Mumsnet Talk

I have been selling a lot of my sons' used clothes/jackets. They are all washed before sending but due to my husbands allegies, we don't use fabric softener and have unscented washing powder - hence the laundry smells of nothing unless i can get it out to dry, then it smells of "outside".

However, every used item i buy always smells strongly of fabric softner or washing powder - my nose is probably hyper sensitive to it though. It just got me wondering if people think my items aren't washed.

I have always had positive feedback, but have quite a few items where I have no feedback at all. I wondered whether i should incuded a note in the listing or in with the item to explain or whether that makes it sound like I am making up an excuse to cover up the fact the they weren't washed (which they were) iyswim.

I must be your twin! I too have a super-sensitive nose so everything has to be fragrance free. I can smell other people's laundry products through the bags/wrapping - and sometimes I have to wash what I have bought immediately as its started my nose and eyes streaming

I always state in my listings that any used clothes has been washed in non-bio wash powder and fragrance free conditioner. Nobody so far has complained that they didn't smell "washed"

I'm the same. I've bought quite a lot of baby clothes from eBay and the laundry soap smells soooo strong to me. It would be interesting to know the reverse.

I buy used clothes, sometimes they smell of washing powder etc, sometimes of nothing other than the person's "house smell". Either is fine to me. I love it when they smell really strongly of washing stuff though, except one particular scent which reminds me of a child at primary school whose house I always felt really uneasy at - I have to rewash those

As long as they don't smell of smoke or old socks you're probably fine, although I did buy a sling when DS was tiny which had obviously been washed and packed while still damp - it smelt all musty, that wasn't great, but did wash out. I did mention it to the seller and she said she wanted it to smell nice so she must have washed it specially! I felt bad but wasn't really complaining, just letting her know as she obviously hadn't realised.

I think that apart from anything else, your nose becomes used to your own washing powder or liquid, and conditioner smell, and that's partly why other people's seem to smell more strongly. I know when I go to my friends house I can always smell her washing if the airer's out...but I can't smell it at home, although my sister always remarks on it when she comes to stay!
Regarding used clothes, I think I'd always wash them myself anyway even if they did smell clean - but I'm prepared to accept I'm a bit weird about stuff like that!

dizzy - It's not me that has the allergy but becasue we have used unscented products for so long, i actually find my self wheezing and sneezing when I have to go down the cleaning products aisle.

I also have to wash the items when they are bought but have to wash them seperately as I can't risk my OHs stuff being "contaminated" in you see what I mean. He can't use fabric softener or liquid washing stuff even if unscented. He can use solid bars of unscented soap but cannot use simple shower gel.

It's a bit of a pain to say the least!

I'm another one who has washing that smells of nothing (using Ecover).

DH buys quite a lot of his clothes on Ebay and the first thing i do is put them in the washing machine becase they smell so strongly of washing powder.

I'd just put in your listing that you use unperfumed soap powder/fabric conditioner.

Sounds like all is okay then - it just occurred to me as I was packing a couple of things today when the postman arrived with an item I had bought and it smelled so strongly of fabric conditioner - i just wouldn't like people to think the items were sent dirty regardless of whether they then got washed or not.

A lot of the recent sales have been waterproofs and ski wear so you really don't want to be washing it that often anyway as it will lose it's waterproofness - especially if you use fabric softener.

Another quick question - if your items have velcro - do you de-fluff the velcro before you send? i.e. when the hook side gets bit of fluff and thread caught up in it - my OH says I am mad and that people wont bother but I have a little brush that I use to get all the fluff out

I use Surcare - Ecover does contain a perfume - at least it did the last time i looked - albeit not a strong one.

I go into panics every time the supermarket runs out as there is really nothing else we can use, not even the Surcare liquid.

He can't buy any of his clothes used or actually not many things new either - he is allergic to the dyes/bleaches etc.

beanbagz - yes, I think I will just to be on the safe side - it might actually be a good selling point?!

Everything I sell stinks of wood smoke as we have a stove - there is no way I'm febreezing stuff as I hate unnatural smells - I do warn people on the listings though.

