How to Clean and Prepare Used Clothing Before Selling on Depop

How to Clean and Prepare Used Clothing Before Selling on Depop

Selling on Depop is a fantastic way to build a business, but success lies in the details. Before you can snap that perfect photo and write a compelling description, there’s a crucial first step: preparing your items for sale. A clean, well-presented garment not only fetches a higher price but also earns you positive reviews and repeat customers.

Many sellers wonder how to wash clothes for Depop to ensure they are fresh, sanitary, and ready for their new owner. The process, especially when dealing with delicate or vintage pieces, can feel daunting. Proper cleaning is non-negotiable; every item you ship must be freshly laundered at a bare minimum.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about cleaning vintage clothes and preparing all your used clothing finds for a successful sale. We'll cover everything from stain removal and deodorizing to fabric-specific care and the final touches that make your listings stand out.

The Golden Rules of Cleaning Used Clothing

Before diving into specific fabrics, let’s establish some universal principles for cleaning thrifted and pre-owned garments. These initial steps set the foundation for a successful wash, protecting the clothing and ensuring the best possible result.

Initial Inspection and Prep

Your work begins before the item ever touches water. A thorough inspection is key to identifying potential issues and treating them correctly.

• Brush It Off: Gently brush off any visible dirt or debris from the clothing before you begin the washing process.
• Check Fixings: Take a moment to give buttons, zippers, and other fixings a quick wipe-down before washing.
• Pre-Treat Stains: Always pre-treat any stains you find before washing the garment. This gives you the best chance of removing them completely.
• The Smell Test: If thrifted items have a distinct smell, don't wash them immediately. Hang them outside for a few hours to help deodorize them first. For colder climates, you can also place the item in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer. In warmer areas, hanging clothes in the sunshine is a great alternative to help kill odor-causing bacteria. You might need to repeat these odor-killing methods a few times for several hours each time.

Reading the Care Label (If It Exists)

The care label is your best friend. Always read clothing labels before laundering, especially for vintage or delicate items. Following these instructions carefully is the surest way to avoid damaging a piece you plan to sell.

If you're dealing with vintage clothing or items without tags, you'll need to rely on your knowledge of fabrics. When in doubt, always err on the side of caution. Stick with handwashing or use the gentlest cycle on your machine with cold water.

The Importance of Patch Testing

Whether you're treating a stain, deodorizing, or using a new detergent, always test your cleaning method on an inconspicuous part of the garment first. A spot under a lapel, inside a hem, or on an interior seam is a good choice. This simple step can prevent a costly mistake and save a valuable piece of inventory.

How to Wash Clothes for Depop: A Fabric-by-Fabric Guide

Different materials require different care. Knowing how to handle various fabrics is essential for any reseller. Using the wrong method can lead to shrinking, stretching, or discoloration, ruining an item's value.

Cotton, Linens, and Durable Synthetics

These fabrics are generally the most resilient. Most cotton, linens, and synthetic fabrics can handle a standard washing machine cycle. However, to best preserve the item for resale, consider a gentler approach. Washing on cold can help save energy and maintain the vibrancy of fabric colors. To prevent any color bleeding, wash similar colors together or use color catchers in your laundry.

Delicate Fabrics: Silk and Rayon

Fabrics like silk and rayon require more delicate handling. These materials typically need either a hand wash or professional cleaning. While many vintage silk items will say "dry-clean only," you can often wash silk at home.

To do this, use a cool hand wash with a specialist silk fabric wash. For other delicate materials like lace, use a gentle, specialized product to release dirt during a hand wash, and be extremely careful throughout the process. When in doubt, know the limitations of home cleaning versus professional dry cleaning services, as home methods on mixed fabrics can be unpredictable.

Sweaters: Wool and Cashmere

Sweaters require special attention to prevent shrinking and pilling. Always wash sweaters in cold water on a gentle cycle to lengthen their lifetime and maintain fabric integrity. Avoid long soaks.

