Whole bundle of smelly, smoky baby clothes from Vinted ☹️

[CaptainCabinets]

I ordered a bundle of BNWT baby clothes from Vinted and they’ve arrived absolutely reeking of cigarette smoke 😩 so many lovely little clothes and they smell bloody awful. Nothing in the seller’s reviews to suggest that they’ve been selling smoky clothes, so no warning. I normally only buy stuff from sellers who explicitly state that they have a ‘smoke free home’ but this is the one time I didn’t bloody check, and I would hardly expect someone with a tiny baby to be smoking indoors anyway!

Two questions, really (one of them is an AIBU!)

1. AIBU to give negative (but honest) feedback or suck it up because I didn’t check if the seller was smoke-free?

2. Should I attempt to get the smell out so the clothes can actually be worn, or just bin them? Is it safe for my baby to wear them even after washing them or do the chemicals from the smoke linger in the clothes? They were inexpensive so I don’t mind binning them if need be, but it seems such a waste to throw them away as they are all unworn with tags, they just stink! If I keep them, how can I get rid of the smell and the chemicals?

Please be gentle with me, I’m having a bit of a tough time with PPA and have been making a lot of mountains out of molehills lately 😬

I think you would be well within your rights to leave honest feedback, that is pretty grim.

A good wash or two will be absolutely fine.

Be kind to yourself, I had PPA, it’s bloody horrible.

Are they just cotton baby grow type things? If so I would put them on a hot cottons wash with a lot of powder, and hang them to dry outside, and do this twice. They should be absolutely fine then. And yes I would leave negative feedback!

I have no experience of this but think they would be fine for baby to wear once washed well and hung out to dry.... But wouldn't use them if any smoke smell remained after washing.

Wash using Napisan and they'll be fine.

Leave a bad review, wash the clothes

Yes just wash them first.

I’d ask to return them. If they say no I’d leave a bad review saying they stink of smoke. I wouldn’t use them.

You could wash them first with white vinegar then a normal was as that will neutralise the smell

I wouldn’t use them on principal.

Have you marked as ok yet? I would return them.

Someone sent me a £5 toy covered in food the other day I could have washed it easily but I said It was not as described (nearly new) and got £2 off which isn’t a lot but again it’s the principal.

Did they come in a parcel bag? Only there have been a lot of reports of items in parcel bags smelling of smoke for some years now. It's something to do with the recycled materials it's made from.

If it's proper smoke I guess you either raise a complaint and send back or wash and air. Whatever you're more comfortable with.

Leave a review.

They'll be fine on a wash. Maybe double wash to be sure.

But beware - Vinted rules are once washed you cannot return. So if you find any other faults or the smell doesn't come out you won't be able to raise a dispute.

I wouldn't use them. No chance would I put my baby in clothes from a smoking house- even when washed. I know that's totally irrational but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Haven’t marked as OK yet but there’s nothing under ‘I have an issue’ that covers stinky clothes! Technically they are ‘as described’ because they haven’t been sold as smoke-free.

@BeSharpBee nah it’s definitely cigarette smoke, it’s deeply ingrained in the fabric (including the clothes at the centre of the parcel!), even the little shoes stink ☹️

I will leave truthful feedback, I think. I wouldn’t have bought them if I’d read any feedback about smoke smell, as I imagine most people wouldn’t. I might not make an official complaint though, as I suppose the seller is just trying to earn some pennies whilst on maternity leave, like I am! Just a bit disappointed 😫

100% I'd wash them and not worry at all. I'm pretty fussy about that sort of thing too. I think you should say they're smelling strongly of smoke on your review too. Someone else might buy them as a present thinking they're new with tags and not be able to wash them.

That’s my feeling too, I would feel like I had put a lit cigarette in his mouth! They just feel dirty and contaminated, not sure if that is just the anxiety talking but that’s why I feel so conflicted over what to do with the clothes.

I hate waste, which is why I use Vinted in the first place, but I don’t feel like I can bring myself to put my beautiful little boy in these clothes even if I’ve washed them to within an inch of their life!

I would wash and I would do a negative review.

I’d do all of this too.

Mark them as not OK and don’t worry about choosing the exact reason. Pick one close enough and once the case is opened you’ll be able to write the reason why. Baby clothes smelling of cig smoke is unacceptable and gross. See if they will take a return (they should pay return postage) and leave a bad review to warn other mothers. If they refund you but don’t want the clothes back just wash a couple of times and line dry as PP have suggested.

I couldn't use them, I'd just throw them. That poor baby arouse cigarette smoke 😞

Just wash them. They will be fine. Cannot believe people are telling you to throw them away. If you wash them, they can't hurt your baby. If you really don't want them, then wash them and take them to a charity that needs baby clothes.

That's so annoying OP. Truthfully I would wash a couple of times, maybe with Dettol laundry cleanser too and line dry. I don't think there is any danger in them but very disappointing. I would leave negative feedback or if you prefer to return them do so, Vinted should back your X

Yes it is the anxiety talking. The clothes will be perfectly safe to wear once they've been washed and hung out in the fresh air to dry. In fact they will smell lovely.

Then leave a negative review.

Are you getting help with your anxiety?

This happened to me and i complained. Seller said they were a non smoker and that it must have been the delivery driver smoking in the van 🙄

I had this with a jacket off Ebay. The seller was adamant they didn't smoke but I was convinced it smelt of smoke. It turned out to be the bag