Buying things second-hand is a great way to save money and reduce the amount of waste produced by humans. Buying things such as clothing, shoes, cars, gaming consoles, cameras and other such similar items second-hand is great! However, there are some items you should never buy second-hand, even if it’s a once-in-a-lifetime bargain.
1. Mattresses
Unless you have been gifted a fancy mattress by your parents, it’s best to never use a second hand one. The average mattress is an actual hotbed for spores of fungi, bacteria, animal dander, sweat, sputum and skin cells, and no amount of cleaning will ever truly rid a mattress of all the accumulated organic matter.
2. Pillows
Similar to a mattress, a feather and synthetic pillows that are just one year old can contain up to 17 different types of fungus.
3. Underwear
This is a pretty obvious one, but underwear is affordable enough to always buy new and should really only be worn by one person. In fact, in 2018 Namibian dermatologist Dr Natia Mukete-Nghalipoh told the Observer that sharing underwear can spread viral infections, even when washed.
4. Makeup & makeup brushes
Makeup an makeup tools should never be shared between people. While makeup can carry viral infections, such as staph, styes, and cold sores, between people makeup brushes spread bacteria. Dermatologist Debbie Palmer told Good Housekeeping that makeup brushes accumulate skin cells, dirt, oil, pollution and bacteria such e. coli and streptococcus.
5. Smartphones
Buying a second hand smart phone can be tricky business, unless you personally know the person selling it to you. Lots of phones are stolen from retailers then sold online to unsuspecting bargain hunters, The down-side here is that not only are you rewarding the criminal, but you may receive the phone and discover that is it locked to a network, or is unusable.
6. Helmets
If you aren’t familiar with riding a push bike or motorbike, you may not know that helmets have an expiry date, and they need to be replaced if you have accident – even if the helmet looks fine or is only minimally damaged. If you drop a helmet, it needs to be replaced. This is because the materials in helmets can break down with age and lose their ability to absorb shock, and the internal cells within the helmet can sustain damage – even if the outer shell hasn’t.
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Want some tips on upcycling old furniture? Watch the video below.
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