When I buy things that smell really strongly I always suspect that they have been doused in febreeze or something, which I don't associate with being clean. (I associate it with pre-smoking ban days, actually...) So I think I'd prefer a neutral odour!

I sell a lot of vintage clothing and linen,because it has been in storage for some time before it comes to me,it quite often smells mothbally.I'm fanatical about not sending anything remotely smelly out,so have left stuff on the line to air for up to a month sometimes,before washing and listing it.If I'm in any doubt,back outside it goes.I always put in my listing that it has been line dried too,because it is true and a lot of people prefer line dried stuff anyway.I don't use fabric conditioner as it coats fabric in a slimy substance which can't do it any good long term.

I would rather something smelt of washing powder than dirt to be honest. I know strong smelling items can be offputting, or not nice if asthmatic or sensitive.

I hate it when something has been sprayed with cheap perfume which does little to disguise the smell of dirt and fags

I hate the smell of washing dried outside. It just smells damp to me, like the ground. Ugh!

I buy my childrens' clothes on Ebay by the bundle and they always smell of perfumed laundry powders and fabric conditioners.

I agree with the suggestion of writing that you use unperfumed soaps in your listing.

I defluff Velcro before selling!

I hate it when something has been sprayed with cheap perfume which does little to disguise the smell of dirt and fags - He He Now I know you mean my Mother

I have to wash everything that comes into my house 2nd hand even if it is off my friend straight out of the tumble dryer, I just thought every body did the same.

Woodsmoke is lovely cigarette smoke less so, especially on baby clothes - yuck.

I always mention if I have cleaned them using a special type of powder etc.. When I last sold baby clothes I said they had been washed with non-Bio, when I have sold waterproofs I have listed that they have been washed with pure soap flakes. I would hate to buy an almost new waterproof jacket that had to be re-proofed because it had been washed in detergent!

As long as they don't arrive dirty I am happy. I absolutely hate the strong smelling powder and conditioner people use, bleurgh!

I started a thread earlier about a vintage coat I received from eBay today. It arrived stinking of BO. That is not ok. I sell a lot & go to a lot of effort to make sure everything is washed, ironed & smells ok.

Tell me more about this Velcro brush...

lol TheDoctrineOfSnatch it's not a specialist velcro brush - i have a little wire brush - i think it is for brushing suede shoes - does an excellent job!

Not smelling fine - stinking of cigarette smoke - vile. I mean seriously why do people do it - can they not smell it themselves if they smoke?

I would LOVE to buy from you OP. the worst thing about buying clothes on eBay is they smell absolutely rank. Can't believe people actually like overly scented washing powder and conditioner. Sometimes they even spray with fe breeze

I prefer no odour to strong perfume/detergent, too.

I buy clothes occasionally on Ebay, and the first thing I do after opening the parcel is stick them in the wash anyway!

HipHop I don't have much listed at the moment but my ebay id is the same as my ID here if you want a look

Laurie - I'm tempted to buy something just for the woodsmoke smell

I always sit near the open fire at our local and hope that my coat ends up smelling all wintery and lovely.

OP if I were you I'd just put that in your ads. If I bought clothes on eBay, which I don't, I'd wash them all thoroughly myself anyway - I like a mild freshly washed scent, but neutral/nothingish is far better than strongly scented.

I buy lots of DD's clothes on ebay and about 30% smell so strongly of "cleaning product" that I suspect they have been sprayed with something after being washed and I find this quite off-putting. It pretty much all goes in the wash before going on DD. I would much prefer things to come not smelling of scented washing products.

I wish the clothes I bought on eBay smelt of laundry detergent. More often than not they smell of Eau de Charity shop... So the first thing that happens is it gets all chucked into the machine to be washed,

Sometimes I sell stuff which has been stored in our loft, and we have to use mothballs as otherwise it would all get eaten up as we get annual moth infestations. I could understand how some people hate that but I fail to see how to avoid that - we have no outside space to hang things outside to air.