How to Wash and Decontaminate Clothes from the Goodwill Bins
You’ve made it back from the Bins with a haul. The thrill of the hunt is still fresh, everything is sorted on the floor - and now comes the part no one really talks about: actually cleaning it all.
This isn’t like doing normal laundry. Goodwill Outlet items come from warehouses, donation centers, and households you know nothing about. They’ve been piled, sorted, and handled by dozens of people before they landed in your cart. Some pieces smell fine. Others definitely don’t.
If you’re new to the Bins, check out our Beginner’s Guide to the Goodwill Bins first - it covers everything from rotations to etiquette before you even walk through the door.
👉 Free Download: The Ultimate Goodwill Bins Cheat Sheet (includes a full post-trip decontamination checklist).
The good news: there’s a simple, repeatable process that gets almost everything clean, fresh, and ready to wear or resell. Here’s exactly how to do it.
1. Sort Before You Wash Anything
Don’t dump everything straight into the machine the moment you get home.
Take 10 minutes to split your haul into three piles:
- Deep clean pile - anything with visible stains, strong odors, mystery marks, or heavy grime. These need the full OxiClean strip treatment (more on that below).
- Quick wash pile - items that look and smell fine but still need a pass through the machine after sitting in the bins.
- Toss pile - things that shouldn’t come into your home at all. More on what belongs here in Section 7.
Sorting first saves you from accidentally running a heavily stained item with something clean - and from wasting time on things that aren’t salvageable.
2. The OxiClean Strip Method (For Deep Stains and Odors)
This is the method that Bins regulars swear by. It works on most fabrics and removes odors that a regular wash cycle can’t touch.
What you need:
- A bathtub or large bucket
- Hot water (as hot as the fabric can handle)
- OxiClean powder (1–2 scoops per tub)
- 4–6 hours
How to do it:
Step 1: Fill the tub with hot water
The hotter the better - heat breaks down bacteria and loosens embedded grime. Skip boiling water on anything delicate.
Step 2: Add OxiClean and stir
Two scoops for a full tub. Stir until dissolved before adding any clothes.
Step 3: Submerge the items
Push everything fully under. Let it soak for at least 4 hours. Overnight works better for really persistent smells.
Step 4: Watch the water
If the water turns dark brown or grey, that’s a good sign - it means the strip is working. Some items turn the water nearly black. Yes, really.
Step 5: Wring out and run a normal wash cycle
After the soak, wring items out and put them through a regular wash with your usual detergent. Done.
The OxiClean strip removes mold, mildew, body odor, and most mystery stains. It’s not guaranteed on every fabric, but it works on the vast majority of what you’ll bring home from the Bins.
3. The Quick Wash Method (For Lighter Items)
Not everything needs a four-hour soak. For items that look and smell fine:
- Wash in the warmest water the fabric label allows
- Use a standard detergent - nothing fancy needed
- Add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle (see Section 4 for why this matters)
- Tumble dry on medium heat, or hang dry for anything delicate
This handles the majority of your haul. Keep the OxiClean strip for things that actually need it.
4. The Vinegar Rinse (Bacteria and Musty Smells Gone)
A cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle is one of the most underrated tricks for cleaning Bins finds.
It works because:
- Vinegar is antibacterial - it kills odor-causing bacteria rather than just masking them
- It neutralizes alkaline smells - that musty warehouse scent is alkaline; white vinegar cuts right through it
- It softens fabric naturally - acts as a fabric softener without synthetic fragrance
Don’t worry about your clothes smelling like vinegar afterward - the smell disappears completely once they’re dry.
Add it to the rinse cycle, not the main wash. Half a cup is enough for a normal load; a full cup for anything that came out of a particularly funky bin.
5. What to Do with Delicates and Vintage Pieces
Not everything can go through a hot wash. Vintage items especially need a gentler approach - and if you’re reselling, protecting the condition directly affects your margin.
