Be careful with vintage or second-hand clothing: they may do you more harm than good.

textile industry This combines a large carbon footprint, the use of polluting fibers that can end up in the environment, and, in some cases, the exploitation of factory workers. For this reason, we as consumers are encouraged to buy clothes consciously, not allowing ourselves to be carried away by impulses and only looking for what we know we are going to use. Moreover, in recent years, consumption vintage or second-hand clothing. This is a way to reuse clothes that are still in good condition, give them a second life and prevent further production and consumption of new clothes. This is definitely a good idea, but there are some precautions to take into account.

And, according to an article published in Talk To Primrose Freestone, Professor of microbiology at the University of Leicester, vintage clothing can carry a lot of microorganisms or parasites causing diseases.

Most of us won’t get sick if we have competent immune systembut people with weakened immune systems should pay special attention to purchasing this type of clothing. This doesn’t mean they don’t do it. Without a doubt, this is a very eco-friendly way to wear new clothes. But it must be washed thoroughly to avoid infection.

Pathogens of vintage clothing

Vintage clothes, like new ones, come into direct contact with our skin. Every person has many things living in their skin. bacteria, fungi and even viruses which usually do not cause us any diseases. They are part of what is known as skin microbiota. This is your environment. They are adapted to this and live in harmony with us.

However, when they are removed from our skin and transferred to another, with a different composition of microbiota, they can mix and infect cells. For this reason it is said, for example, that let’s not share makeup brushes with other people. We don’t have to have acne or any other visible skin condition. Our own microbiota is enough to cause acne or other skin infections in another person.

The same thing happens with vintage clothing. People who previously used it may have had certain microorganisms in their microbiota, for example, bacteria of the genus Staphylococcusmushrooms Candida or human papilloma virus. They may not have caused an infection in their bodies, but they did cause an infection in ours when we got our hands on vintage clothing.

There may also be parasites, such as those that cause scabies. They do not belong to the microbiota, almost always cause symptoms, and can very easily be transmitted from one person to another, either through direct contact or through objects such as clothing.

There are microorganisms that can survive in 90 days on cotton clothes. the figure rises to 200 days with polyester clothing. And if there is also humidity in the environment, the situation can be even worse. Therefore, it is very important to take action.

How should it be disinfected?

In general, vintage clothing can be purchased in two ways: in specialized stores or in standard applications. Vinted. Also in flea markets and marketsCertainly. In the case of stores, these are usually business managers. They usually disinfect the clothes before selling them. However, Freestone cites several studies that found fairly large numbers of certain pathogens.

On the other hand, at flea markets or Vinted, private users usually sell their clothes. There we can find everything. There are people who are very careful and some who are not so careful because they sell vintage clothes without even washing them first.

In this case, we recommend that you always wash your clothes. It is advisable to do this with detergent. temperature above 60°C, since most of the microorganisms that we can find on these clothes cannot withstand such heat exposure. The problem is that when it comes to delicate clothes or which may shrink, they should always be washed with cold water. In this case, it is recommended to leave the clothes to soak for several hours. cold water and textile disinfectant. It is then machine washed as usual.

Finally, if we are going to wash vintage clothes, it is advisable to do it separately from our clothes, as this may cause cross contamination.

It is important to note that with this article we do not intend to discourage the use of vintage clothing. Giving a second life to things that were going to be thrown away is always a good idea. But we must take these precautions into account so that this second life does not affect us. It’s as simple as washing before wearing. In fact, this doesn’t just apply to vintage clothing. If you want to stay healthy, always wash everything before first use.