how to choose, clean and maintain your thrifted items. Here’s a list of some of the topics we cover:

• Why care labels are important and what they tell you
• Essential cleaning supplies for thrifted clothes
• How to clean items from a thrift store
• Common cleaning mistakes
• How to eliminate odors
• How to store garments

Transcript

Ryan 0:00
Thanks for joining us for another episode of The Ultimate Thrifting Podcast. I’m Ryan, and I’m here with Kelly, the founder of Ultimate Thrifting. Kelly, thanks for joining me today.

Kelly 0:10
Hey, Ryan. Let’s do this.

Ryan 0:13
In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about how to take care of thrifted items. Let’s start by talking a bit about care labels. Kelly, what is a care label? And why is it important?

Kelly 0:25
Well, a care label is the little tag that you’ll find on the inside of garments, usually along a side seam at the bottom, sometimes behind the size tag in the collar, but it’s the tag that tells you information about the item, like what it’s made of; the type of fabric, and any instructions for washing, drying, ironing, etc, how to take care of that item. It’s important to look at these instructions and follow them closely, as the manufacturer has always got the best information on what’s going to make that item last and how best to take care of it so that you don’t damage it. You really want to, of course, prevent any shrinking or color fading.

Ryan 1:14
Okay. Kelly, so I know that care labels, besides text, might also have icons on them, like an image of a washing machine might indicate something can be machine washed, or a hand icon suggests that it can be hand washed, or something that’s crossed out means you should not use that method entirely. What if something doesn’t have a care label? Should you still buy items that don’t have a care label?

Kelly 1:38
I definitely have, and I think you can, especially once you get a feel for what different types of fabric feel like, you can probably estimate or make your best guess of what something is made of, and then, based on that, either do some research or from past or other items you might have, kind of check what similar items might have for their care instructions. You’re definitely probably going to find that vintage or handmade clothing won’t have care labels, but I definitely wouldn’t say don’t buy them because of that. You want to weigh the risk against the reward, and you can always do you know the bare minimum to care for them, or the safest way to care for them, if you’re not sure.

Ryan 2:29
Okay, and you mentioned safe ways to care for things. What are some cleaning supplies that every thrift enthusiast should have?

Kelly 2:38
Well, definitely a gentle detergent. I personally use one that is completely scent free, hypoallergenic, and a stain remover or a spot treatment that you can typically spray onto spots directly if you find any stains on items. You know, it depends what we’re talking about; clothing, for sure, you might want a soft bristle brush to try and agitate fibers that are particularly stubborn. I would say, always use a steamer instead of an iron to be safe when you’re trying to press items, because you risk damage a lot more with an iron than you do with a steamer. And then, of course, for shoes, there’s different things you’re going to want, or even leather bags you’re going to want a good leather cleaner and conditioner and maybe a suede brush.

Ryan 3:35
Okay, that’s helpful. And what if you do encounter a stubborn stain? Do you have any strategies or tools to remove stains without damaging fabric?

Kelly 3:45
Sure. Well, you should use a stain remover on a hidden or inconspicuous part of the fabric first and test it to make sure that it’s not going to do any damage, usually to the color and if it’s a stain that you have caused or that you know is new to the item, not something you brought home from the thrift store stained, you want to work on it as soon as possible. The quicker you can treat a stain after it happens, the better chance you have of getting it out without causing any more damage. I would also say never to rub stains vigorously. You want to be gentle and blot more instead of rubbing because it can damage the fabric and even cause pilling to happen.

Ryan 4:35
Thanks. Kelly, okay, so let’s say you have your garments in good shape and you want them to last for a long time. How often should you clean them on a recurring basis, once they’re in your wardrobe and you’re using them regularly?

Kelly 4:49
Well, again, it depends what the item is. For example, something like jeans, I find I rarely wash, maybe once in several months. Yes, honestly, and of course, that’s not wearing them every single day, but if I don’t spill anything on them, something like that, to me, really does not need to be washed often, and a lot of research has agreed with me on that. I would say things that are directly against your skin need to be washed more often. The same applies to things like sweaters or jackets. So sweaters or sweatshirts, for example, I always will wear a t-shirt underneath, so that if I sweat, the t-shirt, obviously I would wash after every wear. The sweater, I wouldn’t. This is especially true for something like wool sweaters, they can’t be washed, so I take extra care to make sure I have an under layer on. I don’t want to have to pay to get those dry cleaned often.

Ryan 5:55
And I guess too, if you did get something on a sweater or something else you’re not washing regularly, you could spot clean it.

Kelly 6:05
Yeah, for sure, you might not have to wash the whole item. It really depends. I find that most wear and tear on clothing actually comes more from washing than wearing. So I know in high school, for example, my mom used to wash our clothes, all of them after every single wear, and I would consistently get damaged hems on my jeans, ripped knees and more, whereas now I have jeans that last me years and years, and I have never had that issue, so I know that the wear and tear comes from washing more than wearing.

