Washing hand me downs

[reddaisy]

We are very lucky that we are given hand-me-downs from various family members but the cousins are much older so they have been stored in the loft for 2 plus years.

I have just got the next batch out and they smell musty and like a village hall - do I really need to rewash them all? I reckon it would take me all week of nice weather. Do you reckon just hanging them out for a flap around in the breeze would be alright? Some probably won't fit for another six months or so but I am going to pop them in the wardrobe so I don't want them to be musty in there.

This happens with my hand-me-downs. I just stick them in the wash with everything else and dry on the line. The kids like them to smell like the rest of their clothes

I would wash them all tbh as you have said they have a musty smell. They must have gotten a little damp or exposed for this to happen.

We store clothes in our attic for years on end but still wash as we retrieve (or rinse with conditioner at the least) before passing them on to our next DC just to freshen them up.

Sorry, probably not what you want to hear!

I've been lucky enough to get lots of hand-me-downs for dd but I always wash them first because otherwise they don't smell of 'us'!
I've got a black sack or two of things waiting to be washed
It's a pain but I'm grateful

Yes wash them all again. But if they are a way off fitting just throw a few in with every wash as you go perhaps?

Then store with one or two of those tumbler dryer sheets folded.

I never have! Baby clothes are never on for more than a few hours before they are sicked or poo-ed on.

Oh no! That definitely isn't what I wanted to hear - there is probably at least ten loads of washing to do and we don't have a tumble drier so I was hoping I could skip the washing step. Oh well, I will give them all a wash this week they currently smell like the church hall cupboard smell.