Thrifting 101: Things you Shouldn't Buy at Thrift Stores
There are only two things that you absolutely shouldn’t buy at thrift stores:
Bras and Underwear.
Thats it. Pretty much anything else is fair game as long and you are aware of some of the issues certain items have.
Here are some things I would be careful about buying at thrift stores:
Swimsuits. For the same reasons you don’t buy bras and underwear I would be careful about swimsuits. DEFINITELY wash them/soak them before wearing them, and always try them on over your clothing.
Couches/Chairs/Rugs. Any furniture made of cloth or even leather poses the risk of bringing insects into your home. BUT there are ways to mitigate this. I love buying used furniture, but I don’t love having fleas or other insects in my house (fleas being the most common thing you’d find in used furniture), so typically I take one of two approaches (sometimes I use both):
If the weather is nice, I’ll leave the item outside for a few days. This gives the fleas a chance to find and new more hospitable home somewhere else. If the item could fade in the sun, or it’s not nice outside I use Diatomaceous earth. It’s fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton which composes a very fine white powder. It acts as a desiccant similar to those little packets of silica that come with new shoes, and it kills bugs by dehydrating them. Additionally, because the the grains are incredibly sharp, they can shred the exoskeleton of critters, quickly accelerating the dehydration process. The best part is that its eco friendly, and completely non toxic to kids and pets. I sprinkle the stuff on the furniture (or a rug), leave it for a day or so, and then vacuum it up. If some remains in the rug or chair, no big deal because it will continue to deter critters from infesting the stuff, and it’s non toxic. The stuff comes in food grade form, so its considered safe to ingest and inhale. If you are particularly sensitive to dust, you might want to wear a mask when applying it because it can irritate your nasal passages. Basically all this means is that you might sneeze a lot.
If you are interested in diatomaceous earth, its uses and health factors, you can read an article from the National Pesticide Information Center here. I’ve actually eliminated fleas from a couch that a foster dog infested using this method, and we use it every spring when inevitably the sugar ant population finds our trash can.
Bedding, pillows, throw pillows etc. For the same reasons as swimsuits and couches/chairs/rugs. If you do find a fantastic mexican blanket, or the perfect comforter, wash it thoroughly in hot water with a generous amount of detergent and something like oxy-clean, or if you are going for non toxic use baking soda. If it’s a pillow, you can use diatomaceous earth as described above.
Shoes. Athletes foot is the worst. So if you can’t pass up that pair of Doc Martins or Birkenstocks, get some sort of anti fungal spray and spray them down and leave them for a few days before wearing those new kicks.
Puzzles. There’s no way to know if all the pieces are there. Its infuriating to get to the end of a 1000 piece puzzle and realize you only have 999 pieces.
Toys. If the toy cant be washed or sanitized don’t buy it. Also, if it’s a vintage toy maybe think about the possibility of there being lead based paint. Sanitize toys by boiling them for 5 mins or at the very least washing them with soap and hot water. You can even run a lot of toys through the dishwasher on the top rack.
Hats. Because nobody has time for head lice. If the hat cant be washed, dont buy it.
Thrifters out there: anything I missed?
Next time: Consistency