A great tip for keeping sweaters and coats looking new is to use a fabric shaver to remove any pilling. After washing, never put them in the dryer. Instead, lay heavy items like wool or cashmere sweaters flat to dry in their natural shape. This prevents shrinking and stretching.

Washing Denim and Jeans

Jeans are best washed on a cold, delicate cycle or hand-washed. To help preserve the color, turn them inside out before washing and group them with similar colors. For minor spots, opt to spot wash jeans regularly instead of putting them through a full machine cycle.

Cleaning Coats and Bulky Items

For items marked "dry-clean only" and heavy pieces like coats, taking them to a professional cleaner is often the safest bet to avoid damage. If you do attempt to clean a bulky item like a coat at home, be very careful.

Most coats have linings, and machine washing can cause shrinkage. Read the label carefully. It might be possible to gently wash the lining at home without soaking the exterior. Before using a handheld steamer, test a patch on an unobvious area, like under the lapel, to see how the material responds. When drying, keep coats and other dry-clean-only items at normal room temperatures and avoid placing them near radiators or in hot rooms.

Dresses and Intricate Garments

For dresses with intricate details, hand-washing is the best way to protect them. If you must use a machine, pop the dress into a garment bag and select a delicate cycle, like a wool or silk wash. Like all delicate items, always let your dresses air dry after cleaning.

Advanced Cleaning: Disinfecting and Deodorizing

A fresh, clean scent is part of a great customer experience. Sometimes, a standard wash isn't enough to tackle stubborn smells or disinfect a garment fully.

Natural Solutions for Deep Cleaning

You can achieve a deep clean without harsh chemicals. White distilled vinegar is a reseller's secret weapon. Use it with a gentle detergent to clean, deodorize, and get rid of germs without harming fabric or causing color loss. Adding half a cup of vinegar to the final rinse cycle is also key to maintaining and protecting black clothes from fading, as it removes detergent buildup.

To disinfect thrift store clothes during a hand wash, you can add white vinegar or sprinkle some baking soda into the water with a natural laundry detergent. For an even deeper clean without a machine, you can add antibacterial solutions to a bucket of water when handwashing.

Handling Leather and Suede

Leather and suede can't be tossed in the wash. To remove smells from these materials, start by hanging the item outside. Then, you can deodorize it with a mix of white vinegar and water. The vinegar trick on leather does more than mask the smell; it actively kills the bacteria causing it. As always, perform a patch test first to see how the material reacts.

Preparing Your Items for Sale on Depop

Once your clothes are clean, fresh, and dry, the preparation isn't over. The next steps involve presentation and listing, which are just as critical for making a sale.

The time you've spent carefully washing, stain-treating, and repairing items is an investment. But the work of a reseller doesn't stop there. The next phase—listing, managing, and shipping—can be even more time-consuming. This is where streamlining your process becomes essential for growth. If you find yourself spending hours on these administrative tasks, consider how a tool built for resellers can help you scale. We designed our platform to automate these steps, giving you back time to source more inventory. You can try it free for 7 days and see the difference.

Photography: Your Most Important Sales Tool

Great photos are non-negotiable on a visual platform like Depop. Your goal is to create a cohesive, aesthetically pleasing page that makes buyers want to browse.

• Lighting and Background: Use natural lighting and a neutral, consistent background for all your photos. This makes your items look professional and appealing.
• Posing and Staging: If you use a model, position them in a consistent pose for every main picture. Keep the staging and background for every main photo consistent and cohesive.
• Multiple Angles: Show the item from the front, back, and for pieces like coats, the inside too. Never upload just one photo of a garment folded up.
• Honesty is Key: Be sure to include clear photos of any flaws, defects, or faults on used items and mention them in your description.
• No Stock Photos: Do not use stock images or old photos of yourself wearing the item. Photos should put the listed item front and center.

Writing Descriptions That Sell

A clear, informative description helps buyers make confident purchases. It’s also your chance to use keywords that will get your listing seen.

