Do your local Charity Shops ‘smell’?

No ours smells as clean and fresh as any other establishment because unfortunately we wouldn’t dream of putting smelly or uncleaned clothes out, sometimes we have to rag a whole bag because of stale smoke smell or an unwashed smell those type of clothes would never reach our rails
Perhaps a letter to them politely mentioning that there is an offensive smell in their shop
The only time we have to reach for the perfume bottle is when cannibis smokers come in or obviously someone unclean but we do whizz round with something nicely smelling when they leave

Our small market town has six charity shops

I don’t think any of them ‘smell’ of cooking or cigarette smoke, but inevitably with pre-loved clothing, shoes, books etc they don’t smell like a posh department store.

I donate clothing, but it is always freshly washed beforehand. I know at least one of the shops steam the clothes before they are put on display though.

If only everyone took clean stuff in, there would be no problem, but so many just use them as a dump.

(Also wash any rags that I take for the rag bag)

The sad fact is that all clothes smell if they are stroked unworn and unaired fir any length of time.

Yes even yours and mine😱

I’m afraid elderly people’s wardrobes and drawers often gave a distinctive ‘stored’ smell and then so do they.

Its a timely nudge to me to clear out a few items that rarely see the light of day😬

Well, my clothes don’t smell of body odour, smoke or anything else unpleasant! I’m also a volunteer and agree with BlueBelle’s comments, as that is exactly how our shop is run.

The particular charity shop I go to, does not smell at all ..

I remember charity shops of old being a bit smelly but after Mary Portas took on the challenge of updating them that is no longer the case where I live. I was in one this morning and it was fresh and pleasant.

I can’t stand the phrase ‘charity shop’ It’s awful. The op shops I go to don’t smell. If they did they would be closed down by the councils quick smart.

There was an item on the BBC news about charity shops being used as bins. People putting dirty clothing in bags and handing it in. There was a photo of a filthy T shirt covered in stains that someone had donated. Even dirty nappies had been found amongst donated dirty clothes.
The volunteers should be applauded for keeping the shops fresh smelling when people send in dirty, smelly items.

Smell, tbh I have not stepped into a charity shop for years. I couldn't do the smell, they all were the same odd smell.

nanna8

I can’t stand the phrase ‘charity shop’ It’s awful. The op shops I go to don’t smell. If they did they would be closed down by the councils quick smart.

Charity Shop indicates that the money raised goes to the named charity. Every shop has its own charity name on the shop front.
Oxfam, Red Cross, Mercy in Action, Hospice, etc.
Absolutely nothing wrong or patronising about the description Charity shop.

I took all my dads clothes to a charity shop in another town, (I didn’t fancy bumping into anyone wearing his stuff) , trousers & shirts, & jumpers all, washed, pressed in their own suit bags. The lady couldn’t praise me enough- as she could hang up the clothes straight away.
She said you would not believe what they receive, clothes with vomit, couldn’t even rag them, she said.

AGAA4

There was an item on the BBC news about charity shops being used as bins. People putting dirty clothing in bags and handing it in. There was a photo of a filthy T shirt covered in stains that someone had donated. Even dirty nappies had been found amongst donated dirty clothes.
The volunteers should be applauded for keeping the shops fresh smelling when people send in dirty, smelly items.

They should be applauded, my mum & dad volunteered in a charity shop for the homeless, they worked jolly hard.
I did have to tell my mum, that she didn’t smell like my mum, she would buy something nice, but it would have that damp smell, she also had an infestation of moths in her wardrobe once.
Told her to put anything she bought in the freezer for a few days.

nanna8

I can’t stand the phrase ‘charity shop’ It’s awful. The op shops I go to don’t smell. If they did they would be closed down by the councils quick smart.

What’s wrong with ‘charity shop’? In the U.K. it just means that the shop raises money for a particular charity. It certainly doesn’t mean anything like ‘bestowing charity in the form of cheap goods to the poor’, in case that’s what you were thinking.

I have walked pass someone in the Supermarket & I can whiff out that charity shop smell, it’s like moth balls & stale perfume.
My main fear is bedbugs, or cockroaches, those that live in cracks & crevices.
I once bought a second hand wardrobe, came from a second hand shop, I ended up with wood worm 😩

I know exactly what you mean about charity shops smelling.
I travel around the country and always like to pop into a charity shop to look at books, bric a brac or craft supplies, most smell just the same as any other shop, but there are some that, tbh, I just turn around and walk straight out again.

Good charity shops wash all washable clothes and thoroughly air anything that needs to be dry-cleaned. Unfortunately, most of them quite understandably use the cheapest detergents they can buy, so unless you use the same one, you will notice the smell.

Kitchen utensils are washed too before being put onto shelf.

Obviously, books, upolstered furniture etc. cannot be washed, or very easily aired.

I often have to wash anything made of cloth three or four times to get the soap powder residue and smell of a soap powder I am allergic to, which is most brands, out of the stuff before I can consider using it.

AuntieE I don’t think many charity shops wash the clothes, do you realise how much most get donated?
We get so many bags a day it would be impossible.
The really awful stuff, think dirty, ripped, smelly gets binned.
The majority gets ragged and the rest that we can sell gets steamed, that’s the best we can do but our shop definitely doesn’t smell.
I think unfortunately some people think charity shops are just somewhere they can dump what they don’t want, easier than going to the dump maybe.

As I said on a different thread, our Oxfam shop is a wee Treasure Trove. Fusty or other smells would put me off going in. So, it's worth letting your shop know there is a problem, or they will lose so much custom.

Oh I nanny noodles, I seen black bags piled high outside our hospice shop, even though there are huge notices.
As for books I would bag them & put in the freezer for a week.

Mt61

Oh I nanny noodles, I seen black bags piled high outside our hospice shop, even though there are huge notices.
As for books I would bag them & put in the freezer for a week.

Know🙄

Has anyone who works in a charity shop seen anything crawling?

Mt61

I have walked pass someone in the Supermarket & I can whiff out that charity shop smell, it’s like moth balls & stale perfume.
My main fear is bedbugs, or cockroaches, those that live in cracks & crevices.
I once bought a second hand wardrobe, came from a second hand shop, I ended up with wood worm 😩

I’ve always bought things from charity shops. In fact I find it well nigh impossible to walk past a charity shop without going in for a browse around. But my recent beetle infestation made me realise that I could have taken clothes to a charity shop ( I am trying to declutter) that contained carpet beetle larvae which, once in your home are a nightmare to get rid of. Fortunately my infestation was furniture beetle from a wicker basket I had bought from a charity shop and they aren’t invasive in the way that carpet beetles ( which I’d never heard of before) but it’s made me very wary of buying any clothes from a charity shop in future. I agree that some shops do smell a bit off. I always make a point of praising the ones that are beautifully laid out and fresh smelling. Are clothes steamed before being put on display?

I buy DH shirts from the charity shops for gardening and outside jobs, but a couple I bought recently have been like new and good enough to go out in. M&S, Blue Harbour and similar.

Always washed and ironed before he wears them though.

All shops and homes have their ' smell ' . Think shoe shops, cheese shops and book shops . My favourite is a fish and chip shop . So used items coming from houses will have a smell . Fresh air and a good wash soon gets rid of all that. I love a visit to a charity shop - happy bargain hunting .