Finding Jeans Online: My Experience with Stinky Moth-balled Levi's

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the experience of purchasing jeans online, specifically addressing the issue of receiving jeans that have a strong mothball smell, attributed to naphthalene. Participants explore whether this is a common occurrence with online clothing purchases and discuss potential causes for the odor, including packaging and manufacturing practices.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports receiving jeans with a strong mothball smell and questions if this is common for online purchases.
  • Another participant shares their lack of experience buying clothes online and notes they have not encountered smelly jeans.
  • Some participants suggest that the smell may be related to the quality of denim finishes or dyeing processes, particularly in cheaper jeans.
  • There is speculation about whether the jeans were made in China or Egypt and if the packaging might have absorbed naphthalene during shipping.
  • One participant humorously suggests that the smell could be due to "spilled mummification fluid" from ancient Egypt.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential use of pesticides during international shipping as a cause for the odor.
  • Several participants express a preference for online shopping due to size availability, despite the risks of fit and quality.
  • One participant mentions that their spouse has purchased jeans online without encountering the same issue.
  • Another participant theorizes that jeans stored in warehouses may be treated with naphthalene to prevent degradation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether the mothball smell is a common issue with online purchases. Multiple competing views and hypotheses are presented regarding the causes of the odor, and the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various factors that could contribute to the smell, including the quality of denim, manufacturing locations, and shipping practices. There are also references to personal experiences with online shopping and the challenges of finding appropriate clothing sizes.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in online clothing shopping, particularly those concerned about quality and odor issues in denim products, may find this discussion relevant.

lisab
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It's tough for me to find pants in stores that are my size, so I often buy them online.

The last two pairs I bought from different places, several months apart. But both smelled heavily of moth balls (naphthalene). I don't mean just a little - they reeked. You'd never find clothes like these in a brick-and-mortar store, people wouldn't come into the store.

They were jeans, btw, Levi's.

So is this common from clothes bought online?
 
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I have never bought, nor thought of buying, clothes on-line. While I have occasionally awakened in stinky jeans, I can't recall that I ever bought any in that condition.
 
I've bought my girlfriend clothes online before when some stores were out of stock, but I can't say I have ever encountered that problem. That's odd...
 
I'd immediately return them.
 
Monique said:
I'd immediately return them.

Well I considered that, but the smell goes away after a few washings. Then they're fine. Just wondering if this was the new normal.
 
Some denims have finishes on them -- to keep the blue dark. That's usually poorer quality denim that would leach indigo dye (onto your fingers if you're handling the fabric) otherwise. Are your jeans dark? and did you get any dye leached into the water after a few washes? ... But this is usually only the case with cheap denim.

Also -- some finishes are used to "age" denim in various ways. That could be a cause.

If either of these is an issue, You'd expect the same type of jeans to have the same smell in the store (even if you can't find your size). Have you done any snoop shopping about this?

Also found http://www.creation-international.com/Textile%20Auxiliaries%20August%202007.%20PDF.pdf" from some textile company perhaps?:
"Salt of Naphthalene sulphonic acid in powder form, used as a dispersing agent for disperse and vat dyes"
 
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physics girl phd said:
Some denims have finishes on them -- to keep the blue dark. That's usually poorer quality denim that would leach indigo dye (onto your fingers if you're handling the fabric) otherwise. Are your jeans dark? and did you get any dye leached into the water after a few washes? ... But this is usually only the case with cheap denim.

Also -- some finishes are used to "age" denim in various ways. That could be a cause.

If either of these is an issue, You'd expect the same type of jeans to have the same smell in the store (even if you can't find your size). Have you done any snoop shopping about this?

Also found http://www.creation-international.com/Textile%20Auxiliaries%20August%202007.%20PDF.pdf" from some textile company perhaps?:
"Salt of Naphthalene sulphonic acid in powder form, used as a dispersing agent for disperse and vat dyes"

I thought it might have something to do with dyeing. They're standard Levi denim - not the stiff, heavy, dark stuff, but the softer texture.

