Secondhan bathroom suite

Just a warning to those who like to buy furniture at auctions or second hand shops, sister and BIL bought a piece of furniture and placed it in the house. They had to have their lounge floor replaced and chuck the item, it had woodworm. What was originally a nice old piece of furniture caused a lot of bother.

I think your friend has a problem surely she uses a public toilet even occasionally bleach and elbow grease can do wonders maybe she's jealous as you obviously have an eye for a bargain

I have a friend who hovers over loo seats too. I think its ridiculous and people who so that sometimes leave drips on the seat which is horrid. Its a fallacy that you can catch any diseases from public toilets. All I do is wipe the seat with loo paper before and after to make sure its dry. As long as you wash hands, no problem. I wouldn't have a problem with any of the things mentioned secondhand as long as they washable. Pillows are a possible exception as they can smell sweaty!

First thing we do with anything wood that comes into the house is check for woodworm and immediately treat it if we find it. In fact we usually check it at the auction rooms before we buy .I think anyone wo regularly buys secondhand goods always does that.

Harrigran I think your BiL was very unfortunate to get that much damage from a woodwormed article. The main sign of woodworm is little heaps of sawdust(frass) on the floor under the item, or whatever surface it is on and this is usally very visible and is an immediate warning that woodworm is present and should be treated..

DD recently bought a small box, which had wood worm holes that looked as if they were old and worm was no longer present. A few weeks later she saw some frass on the shelf it was standing on so she immediately put it in the freezer for some days. No more frass has since appeared so that treatment obviously solved the problem.

ann and Tiz. No danger of me ever being embarrassed by too much wine!
My most recent 2nd hand purchases were 2 Laura Ashley armchairs in a delicate shade of duck egg. I love them.

Having worked for the British Heart Foundation (when working) as an Area manager for their shops I am all in favour of second hand, or 3rd and 4th hand. These types of charity shops and recycling and swapping sites are fantastic ways to find a bargain, at a reasonable price, whilst helping others, either individuals or charities.
I have bought my grandchildren toys etc and I certainly would have no qualms about buying second hand furniture, baths etc but as others have said I would stop at secondhand underwear and pillows!

When we returned to UK and set up house got lots of furniture second hand. Also replaced an avacardo loo which cracked by buying second hand. I am happy to take preloved stuff if it is what I need.

I know someone who doesn't use the library because of hygiene fears.

They don't do second hand out here and I really miss it.

Where are you from Wilks ?

I totally agree with Indinana. As a widowed pensioner, money is tight and a great way to make the most of what you have, while still treating 3 year old GD, is using charity shops. My local one, which supports a local children's hospice, has beautiful toys, children's books and often brand new children's clothing too, and when I buy there my money is supporting a very worthwhile cause!

I buy second hand things, but beware of bedbugs! Seriously, they can hide in bedframes, etc.

Only ever buy new? Good grief. And we wonder why we're disappearing under a mountain of tat. We already need three Earths to sustain our first world level of consumption.

Even my dog is second hand

the only things i wouldn't buy second hand are shoes and underwear, pillows and mattresses. and i would definitely have to have a new toilet seat. apart from those things anything goes. beggars can't be choosers. When i see articles in newspapers showing new fashion and a scarf is priced at £200, or a dress is more than i can afford to spend in a year for all my clothing, it doesn't make me feel deprived at all, i love finding bargains in charity shops.

Ha ha, Radicalnan, my dog too. The best sort.

Great post ruby lady!

Rubylady your post brought back memories. When we were first married money was so short most things were secondhand. We had our cooker from a neighbour of MIL, beds from my aunt and mum, ding table and chairs drom an advert in the local paper. Things have changed so much in the last 46 years, everyone has to have new these days.

It took me 40 years to replace my aunt and uncle's furniture which I had when we were first setting up home. The chairs had become quite wobbly. Funnily enough, my son and his partner, having moved to a bigger house, have bought (at what expense I dare not think) a much larger table which is made to look second hand. It appears to have been made out of reclaimed timber. 10-year-old GS think it's terrible and although I had to keep my lip buttoned, I tend to agree with him.

I have bought 2nd hand toys for my granddaughter and my friends grand children.I sterilise them with Milton so they are safe for them to play with,(not the children the toys lol)I also buy Happy meals at McDonalds and keep all the toys.We have no young children but there is always some thing to play with when we have young visitors.2nd hand is fine as long as it gets a proper clean.

A woman I know boasted that her son never had new clothes but was always dressed from jumble sales, even in his teens.She also dressed in jumble sale things, even bras and pants! I'll buy from charity shops, but would NEVER buy secondhand undies. Yuk.

She's either daft or jealous or your super bargain . A rolled top bath - what a find !

I was chuffed to bits when I found it tiredoldwoman

I buy a lot of second hand there are so many fabulous shops now I save a lot of money.You would be surprised items take to Charity Shops I've just bought a lovely sofa that just sat in a spare room hardly used looks new I'm very happy

I have loads of gorgeous clothes including a silk Monsoon evening dress bought on ebay. I would never have been able to buy these things brand new. I also bought an old dresser at a charity shop and gave it a wonder shabby chic look. Actually a lot of my furniture is second hand... Love up cycling