Do charity shops wash clothes before they are sold?

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I donate a lot of clothes etc to charity shops and always wash and iron everything beforehand but a friend said the shops wash everything anyway and I might as well just bundle them up in black bin bags. I could ask in the shops but don’t have a drop off scheduled any time soon.

I don't think so @SoScarletItWas because the same odour infiltrates all clothing items in all the stores and church sales of used clothing too.
Years ago, when I volunteered at a charity shop, we were asked to spray the clothing with Febreze fabric spray/ deodoriser.
The smell was nothing to the powerful scent that is being used today!

We don’t, but we do steam. Not all charity shops steam donated clothes, though.

Depends on the shop. I used to work in one many years back and we used to wash and dry stuff, but it may not have been everything. I can remember the washer and dryer upstairs and ironing things.

I used to work in one. Thing's were just steam ironed with a handheld thing then put on racks ready for selling. Unless they were really stained/damaged/ not suitable it all got treated the same

It’s a bit manky donating dirty clothes though. I think maybe we would have washed those with a smoky or particularly musty smell eg like a house clearance.

Where I volunteer all items to be sold are steamed. Dirty,torn,smelly items are ragged. Please don’t get me started on people who ‘gift aid’ bags of filthy torn clothes that look as if they have been used to wash the horses arse. !

I think they iron or steam (I have seen volunteers ironing in the back rooms of the shops) them to make them look presentable and more appealing but I don’t think any charity shops wash clothes. I could never donate anything that hadn’t been washed and ironed. It’s disgusting.

No - it’s hard enough to get volunteers and make any money without doubling the work and spending money on electricity and detergent!! The one I worked in steamed clothes before hanging out. Why would you donate dirty clothes?

No, they just spray them to mask smells.

You'd be smart to always wash clothes from a thrift shop even if they look as if they've been washed and ironed, because they may have been stashed in the back room with decidedly unclean items.

Some people treat charity shops as free garbage disposal services that are more convenient for them than schlepping it all to the tip.

Carry on washing OP, but ironing really is wasting your own time!
That's just crazy you were doing that for charity shop clothes that allget steamed anyway! 😬😆

I volunteer in a charity shop and no we don’t wash clothes . We don’t have a washer or dryer and we dont have the time . We steam the clothes which are in a saleable condition . Dirty , torn or tatty clothes are put in the rag bag for recycling.
The amount of unsaleable donations is quite high and in my shop we don’t refuse donations as many are from people clearing a loved one’s house .
We’re very grateful for donations but please wash and iron them first .

I think it's worth washing them. Clothes can get a rather entrenched smell from the wearer. So freshening them up is a good idea. I wash the lot, though sometimes ask myself why, after spending many days doing this.

I think many steam them - I've certainly seen/hear thrm doing that.

I always wash and wouldn't donate anything I wouldn't wear myself.
Reason for donation usually to tight 🐷

Sorry to resurrect a zombie thread, but I have a question for anyone who works in a charity shop, or knows about these things. I'm sorting through my recently deceased mother's wardrobe. I've thrown away anything obviously stained or damaged, I've washed and roughly ironed anything washable, but what about things like dry clean only heavy wool skirts, jackets and coats? I'm not going to get them dry cleaned. Would the charity shop rather have them as they are, or not at all - should I just bin them?

Why would someone donate dirty worn clothes? I’d be shocked to find people take their top off after wearing it all day and shove it in the charity bag! They are more likely to grab it out of the wardrobe and pack it away? No?

I don't know of a single charity shop (and there are 12 within walking distance of my home) in my city that doesn't specify that donations need to be clean and in good condition? It's a basic requirement. They might get steamed if they are creased, but certainly not washed. I always wash and dry my donations... but nothing gets ironed because I don't own an iron!

I didn't realise it was a zombie thread... because of issues with the site reloading, but I would wash on a low temperature and delicate cycle. Most things will survive and any that don't you can donate as rags instead.

Also I meant to say I am sorry for your loss - sorry I should have said that first, hence my edit.

I don’t think so. That’s why every charity shop I go in is niffy.

I worked in a charity shop and clothes were absolutely not washed. We took them from the donation bag, tagged them and they went onto the shop floor.

People who donated quite often had no respect for the donations and would include actual rubbish meant for a bin amongst the clothes.

I would donate as is and not dry clean or attempt a low heat wash. I bet your mum took care of them very well and the new owners will be glad to have something good quality they can look after themselves.

There was a jumper in Barnados on the hanger the other day absolutely covered in cat hair 🤢.

Oh drat, I suppose that means they don't read the books either. 😂

Most as others have already said steam . This is to sanitise and (a yukky thought kill any bugs / fleas / lice )