For delicates and vintage clothing:
- Cold water only - heat shrinks, fades, and warps vintage fabrics and graphics
- Delicate cycle or hand wash - machine agitation damages fragile seams and printed labels
- Air dry flat - never tumble dry vintage knitwear, old cotton tees, or anything with iron-on graphics
- Spot test OxiClean first - a small amount on a hidden area before doing a full soak on anything valuable
For vintage graphic tees (single stitch, band tees, sports jerseys):
- Turn inside out before washing
- Cold water, gentle cycle, line dry
- Never dry clean
A cracked graphic or faded print can knock serious money off the resale value on eBay. Handle these carefully and they’ll list at full price.
6. Cleaning Hard Goods, Shoes, and Non-Fabric Items
Clothes aren’t the only things that need attention after a Bins trip.
Shoes:
- Fabric uppers - gentle brush, mild soap, air dry. Stuff with newspaper to hold shape while drying.
- Leather or synthetic leather - wipe with a damp cloth, follow with leather conditioner
- Insoles - remove and spray with disinfectant, or replace them entirely (cheap and worth it for items you’re keeping or listing)
- Odor treatment - baking soda inside overnight, or a dryer sheet if you’re prepping for sale
Hard goods (kitchen items, toys, décor):
- Lysol wipes or a diluted bleach solution on surfaces
- Dish soap and hot water for kitchenware - run through the dishwasher if it’s safe
- For electronics, use a slightly damp cloth only - no soaking, no bleach near circuits
Books and media:
- Wipe covers with a lightly damp cloth
- Let them air out in an open space for a day - musty book smell usually fades on its own
- Check pages for mold (dark spotting or fuzzy growth) - those get tossed
7. What to Throw Away Immediately
Some items are not worth bringing home, regardless of the price or potential. These go straight in the bin:
- Visible mold on fabric - it’s not salvageable without professional cleaning and it spreads to everything around it
- Wet or damp clothing - if it’s soaked through at the Bins, leave it there
- Items with pest damage - moth holes, rodent damage, or anything that looks chewed
- Footwear with blown-out soles or structural collapse - no cleaning fixes a dead shoe
- Broken or leaking items that could contaminate your car or home on the way back
The rule of thumb: at $1.50 per pound, ask yourself if the cleaning effort is worth the return. On heavily damaged items, the math almost never works.
8. Building a Post-Trip Routine
The easiest way to keep on top of this is to make it automatic rather than something you do when you get around to it.
A simple same-day routine:
- Leave bags in the car or garage - don’t bring unsorted Bins finds straight into your living space
- Sort immediately - deep clean, quick wash, toss
- Start the OxiClean soak the same day - odors set harder the longer you wait
- Run the regular wash overnight - wake up to clean inventory
- Hang dry or fold when done - don’t leave clean items sitting wet in the drum
If you’re reselling, a clean item always photographs better and lists faster. Building washing into the same day as your trip means inventory is ready within 24 hours.
The Lowdown
Cleaning Bins finds isn’t complicated once you have a system.
- Sort first - deep clean, quick wash, or toss
- OxiClean strip for anything with heavy stains, odors, or unknown history
- Vinegar in every rinse cycle - it kills bacteria and eliminates musty smells
- Cold water and gentle cycle for vintage and delicates - protect what’s valuable
- Hard goods need cleaning too - Lysol, dish soap, or the dishwasher depending on the item
- Toss anything with mold, pest damage, or structural damage that can’t be fixed
- Build a same-day routine - it becomes effortless once it’s a habit
The clean-up is part of the Bins experience. Once it’s second nature, it won’t feel like work - it just becomes part of the flip.
For everything you need to bring on your next trip - gloves, bags, sanitizer, and more - check out our Ultimate Goodwill Bins Survival Kit.
For more practical tips, be sure to check out our free Ultimate Goodwill Bins Cheat Sheet - it includes a full post-trip decontamination checklist alongside everything else you need before your first trip.
