Are you squeamish about second-hand goods?

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everydayminimalist

– 20 June , 2011Posted in: Other

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I am not really squeamish about secondhand goods at all.

In fact, I grew up wearing secondhand ice skates, jackets and clothing. So to me, it’s really not a big deal as long as you don’t wear the items without washing them thoroughly.

BF on the other hand, is a die-hard squeamer (sp?) when it comes to secondhand items.

He admits it’s mostly psychological, but he can’t imagine touching or using anything secondhand from a stranger.

If it came from someone we know personally — no problem, but a stranger? Forget it.

Things I won’t touch that are secondhand for psychological reasons or otherwise:

Undergarments of any sort
Shoes — in my head, they absorb all the sweat and odours of the foot
Futons/Beds/Mattresses
High-End Electronics — have had bad experiences with secondhand or refurbished*
Life Jackets, Bike Helmets or any kind of safety equipment

*From a stranger. A friend, I’d be okay with.

Other than that, I’m game!

Cars
Clothing
Purses
Cups/Plates
Bags

I was recently given a secondhand mouse pad with a great wrist rest, and after giving it a thorough wash (heck it’s silicone and neoprene), I am pleased with having scored it for free.

BF on the other hand, was immediately grossed out (even after seeing it washed).

He could only imagine the hands of other people touching the mousepad, and sweating all over it.

As for me, I am not bothered at all — sweat comes out with some soap and water, and it’s just a mousepad, not a pair of panties!

It’s also more eco-friendly if you can buy secondhand

If you buy secondhand, it means that a new item wasn’t purchased, and as a result, you’re reusing what has already been made and available.

Less raw materials were used and nothing had to be processed, packaged and shipped.

What about you?

Are you squeamish about secondhand goods?

Tags: Secondhand, Shopping, Thrifting

About everydayminimalist

I'm a 20-something year old girl who lived out of a single suitcase in 2007, and now I'm living with less, but only with the best. You don't have to get rid of everything to become a minimalist! Minimalism can help simplify and organize your life, career, & physical surroundings. You can read more about me as a minimalist. Or come and visit my other blog Fabulously Broke in the City where I got out of $60,000 of debt in 18 months, earning $65,000 gross/year.

Liz

I buy inexpensive new items mostly, but pricey outer garments like fancy dresses, coats, and boots come from discount or secondhand stores. I only buy secondhand items if they look new. (I have a lovely wool coat that is probably designer, and gets me many compliments. It was $30 at a discount store!) I also use thrift stores for making costumes; if I destroy an item that cost $3, it’s no big deal.
Eleanor_c96

my sister used to get library books out and discovered nose pickings on lots of pages
in books…how filthy. She doesnt get them out any more. I’d never ever get library books
you can read online anyway. People lick their fingers too to turn the pages often eww doesnt bear
thinking about. There was a time I’d NEVER buy 2nd hand clothes but now as Im not well off
I do get them and I noticed other women with nice wardrobes who did, thats why I do now,
but I’m so particular about them as per my previous post here.
Alanah

I just bought three blouses and they are absolutely stinking yuck ( online auction). I like them though and lovely
material and colours so I am most particular and SCRUB them in a special old bucket first (my obsession)
in soap and HOT WATER.. then transfer to my laundry bowl (they’re soaking now) and scrub and finally either handwash or machine.
I usually put baking soda in the soaking bowl and laundry powder…. and soak them for a few hours before
washing. I seriously wouldn’t buy crockery, plates etc I just couldn’t fancy them and especially cups
eww yuck. Shoes are ok if you wash them (scrub) in a bucket and leave them outside. Our bodies
stink at death anyway ! If I got a 2nd hand computer chair I’d check it didnt have stains and I’d
put a pillow or cloth on it. People who wash in cold water are yuck and clothes reek badly when
washed in cold water. Common sense tells to wash in hot water or at least soak and scrub in hot water pre wash. I just cant drink out of anything anyone else has, same for knives and forks yuck.
I would imagine peoples dirty teeth.
Sarah

I’m a big fan of used clothing, furniture, home decor, dishes, etc. I do stay away from mattresses, underwear, closed shoes like tennies (but I’m all over the strappy heels!) and my oddest is office equipment.
You spend 8 hours a day spitting on the same phone (while eating sometimes), dropping food, nail clippings and buggers into the keyboard, and rubbing your dirt all over mouse, mousepad, armrests, and everything else. Any time I start a new job I either scrub and sanitize absolutely everything in my workspace, or I replace it. If I was smart, I’d just get my own and take it with me. I even pop off every single key off the keyboard. You don’t want to know what I found in used keyboards. It’s beyond gross. I’d rather eat after my dog than use some of the office equipment I’ve seen.
But other than that, I’m all about used stuff!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UES25FLMWCPWORDRWWCAJOIK6E Seymour

I recently needed a pair of over ankle shoes for a motorcycle class and didn’t feel like dropping 50-100 bucks on a new pair of boots. So I hit up the local thrift store grabbed a pair and they’re my new favorite shoes! They are incredibly comfortable! I was a bit leery at first but it’s not like I am going to get foot rabies from someone else.
Canis Caeleste