I suppose next time I'm in a department store, I'll see if I can find some that have the same smell. It will be embarrassing if security asks me to leave, after following me around watching me sniff blue jeans :blushing:.
 
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Were the jeans made in China? I have bought several items that were made in China recently, including a grill and an air conditioner, and the packing reeked of naphtha. Could be that the packaging picked up the smell from naphtha while in the shipping containers en route to the US...
 
The only things I buy over the net are books.
Usually, they don't stink.
 
  • #10
turbo-1 said:
Were the jeans made in China? I have bought several items that were made in China recently, including a grill and an air conditioner, and the packing reeked of naphtha. Could be that the packaging picked up the smell from naphtha while in the shipping containers en route to the US...

I'll check the first pair when I get a chance...the recent pair was made in Egypt.

Maybe they use naphtha in packaging as a pesticide?
 
  • #11
lisab said:
I'll check the first pair when I get a chance...the recent pair was made in Egypt.

Maybe they use naphtha in packaging as a pesticide?
No, it was spilled mummification fluid.
Very fond of jeans, the ancient Egyptians..
 
  • #12
arildno said:
The only things I buy over the net are books.
Usually, they don't stink.

I wish I didn't have to get them this way. They do have my size in the kids' section...sigh...but they aren't clothes most 40-something women would wear. Why would I want a sequined picture of Lady Gaga on my rear?
 
  • #13
lisab said:
Why would I want a sequined picture of Lady Gaga on my rear?
:smile: I guess that's not your style.

It crossed my mind as well that it could be pesticide that they might use during the international shipping. Why don't you contact the customer center and ask for an explanation?
 
  • #14
Never buy clothing online, how will you know if it fits? Speaking of which, I have a bunch of docker pants that need to go to the tailor.
 
  • #15
Cyrus said:
Never buy clothing online, how will you know if it fits? Speaking of which, I have a bunch of docker pants that need to go to the tailor.

Well true, it's a crap shoot. But I know the brand and as long as their sizes are consistent, it should fit.

Besides, if I don't buy online I'm stuck with kids' clothes.
 
  • #16
arildno said:
No, it was spilled mummification fluid.
Very fond of jeans, the ancient Egyptians..

:smile:
 
  • #17
lisab said:
Well true, it's a crap shoot. But I know the brand and as long as their sizes are consistent, it should fit.

Besides, if I don't buy online I'm stuck with kids' clothes.
I have a cousin in that boat. She is VERY petite and there are practically no women's clothes that will fit her. She is pretty and shapely, but her looks clash with the styles of clothes that pre-teens wear, making appropriate clothes tough to come by. She is a stunner in a cocktail dress, but you can't find cocktail dresses in the pre-teen racks. Since she is short, she prefers stiletto heels when she's dressing up, but she has to order them - no shoe store carries stilettos that small.
 
  • #18
My wife has bought tons of pants on line (not Levi's) and we have never encountered this.
 
  • #19
Lisa, go to the Levi's homepage and contact customer service. I've been reading that a lot of people are having issues with the jeans and especially those coming from Egypt.
 
  • #20
Evo said:
Lisa, go to the Levi's homepage and contact customer service. I've been reading that a lot of people are having issues with the jeans and especially those coming from Egypt.

Thanks o:) I'll do that.
 
  • #21
Because you bought online, they were probably previously in a giant warehouse with thousands of other jeans, so I would expect that they would use something like naphthalene in case their whole stock degraded over time, which obviously they wouldn't need to do in a shop. That's my theory anyway.

Smelly jeans is weird. They are the one piece of clothing that I hardly ever have to wash, I have sometimes worn a pair for almost a month without washing them. When I do wash jeans it's usually because I think that I just should opposed to actually thinking that they are dirty/smelly.