How do I get the "charity shop" smell out of clothes?

[JuneSpoon]

I bought a lovely coat and a pair of trousers. Trousers went into the washing machine at 40' but they still smell musty. I'll put them in at 60' and hope they're not ruined!
But the lovely coat cannot be washed. I hung it on the line. Should I just keep it on the line and hope the wind eventually clears the smell?

What do the rest of you do?

Perhaps try a steamcleaner?

Dry cleaner for the coat, 40 wash with antibacterial stuff added (dettol do one) and lots of fabric conditioner for the trousers.

I'm a long term charity shop volunteer.

Odour is no problem, and not much effort, but it can take time. If you don't want to wait a week, Dettol and 60 degrees for most clothing. That kills everything that smells.

Coat - paying 20 quid for drycleaning defies the point of the bargain. So try a 40 degree wool wash with Dettol - you'd be surprised. If it's a good make it will survive and thrive.

Or for unwashables, freezer; give them 2 days.

Also, odour-neutralizing air spray, 47p in Aldi and hang out.

Why is "charity shop smell" even a thing? Is it because people store stuff in damp places before they donate it?

Thanks
I'll keep the coat on the line for a while
I'll try the steam cleaner, my DM has one.
If that doesn't work I'll try a wool wash (eek maybe not)

The smell is definitely damp. The shop itself (this particular one, not all charity shops) is a damp building so it must get into the clothes that way

Yep, some donors keep stuff for yeeaaars in under-heated homes before they donate it. That's where good vintage comes from.

In most shops the donations don't hang around long enough to get damp. Some shops steam clean, some don't. When in doubt, assume not.

The only thing I ask about anything I want to buy secondhand is 'How do I wash this'. Pretty much anything is washable except fur and thick leather. But you can brush/hoover and wipe those to get the previous owner out. Coconut oil is good and miles cheaper to restore leather than anything else, incidentally, only needs a tiny dab.

Why can’t the coat be washed? I wash everything in the washing machine, even when the label says dry clean only. Sometimes you just need a gentle wash, what is your coat made of?
A good way to get rid of smells is to pad your coat out well with scrunched up newspaper inside it and place in a black bin liner with newspaper also around the outside of the coat. Leave it in a cupboard ideally for 2 weeks and the paper should have soaked up the smell. It has worked for me on a smelly leather jacket and a smoke drenched leather bag. Good luck

With the coat, as long as it is completely dry, lay it out flat on a bath towel and sprinkle bicarb over it. Leave it overnight and brush it off. Alternatively, do you have a tumble dryer? Half an hour on a med setting with a bounce sheet or a cloth with some essential oil on it will help.

If the coat really can't be washed, try hanging it outside for a couple of days, preferably frosty ones.

Something about frosty air just seems to take the smell out of clothes.

There are those extra scent beads you can get...can't think what they're called

Lenor Scent Booster

Bicarbonate of soda, sprinkle it on and leave it overnight

Sorry to hijack, I’ve got the same but with a leather jacket. I’ve had it outside for a few days but it still smells. Any suggestions for leather?

Rewash the trousers at 40 with a good dollop of white vinegar. It doesn't smell on the clothes but should neutralise any smell

Another fan of dettol laundry cleanser.
Febreze Spray do a pet odour version that I discovered by chance works too.
Also a good airing outside of a hot day, you might need to wait a while for this though!

Have a look at my post with the newspaper CatsForLife. My leather jacket smelt vile even though it was new. The newspaper thing totally worked.

@CatsForLife - is the smell stinky pits or something else?

Pits are a bastard to fix. If not, try this:

1. Get some antibac spray, not the one with bleach. Spray all over leather outsides of jacket enough, leave for 5 min, wipe off. You need 5-10 min to disinfect it.
2. Repeat on collar, cuffs and pits. If the jacket really honks and you can get inside the lining, give the inside of the leather a quick antibac and wipe.
3. Hang out to dry (not on a radiator).

4.Next day, get some neutral shoe polish or coconut oil (only a teeny bit, microwave it for 10 secs if you need it runny) and give it a quick going over. Reconditions the leather, lovely, years of extra wear. On no account use a coloured shoe polish, it will dye you.

1. Wipe inside down with a cloth, febreeze lining vigorously.

Again, leave it to dry outside for a good afternoon or so. Buff it before you wear it to get rid of any coconut oil white marks that might have appeared.

Frosty air kills smells because a) the bacteria causing them die b) no air is released from coat. But be warned, when you go somewhere hot sometimes the smell comes back. Time for further action.

White vinegar in the wash, hang in fresh air afterwards.

Vinegar and water spray for unwashables or pet odour spray like Simple Solution which also smells but it wears off.

Thank you @CatsMother66 for the newspaper tip and @Supersimkin2 for your extensive advice, I’ll get cracking on it. It’s stone-coloured so a bit worried about marking the leather. It’s not really smelly pits, more a smell of where it’s been stored. It ain’t nice. I have it hung outside my wardrobe and I can often smell it when lying in bed. Bloody eBay bargains