I inspect the everloving hell out of things like shoes. I inspect the insides, the soles, I sniff them and check the laces (if they have any). I don’t see the big deal with wearing secondhand shoes, since people try on NEW shoes in department stores all the time! After all, that size 10 flat you wanted to try might have been tried on before, by some other lady. Some people donate undergarments with the tags still attached. If they look new, I try them. If not, then I don’t. Clothing must be in good condition and not smell like a person’s attic. As far as bedding, it must be in a package, as some dept. stores donate overstock. I used to get my blankets from people who bought them from well-to-do- estate sales, so I doubt it came from anywhere questionable. I inspect the hell out of THOSE too.
CoCoYoYo

My list is similar to yours, EM. I don’t have a problem with second-hand but I don’t think that it’s always the better or best option. I don’t do second-hand shoes unless they are barely worn and NEVER used riding helmets. I like to browse thrift/consignment/resale shops but I rarely buy, although books, CDs and DVDs are a bit of a weakness. That said I will make exceptions here and there, like a particular vintage purse that I’ve been looking at…
- Canis Caeleste
  
  Oh gods I love used books! I have ‘trained’ myself to only check them out at the library,since I live in a little place.
Anonymous

I’ve tried it but I just don’t like used things. I get scared because you never know what someone did with your things previously and whether they took care of them, a lot of people like to preach about buying used but I just can’t. I’ve had friends who have bought used cars and they had a lot of problems with them.

My bf awhile back got a used bed, ugh, it was so uncomfortable and gross. I made him get rid of it and we bought a new bed frame and new mattress from the furniture store. Personally I would rather just save and then buy new or buy new but on sale.

If you save money and buy quality items they can last you for years. I’d rather do that.
- Canis Caeleste
  
  Likewise. I never touch used mattresses or pillows.
Anonymous

In general, not really. Though in addition to your list, I don’t like to use secondhand cooking implements or dishes unless they still look new – just a psychological thing I expect. I wouldn’t mind a mousepad though, and clothes and all that I’m generally fine with.
Chung Nguyen

Nope, not squeamish at all. (Though to be fair, I’ve never bought used socks or underwear/bras.) Second hand stuff is awesome (in terms of quality and price) and it’s better for the environment!
Faery

I used to love thrift stores and second hand stuff and found loads of awesome clothes and items over the years where I used to live, though never underwear or mattresses…..UGH. But not anymore. I watched a programme about bedbugs and how easy it is to get them and incredibly difficult and costly to get rid of them, it’s a nightmare if you get them! I live in the tropics now and bedbugs, termites, fleas and other insects are endemic. Most people think bedbugs live in soft furnishings but they can survive on many other surfaces and have been found in picture frames and even on ornaments. There’s only 2 second hand stores where I live and both smell awful and contain mostly complete junk so I no longer thrift, though we have gotten a couple of bargains off Craig’s List.
Nadira

I haven’t bought second-hand shoes because I’ve never found any that fit. (I’m a little skeeved out by wearing other people’s shoes, but it’s nothing that a few applications of lysol can’t fix.) I wear wide-width, which limits my options, but more importantly, once someone else has broken them in, they never quite break into my foot shape properly.
http://twitter.com/prairieecothrif Miss T

I would avoid the same things as you but for everything else second hand is fine for me. I hate how much things are wasted these days and by using second hand stuff it is my way of controlling some of the waste.
http://www.facebook.com/avengingophelia Grace Mitchell

I’m completely unsqueamish. I’ll even buy secondhand undergarments (slips and the like) and furniture. I had a second-hand mattress for years. If I could find them to fit, secondhand shoes would be fine. I honestly can’t think of much that does bother me.
Dee

I almost always buy my clothes secondhand. Oftentimes the clothes are better quality than the cheapest discount store clothes. However, DO check the clothes for rips, missing buttons (which can be added on later), weird smells, etc. While some thrifts will exchange clothing (Goodwill), most will not. I recently bought a pair of shorts that smelled horrible when I got them home, and no amount of washing would get the smell out. However, this was only one incident out of many, many clothes I have bought over the years.

I do draw the line at underthings and upholstered furniture. Shoes are iffy…if they are obviously new-looking – or are made of something cleanable, like Crocs (and they have to be new-looking), then I might consider it. Otherwise, no way!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jessica-Parsons/636454200 Jessica Parsons

I love the bargains you can get secondhand! I also have better luck finding clothes I like at secondhand shops than retail.

I am doing a series on all the great stuff I’ve scored secondhand…

http://minimalistmum.blogspot.com/search/label/secondhand
http://twitter.com/almostbohemian David William

I guess my standards are much lower than yours. I’d consider damn near anything second hand. Gosh, I may need to raise my bar a bit…
Megan R.