Ryan 6:42
You mentioned your mom cleaning clothes too often, and I had the same experience growing up. What are some other common mistakes you see people make when they’re cleaning clothes that have been thrifted?

Kelly 6:53
Well, I think not reading the care label or ignoring the instructions on the care label is number one. I have seen the results of this many times in thrift stores. When I see sad, shrunken wool sweaters, you can tell right away, because the wool has become super tight and hard, aside from the fact that it looks like it would fit, you know, a child, when it’s supposed to be a women’s medium or whatever. And really, wool can’t be washed, so people need to follow the instructions and not think that if they just wash it a certain way or whatever, that things will be okay.

Secondly, I would say using chemicals or harsh detergents, I do use a proven but pretty strong stain remover, Oxy Clean, that is really popular in the reseller world and thrifting world, because it’s known to get tough stains out. But you have to be really careful, because there are a few different versions. So I have a separate one for whites, and one that is multi purpose, because it can strip color. So you have to be careful about soaking it, how long you’re soaking it, checking on it, etc. So whenever you’re using any kind of a stain remover, like I mentioned, you have to be careful and test something first, because you don’t want to end up creating more damage than there was.

Another thing is washing items before or without treating stains. Because if something gets a stain and you throw it in the washer, if it hasn’t come out, and then you put it in the dryer as well, it can actually set the stain in more and make it harder to deal with.

Ryan 8:44
Thanks, Kelly, now you’ve talked a lot about stains that you can see, but what about removing odors, so things that you can smell? Do you have any tips for when you get a garment home from the thrift store, what you can do with it to make sure that it doesn’t smell bad if there is an odor.

Kelly 9:02
Yeah, for sure. This is one thing that does happen, and sometimes, just in the atmosphere of the thrift store, with so many clothes tightly packed, you can’t tell that that item has an odor until you get it home. So there’s a few different things that you could try. And so the first thing I would attempt, which is probably the safest and easiest, is just airing it out. So for me, this would mean hanging it outside for even multiple days if it’s good weather.

You can also try adding a bit of vinegar or half a cup of baking soda to your washing machine to their load, or soaking an item in hot water with vinegar and/or baking soda, which is known to remove odors. Another thing I’ve seen people try is wrapping something tightly in a bag with newspapers and leaving it for a while. Apparently newsaper can remove odors. Another thing I’ve seen is people putting something in the freezer and leaving it there for days. So there are multiple options that you can try. I haven’t tried all of them, so I can’t really say if they all work. Another one that I’ve seen recommended all of the time is putting a bit of vodka in a spray bottle and spraying the item with vodka, apparently, that will take orders out. Who knew?

Ryan 10:24
That’s cool. What about I’ve seen people use activated charcoal too in like sachet packets. Is that something you’ve ever done?

Kelly 10:34
I haven’t personally done it, but hey, everything’s worth a try.

Ryan 10:39
So you’ve got your garments home, they’re clean. You’re taking care of them. They look great. What if it’s changing seasons and you need to store something for a few months? Do you have any tips for storing garments so that they maintain their condition?

Kelly 10:54
Well, definitely make sure they are clean. You might want to give them even a fresh wash before you store them long term; you want to make sure you’re storing them in a cool, dry and dark area, not exposed to sunlight, and you want to make sure you use breathable garment bags so that air can still get in there and circulate

Ryan 11:15
All right. So we’ve talked a lot about what you can do once a garment is home, but what about when you’re still shopping in a store, how can you tell if the stain will come out easily before you make a purchase?

Kelly 11:27
Ooh, it can be really hard to tell, but if you can try and narrow it down to what type of stain it might be, that might help you. So for example, if you can judge if it oil based or dye, you might be able to research removal methods or decide that it’s just going to be too difficult to remove.

Ryan 11:52
All right, let’s maybe wrap up there. So Kelly, thanks for the tips you’ve provided about caring for items and how to handle them in thrift stores then at home. Is there anything else you want to add? Any last minute tips for listeners?

Kelly 12:05
Just talking again about storing your items. In general, be careful about what kind of hangers you use and what you’re hanging. So, for example, things with more weight to them, like sweaters I would definitely be folding and putting up, because hangers can stretch the fabric, especially in the shoulders, or depending on the shape of the hanger, you can kind of see that indented into the fabric, and it’s really hard to get things back to their proper shape.

Ryan 12:32
Okay, thanks, Kelly, that’s great. So we’ll get a copy of the transcript then up on the ultimatethrifting.com website, and the video for this as well. Thank you again for your time today, and I really enjoyed our discussion.

Kelly 12:45
Thanks, Ryan.