Goodwill Whyte Ave Thrift Store and Donation Centre — Attraction in Edmonton

November 2024 Vintage Clothes in Thrift Shops Can Harbor Infectious Diseases Health12 November 2024 ByPrimrose Freestone, The Conversation

Demand for secondhand 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 secondhand 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. Infection risk of used clothes Clothing is a well-known carrier of many disease-causing pathogens. This means that germs from the original clothes owner's unique skin microbiome could still be found on secondhand clothes if the items weren't cleaned prior to selling. It also means that any infections or pathogens they might have had when they last wore the clothes could still be found there. Research has found clothing can harbour many infectious pathogens – including germs such as Staphylococcus aureus (which causes skin and blood infections), bacteria such as Salmonella, E coli, norovirus and rotavirus (which can cause fever, vomiting and diarrhoea) and the fungi that can cause athlete's foot and ringworm. A survey of secondhand clothing specifically, which was being sold in a market in Pakistan, detected the presence of Bacillus subtilus and Staphylococcus aureus in many of the samples taken. These bacteria can cause skin and blood infections. Parasites which can cause skin infections (such as dermatitis and scabies) have also been found on secondhand clothing. The skin's microbes can live on the amino acids in sweat, as well as the sebaceous oil released from hair follicles and the proteins of skin cells, all of which are deposited into clothes when we wear them. Not only that, but research shows many pathogenic germs – such as E coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes – can survive on clothes for months when kept at room temperature. Germs on cotton or mixed-fibre clothes stayed alive for up to 90 days. But on polyester fabrics, these germs lived as long as 200 days. Most bacterial species survived better in the fabrics when the air humidity was high. This suggests that to minimise germ growth, clothes should be stored in a dry environment. While it's difficult to say how great your risk of actually contracting an illness from secondhand clothes is (as no study has been done to date), people who are immunocompromised are probably at the greatest risk. If you have an impaired immune system, you should take extra care before wearing secondhand purchases. How to properly wash second-hand clothes Most microbes need water to grow. Skin areas that tend to get moist – such as the armpits, feet and genital areas – tend to have the highest number and most diverse species of microbes. Fabric that has come in contact with these regions will be the most contaminated. Alongside bodily fluids, clothes can also become contaminated with traces of food debris. This could also act as a source of growth for any bacteria or fungi present. This is why washing secondhand clothes is so important for preventing germ growth and reducing infection risk. One study of secondhand clothing contaminated with the scabies parasite even found that washing clothes eliminated all of the parasites present. It's recommended that...

I came in on this past Saturday to look for some books and was initially impressed with how clean and well organized the store seemed to to be, but unfortunately that was the only positive part of the experience. As I was heading toward the front to buy my books I was confronted by a staff member who very rudely told me I was supposed put my back pack in a locker. I asked her if there was a sign up that said that, to which I was told “no but it’s store policy”. Am I supposed to know your store policies?? I asked her if I could just go straight to the check out as I was headed there anyway. While waiting at the check out counter for someone to come, employee’s argued about “who let him in” ten feet from me like I wasn’t there. Then the same girl who rudely informed me of the bag policy, was the one that ended up ringing me through because apparently everyone else was too busy. Nobody greeted us on the way in to tell me about the bag policy, but from the looks of other recent reviews even if there was, we probably still would have been treated poorly... Also, the lockers are on either side of the door as you enter, facing the opposite direction. I didn’t even know they were there, even if I had known how am I supposed to know they’re for me to use? I have no problem leaving my bag somewhere safe while I shop, even if asked part way through my visit to the store. It’s common practice in a lot of stores, and I always look for a sign when I enter. What I do have a problem with is being spoken to in an accusatory manor like I’m a guilty or have done something wrong, especially when staff didn’t do their job to inform me. The rude condescending attitude I received is enough for me to not come back to this location. Please train your staff on how to speak to customers properly and at least put a sign on the door if you’re not going to have somebody informing people of store...

Today I went in with well behaved, 8lbs dachshund held in my arms, because it was far too hot to leave her in the car. I got as far as the home goods section when I was approached by a store employee asking for her papers to prove she’s a support animal (of some sort). I said I don’t have any such papers and was rudely told I have to leave, now. I asked why, I was told because ‘it’s policy’. I asked why it was policy and was told ‘because it’s policy’. Very politely I asked further ‘but why is it policy, I’d honestly like to know the reasons for the policy’. I was given no answer except ‘some people don’t like dogs, that’s why’ and I was then escorted to the exit, like a criminal, humiliated. I checked the store entrance, there is no sign saying pets are not allowed. This is a thrift store, full of dirty, used clothing and household items, what harm is an 8lbs dog held up in someone’s arms going to do?! Look around the store, my dog is cleaner than most of the people in there, and is certainly more pleasant than the employee I had to deal with. There are people doing drugs on the sidewalk outside the store but somehow my 8lbs daschunds is a problem. This is a thrift store not Hermés. Oh wait, Hermés actually allows dogs in their stores, and doesn’t treat their customers like garbage. To the owner’s reply:

1. put a sign on the door.
2. reevaluate your policy because it lacks common sense.
3. don’t be rude to customers.
4. actually read reviews and give a...