I had absolutely no qualms about secondhand until this winter, when my roommate brought home bedbugs from a still-unknown source. If you’ve ever experienced them, you understand that I still break out in a cold sweat if someone so much as suggests that I set my purse down on a carpeted floor! I no longer buy anything used unless it can be washed and dried on the hottest setting or stored in the freezer for two weeks. Trying to get rid of even a light infestation is relentlessly awful – and can wreak havoc on a budget. A used piece of furniture or purse might be an incredible bargain – but not if you end up spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on extermination! Just something to consider.
- Nadira
  
  Yeah, I’m with you on that one. I used to *LOVE* thrifting or garbage-picking and then refurbishing furniture, but since the local bedbug issues began (and an acquaintance got a particularly bad infestation), I’m not willing to do it anymore.
  
  I do love second-hand clothes, when I can find anything that fits. The most productive shopping trip of my life was a church rummage sale I stopped into on a whim. I found EIGHT fantastic items that I wore for years, and paid $5 for the whole lot. (It was the end of the sale, so they were in the “dollar a bag” stage.)
http://homelessonwheels.wordpress.com Mike | Homeless On Wheels

I might avoid secondhand mattresses and comforters as well as upholstered furniture, or at least approach them with extreme caution, for fear of bedbugs. Otherwise almost anything else is fine. I save money, and am giving someone else’s unwanted item a new home – a form of recycling, no?
belva jennings

I’m only squeamish about undergarments – I’ve gotten some lightly-worn dress shoes for next to no money – if I’m concerned, I sprinkle an anti-fungal powder inside the shoes after letting them air out for at least 24 hours.

..oh, yeah. I completely agree with you about second-hand safety equipment also. Never a good idea.
min hus

I am squeamish about certain second hand goods, though I’m getting better. I have the worst luck finding clothing at thrift stores (maybe because I’m a 5’11″ female?), although I’ve started buying purses second-hand. I worry about bedbugs from soft things though.

Buying secondhand books, glassware, etc., has never bothered me.
Caroline

Makes no sense to be squeamish because if you really think about it, you touch hundreds of disgusting things everyday every time you leave your home (and perhaps even in your home). I always consider anything that isn’t outright dangerous an immune system builder, and I’m very rarely ill.

Agreed on not buying used underwear, though I wore my aunt’s “vintage” 1970s underwear that I found with a bunch of her clothes in my grandmother’s attic

Agreed that safety equipment should be new unless you get it from a trusted source.

As for electronics, I had Apple Care for my iPod and ended up needing 2 replacements. The refurbished one is 5 years old and still works fine! I think it depends on how cheap you get the item in question. Cost to benefit ratio and all that…
OH McIntyre

I’m with you! However, a few years ago, before the recent bedbug scare, I did buy a second-hand bed from Craigslist: it was from a “rich” neighborhood where people get rid of perfectly good things and didn’t have any wear or staining. It has worked out fine, but I’m not sure I’d do it again. I’ve also had good luck with refurbed electronics — they’ve worked fine for me.
http://www.wellwisehappy.com Courtney Sperlazza

I wish our extended family appreciated secondhand finds as much as we did. I go to a great consignment sale twice a year to buy clothes for the kiddo. The clothes are barely worn, the best brands one can buy, and I can outfit my child for the next 3 sizes for about a days’ pay.

One year, before the sale, my mother-in-law brought over all of these brand-new but cheap, junky (polyester and poorly made) outfits for my son so that I wouldn’t “have to” put him in dirty secondhand clothes.

I always get compliments on how well my son is dressed, and I use every opportunity to brag about my secondhand finds. I guess all I can do is be glad I’m one of the lucky ones who gets it
http://twitter.com/AleksieAleksie Aleksie

I’m similar, except I buy refurb electronics. They typically have the same warranties, and I’ve had great luck.
http://profiles.google.com/blahsuzie Suzie Wuzie

Your list of secondhand goods you won’t touch is pretty much my list of secondhand goods I won’t touch either. I would like to get into second hand shoes but still have to get over the yuck factor…
http://aweekfromthursday.wordpress.com heidi

I really enjoy getting things second hand. I’m with you on the “Things I Won’t Touch” list. However, it seems like out of financial necessity, I will never have a new bed. I’ve had 4 second-hand beds. Most of them, I’ve gotten for free.
http://www.thriftcore.com/ Van

Bwaaahaha, NO! I come from a long line of second-hand lovers on my mom’s side and I’ll be a thrifter/yard sale shopper ’til I die (And I write about it/want to turn it into a career, as you know . My dad and many guys I know are squeamish about 2nd hand shopping, I’ve noticed more men than woman are. We work in offices, leave our homes, out in the world we’re constantly subjected to germs. That’s life, I don’t think second hand items are much more grimy that things you buy retail. People touch and wear that stuff, too!
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com The Everyday Minimalist
  
  I WASH my clothes like crazy when I first buy them.
http://www.facebook.com/jurinoignacio Jurino Ignacio

We LOVE second hand goods! In everything (except for socks and underwear, *lol*) we first search auction websites and thrift stores.

My philosophy is that, if you’re on a bidget (like we are!) it’s almost always better to buy second hand, because for the same amount of money, you’ll have things that are far superior in quality. Especially with clothes (and furniture!): second hand clothes have already proven their worth. They usually don’t bleed in the washing machine, nor will they shrink when you first wash them.

Best wishes from the Netherlands

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In a Nutshell

other blog: fabulously broke in the city
minimalist since: 2007 -- why minimalism?
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