Second-hand clothes can be swimming in germs – what vintage shoppers need to know

Demand for second-hand and vintage clothing has surged within the last few years. Pre-owned fashion is seen by many consumers as a cheaper, more environmentally friendly way to expand their wardrobe. But as excited as you might be to wear your next second-hand purchase , it’s important you disinfect it properly first.

This is because clothing can actually be an important reservoir for many infectious diseases . The skin is naturally coated in millions of bacteria, fungi and viruses, collectively known as the skin microbiome . This means every item of clothing we wear comes into close contact with these microbes.



Many of the microbes that regularly call the skin microbiome home include the bacteria Staphylococcus (which causes staph infections), Streptococcus (the bacteria behind strep A ), fungi such as Candida (the species of yeast that most commonly causes thrush) and viruses such as the Human papillomavirus (which causes HPV ). Each person’s skin microbiome is uniquely adapted to them . What’s normal and harmless for one person can be disease-causing to another.

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