Whole bundle of smelly, smoky baby clothes from Vinted ☹️

I’d wash them and give them to a charity shop. I’m normally quite pragmatic and non-fussy about things, but I have a quite visceral reaction to the smell of cigarette smoke in clothes as a result of a childhood spent in a perpetual nicotine fog. Awful smell.

I have a grip. My own children are adult. You are silly if you think you can put a load of stuff into the washing machine and have it magically vanish without trace. Modern machines are made to save water and the rinsing is therefore not as good as it could be.

I would not put a newborn in clothes that had smoke smell on them, even after washing.

Just a thought, if the clothes have never been worn, there may never have been a baby :( and that might explain destructive behaviour like smoking. I would say clothes not as described, rather than giving any details.

Sure it will be fine once warm washed and hung out to dry outside. Some extra detergent.

Lots of us lived through the 70s/80s/90s where smoking inside was just normal. Smoking over babies in prams. Horrible to think about it now (I remember having ash dropped on my arm as a small toddler). I think the risks once the clothes are washed properly are so slim / none. It'll be fine to use the little clothes. But equally if you want to chuck them in the bin don't feel bad about it, it might not be worth the worry.

This happened to me, except my daughter was slightly older (probably around 18m). The clothes were a smoky/mildewy smell and I was irrationally disappointed as 99% of the time when my items arrived from Vinted they’re as described or better than expected! I washed and they were totally fine.

But, also as someone who has suffered with anxiety around health and baby — I’d wash and see how you feel, if it’s going to stress you out to think about it I’d just bin them and try to put it out of your mind. It’s not worth losing sleep over and your anxiety won’t always this bad so so what you need to do to survive this period. It’s okay to throw out clothes to make your life easier right now and you don’t need to feel guilty about it.

You really think that your washing machine will become contaminated? Get a grip FFS!

Surely if you wash them the smell will go?
You can say they smelled of smoke if that's the truth. I personally have never thought any clothing smells of smoke, but I smoke/vape myself so nose blindness is real!

If you’re worried that chemicals don’t wash out, then you probably shouldn’t use cotton full stop. Plenty of dangerous chemicals used as pesticides, herbicides & bleaching agents used in the processing of cotton.

Is it the seller or the delivery driver? We have an Amazon driver and everything he delivers smells sooooooo strongly of smoke he must literally smoke inside the back of his van!

could you try messaging the seller and seeing if they are open to a refund if you return? I had shoes arrive a couple weeks ago and they reeked of smoke (weed too) and I politely messaged the seller asking they would be willing to refund as the smell is overwhelming. The seller agreed and when I put the request through she paid for the return shipping too, got all my money back including fees. Some people are willing to be reasonable if you just approach honestly and politely.

edit: just seen that you already left feedback so that ship has sailed. Will leave my advice for others or for you in the future.

It’s not the anxiety taking.

The chemicals in cigs damage DNA. Madness to put that on a baby. A washing machine isn’t a magic wand - why would you even put that crap in your washing machine? Some of it will stay in the machine.

I love a good laundry strip. Get a bucket ( or something that all the items will fit in) and fill it with nice hot water. Put a cup of biological washing powder in and mix it around to start to dissolve. Add the clothes and mix around. Then add 1/2 a cup of bicarbonate of soda ( from the cleaning aisle in the shops) and finally 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Mix everything around ( it will fizz a bit). Leave to soak until the water is cold, then squeeze out the excess water and pop the clothes on a normal wash. This soaking process has never failed me. X

Did you not contact the seller before leaving feedback? She might have offered a return if you'd approached her before leaving a three star review.

Going to go against the grain here and say I might chuck them, depending on the baby’s age. If the baby is younger than six months when the risk for SIDS is higher I would just bin. We don’t know what causes SIDS but we do know cigarette smoke increases the risk.

I say this as someone who occasionally smoked a cigarette out of the house (eg at the pub) while in a period of cosleeping with an older baby, so am by no means a saint or neurotic.

Likely they'll need washing twice. I bought some t shirts from Vinted last year and they reeked of cig smoke as well. After I'd washed them they'll smelled OK but when I ironed them the cig smell came out again. They were OK after the second wash.

Poo and sick aren’t toxic.

Fag smoke has tar, benzene, cadmium and in the region of 100 other harmful or carcinogenic compounds. I wouldn’t put that anywhere near a baby.

Soak in bicarb and hot water - change it every few hours it neutralises smells and draws them out.
Then put them on a high heat wash - 60 degrees that will kill anything remaining, hang outside and see how they are.

Agree they should have disclosed!

I wouldn’t be washing all that filth. I’m surprised so many people are advising this. My dc are adult - but there is no way I would have put them in these clothes. Even if you can wash most of the detectable smell out, there will be lingering chemicals from the smoke.

Can you say they smell of smoke and are therefore unsuitable for your baby and get a refund?

Presumably you’d wash 2nd hand baby clothes first anyway?! Just stick them in the washing machine. You’ll soon be having to get the smell of poo & sick out of them - so don’t sweat it.

I was going to say this. I had this once, asp l with baby clothes. I complained and they told me they don’t smoke - I later realised it was the bag the clothes were wrapped in. It’s happened a few times since.

it really really really stunk, I was convinced it was cigarette smoke

Send them back for a refund with the seller paying tracked postage. If they say no then leave a review.

Yes to the negative review and to washing the clothes thoroughly.
At least the items are machine washable, which is good! I once got a brand new pair of sheepskin UGG slippers that were stinking of smoke. And like you, there was nothing in previous reviews to suggest that the seller was a smoker!

The isn't the point but I do put distilled vinegar on my chips. 😀

A good soak in distilled vinegar the white vinegar not the stuff you put on your chips. Put some in the rince drawer in your washing machine as well. It's great for getting rid of smells and won't irritate baby's skin. And no the clothes won't smell of vinegar. There's a Stardrops vinegar laundry spray you can get as well. Brilliant for sweat smells.