Pros and Cons of Hand-Me-Down Clothing

Hand-me-downs have been a tradition for generations, when older siblings, relatives, or friends give their outgrown clothing to someone else. It is a practice that is steeped in both practicality and sustainability with both financial and environmental benefits to the practice.

However, like everything else, wearing secondhand clothing can have its drawbacks. I would like to share some of the pros and cons of hand-me-down clothing to help families and individuals think through their options.

Pros of Hand-Me-Down Clothing

Cost Savings

The most obvious benefit of hand-me-downs is the cost savings. Getting clothing for free means less likely to purchase clothing items, which lowers a family’s clothing budget significantly when you have kids who grow so quickly and need plenty of clothing!

Eco-Friendly / Sustainable

Reusing clothing extends the life cycle of clothing and reduces usage of textiles from landfills. This practice also reduces the demand for producing new clothing items, which decreases the energy and natural resources that are used in manufacturing.

Reduce Shopping Time

Hand-me-downs can significantly reduce the number of shopping trips you make. It is helpful to just open your closet and have clothes available, rather than running to the store to find new clothing at the first sign of a stain or clothing rip.

Sentimental Value

Hand-me-down clothing that comes from siblings and relatives often has sentimental value. Wearing a favorite jacket from your older sibling or a holiday dress of your cousin can be a connection to family and childhood memories.

Hand-Me-Downs Encourages Sharing and Generosity

Passing clothes down fosters sharing amongst families and communities. It begins to instill a value in kids to value what they have and take care of items when passing them along.

Quite Oftentimes Pre-Washed and Cozy

Most used clothing has already been washed beforehand, meaning they have likely been wash and drying a few times. This is a good thing because the fabric is softer and much cozy to wear. You might not even need to worry about having them shrink, or unpleasant scents that are sometimes found in the packaging of new clothing.

Promotes Value of Resourcefulness

Wearing or taking advantage of hand-me-downs teaches both kids (and adults) on making use of what they have! Taking advantage can be in the form of creativity in mixing and matching pieces, or in forming their own personal style without new items all the time.

Eases Clutter

Providing clothes down helps to declutter everyone’s closets and storage spaces. It benefits families on both the giver and receiver end in allowing everyone to be more organized.

Disadvantages of Hand-Me-Down Clothing

Wear and Tear

A piece of clothing can show signs of wear and tear even if it is still in a good enough condition. It could be faded out (too much), have some pilling, or small holes present. Depending on good care, items will not last much longer.

Styles and Fit Can Be Limited

Hand-me-downs are limited to whatever item are present and available. The items may even not fit or suit the recipient’s style or preferences, especially when kids get older and develop their own taste.

Old Fashioned

Styles on clothing can change, not so much in the fit but in the overall style. Some hand-me-down styles may no longer work well, which could wear on social comfort for the kid.

Could Be Somewhat Gross

Although most hand-me-down clothing is washed ahead of time, a family may still fear that there is something somewhat gross or maybe an allergy (the previous user) on the clothing, especially for an infant or child with sensitive skin.

Less Exciting

Hand-me-downs can be less exciting than new clothing. For some children this could be particularly true during times like back-to-school, or holiday time for special events; it could be a definite boost, even in morale, to present new clothing.

Sibling Rivalry and Resentment

Younger siblings may feel like “they are getting hand-me-downs” as in “they are getting second best”, or not always receiving brand new items; or they develop the absence of a brand new item from a now older sibling and then develop resentment.

Storage & Organization Can Be Difficult

Saving clothing for a future use or event can be difficult. Closet and storage space will be needed to store clothing for the future, which could be a process in of itself. Items could become damaged or misplaced simply due to not being stored in proper closets or storage spaces for long periods of time.

There May Be a Stigma

In some social settings there could be a stigma against wearing hand-me-downs; children and teenagers could face teasing or exude their discomfort in the presence of friends and finding riddance of used clothing, rather than wearing “the trendy or great brand name” clothing.

Conclusion

Clothes handed down offer a great deal of benefits, from saving money or it could be all about sustainability. There could be some other family bonding benefits, too many to pick. All of this could be the value that other family members may not take into consideration—this include determining the appropriate clothing to fit or simply comfort level.

Children can take this step consciously to help begin to promote their self-identity in the developing years of designated size of clothing. It could also happen with link living situations, along with family clothing and storage options.

In the end, the real value in clothing is not simply the bang for your buck value in fabric, but the value in simple resourcefulness of sharing and festisch infrastructure that garments carry with them past the initial generations.