• The Essentials: Start every description with the brand, item type, and color. Include details about the size, fabric, and, most importantly, the condition. Be honest and let the buyer know what to expect.
• Measurements Matter: For vintage clothing or items without tags, you must add measurements to help buyers understand the fit.
• Keywords and Hashtags: Add accurate keywords, like the brand name or style. Think of hashtags as another way to add keywords. Use them for general and aesthetic-focused terms (e.g., #grunge, #Y2K, #cottagecore) and unique attributes (e.g., #floral, #puffsleeve). Don't misuse hashtags by adding irrelevant but trending ones.

Pricing and Shipping

Research how other sellers are pricing similar items to stay competitive. If you're open to offers, make sure potential buyers know. Once an item sells, you must send it to the buyer in a timely manner and provide tracking details. While offering free shipping on bundles is a good strategy, it's not recommended for individual items.

Scale Your Depop Shop with Reeva

As you can see, preparing items for sale is a lot of work. From washing and steaming to photographing and writing descriptions, the tasks add up quickly. For resellers looking to grow their business beyond a hobby, this manual effort can become a significant bottleneck. This is precisely why we built Reeva.

Our all-in-one platform is designed to simplify and automate the most time-consuming parts of running a resale business, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: sourcing great inventory and growing your sales. Trusted by top resellers, our tools are built to help you scale with ease.

Sell Smarter and Faster with AI and Automation

Imagine cutting your listing time in half. With our platform, you can. Simply upload your photos, and we'll instantly create complete listings with titles, descriptions, and prices. As our customer FabFam noted, "I can take photos, voice-to-text my details, and let Reeva handle the rest."

Our automation features work around the clock to boost your visibility and sales:

• Cross-listing: List your items everywhere with one click. Publish to Depop, Poshmark, eBay, Mercari, and more without switching tabs. Hiview Reloved told us, "It has made it easy to expand to eBay and Depop. I’ve created more listings in the few months of using Reeva than I was able to create all of last year."
• Auto-Delist: Our auto-delist feature instantly removes sold items from all platforms, preventing overselling. It's a feature AlistairBP says they "couldn't live without."
• Relist Stale Items: Automatically relist items that aren't getting traction to keep them at the top of search results.

Ready to spend less time on admin and more time selling? Start your free trial today.

Manage and Grow Your Business with Powerful Tools

Growth requires more than just listing. It requires smart management. We provide the tools you need to operate like a professional business.

• Business Analytics: Track your sales and profits with powerful analytics to understand what's working and make smarter decisions.
• Full-Service Accounting: No more spreadsheets. Connect your bank accounts to automatically record transactions, categorize income and expenses, and generate clear profit and loss reports to make tax time easy.
• Multi-Channel Integration: Beyond marketplaces, you can integrate your store with social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook or shopping cart solutions like Shopify.

As TUFFNY shared, "Since using Reeva, I've cut down my admin time by at least 30%, giving me more time to source new products and expand my business."

Conclusion: From Clean Clothes to a Thriving Business

Success on Depop starts with a commitment to quality. Properly cleaning and preparing your used clothing is the first and most fundamental step. By following the guidelines for different fabrics, tackling odors and stains, and paying special attention to vintage pieces, you create a product that buyers will love.

This initial effort sets the stage for a professional listing with great photos and a detailed, honest description. Being diligent about these details builds trust, earns positive reviews, and encourages repeat business.

As your operation grows, the time spent on manual tasks like listing, delisting, and managing inventory across multiple platforms can become overwhelming. That's when having the right tools becomes critical to scaling your business instead of being buried by it.

We built Reeva to handle those tedious but essential tasks, freeing you to list more, sell more, and grow faster. From AI-powered listings and one-click cross-listing to automated delisting and integrated accounting, our platform provides everything you need to run and scale your resale business from anywhere.

If you're ready to turn your hard work into serious growth, we're here to help. Start your 7-day free trial and discover how you can simplify your workflow and accelerate your sales today.