When 'pre-loved' can harm you – I'm a Feng Shui consultant and you should never buy these 6 things for your home in a thrift store

As an Interiors Therapist and Feng Shui expert, I’m a huge fan of the circular economy and encourage people I work with to make use of thrift and charity stores, which can come into play positively when activating Feng Shui.

It’s often easier, and considerably more cost effective, to find a quick fix for unstable energy with a thrift store find. Buying pre-loved is a wise and efficient way to upgrade the energy of a home at an optimal price.

That said, there are certain pre-owned pieces I absolutely do not recommend buying from a thrift store as it may have come from a home with bad Feng Shui. Here I share what to avoid, and how to circumvent potential problems if you find something irresistible.

6 items Feng Shui pros never buy in a thrift store

Avoiding items including mattresses, mirrors, and deity statues can save you from job loss, relationship troubles, and even depression. It's especially relevant when creating good Feng Shui in your home for the first time.

I'm author of award-winning book, Welcome Home – How Stuff Makes or Breaks your Relationship and Feng Shui Consultant at Interiors Therapy, and have seen people be skeptical of the process until they see the changes in their own lives from practicing it.

Thrifting seems like it should be the ultimate feel-good energy bringer and interior designers have a list of things you should always thrift. After all, why buy new, when you can find something entirely suitable second-hand, whilst saving money, being more sustainable at home, and helping the planet?

In a world with finite resources, it makes sense to thrift, but I would avoid the following six items at all costs.

1. Mirrors

Energetically, even the best mirrors can be a challenge if thrifted. In Feng Shui, we carefully position mirrors for a specific purpose, but they are one of the few things we prefer to be purchased pristine and new.

This is because in some circumstances, a mirror seems to retain the energy of situations it has reflected. Where these are traumatic, stressful or emotionally painful reflections, that energy appears to seep out into the lives of the new owners.

I accept this may initially sound like total mumbo-jumbo, but two instances of mirror issues come immediately to mind. Everything was going downhill for a client of mine, Natasha. Normally a bright, confident woman with a career in modeling, she had become anxious and low in mood. Her relationship had ended, work had dried up and she couldn’t see a way forward in her life.

This had all happened over a couple of months, so understandably she needed answers fast. On a video walk-through of her home, a glamorous mirror raised a red flag. Although it was beautiful and had been a $10 second-hand bargain, there was something about it that just didn’t feel right.

In the bright cheery room, the corner where it stood was dark and seemed to absorb light rather than working to naturally increase the light, which was odd in itself.

When Natasha explained it came from a yard sale at the home of a suicide victim, the penny dropped. She recalled buying the mirror a matter of days before her relationship ended. It appeared the mirror had absorbed a very depressing energy from the previous owner which was being exuded into her bedroom and her life. She followed the Feng Shui mirror rules and removed it from her home straight away.

As a result, Natasha’s luck took a significant upturn, and now she has a supportive partner and a gorgeous little boy. She glows with happiness in a way she never thought possible.

All prices correct at time of publication.

The second negative thrifted mirror story relates to a home where many renovation ideas were carried out after purchase. When the family moved in, they placed an extravagant mirror in their vast lobby. This had been the only item left behind by the previous owner and originally hung over the fireplace.

Things weren’t going smoothly in the marriage since the move, and recent behavioral issues with the sons, resulted in the mother asking for a review of her home's Feng Shui to see if it was bad. As far as I was aware, everything was new, but there was something peculiar about that mirror.

The best way to describe it was the sensation of something malevolent or creepy, just out of sight. The mother said she never felt comfortable in the lobby and arguments always began there.

A brief chat with the neighbors revealed a twenty-year history of domestic violence in the property, much of which took place in the room with the fireplace. Although the essential energy of the house itself had been changed by the remodeling, the mirror had likely retained some very malign vibes which felt more threatening to women and girls. Needless to say, it was quickly replaced.

But what if you’ve fallen in love with a thrift store mirror and can’t resist the purchase? My suggestion is to take it to a glazier and have the mirror glass replaced. Then give the frame and mirror a thorough clean front and back before mounting it on your wall. That should cleanse any lingering negative energy and give the mirror a new lease of life.

2. Mattresses

I know the best mattresses can be expensive, and it may be tempting to buy second-hand to save money, but this is one time when pre-loved can really work against you.

A mattress is permeated with the energetic imprint and DNA of everyone who has slept in it. Skin particles and sweat find their way into the fabric of the mattress, even with a protector in place. It's why at the end of a relationship, I always recommend replacing the marital bed, or as a minimum, the mattress and bedding.

It’s difficult, verging on impossible to come to terms with, forgive, or move on into a new and fulfilling love, if you’re still sleeping with the energy of an ex-lover every night. That's why I warn my clients against picking up a mattress second hand.

On a practical level, bed bugs are an increasing problem. These vile critters like nothing more than to snack on unsuspecting sleepers and it can be incredibly difficult to get rid of bed bugs. They also spread easily, hitching a lift in suitcases as the souvenir no one wanted to bring home.

3. Buddhas

It’s fashionable to find statues of the Buddha and other spiritual images in homeware stores and frequently in thrift stores too. I’m suggest that unless you practice the doctrine or religion concerned, you don’t bring these deities into your home.

Firstly, it’s not appropriate to regard religious iconography as a decor item, and secondly, it’s highly inappropriate to position them in bathrooms, bedrooms, and spa areas. As a rule of thumb, if it’s somewhere you are naked or intimate, it’s not the place for a spiritual leader to be gazing down at you.

From many years of observation, in the homes of people I work with, and comparing situations in the lives of celebrities with revealing photo shoots of their homes, trust me when I say, it’s not a good plan to use a statue or artwork of a God, Goddess or other spiritual images as interior design, unless of course, it’s your long term desire to be celibate, financially challenged or lonely, even in a relationship which outwardly appears to be so much more – as that is the energy you will be bringing into your home with this move.

4. Artwork

This one isn't a blanket ban, but be careful when choosing art for your home in a thrift store.

Avoid scenes of stormy seas, fights of any kind including air and sea battles, ‘angry’ abstracts, or scary scenes. Similarly, pictures of becalmed, beached or wrecked boats are not going to add anything positive to the energy of your home or subconscious thoughts.

Instead, you are likely to experience an upturn in irritability, arguments or feeling stuck in your life. Meanwhile, solo images in a home reinforce the solitude and single status of people who would prefer a loving connection. You’d be astonished how a home can describe exactly what’s going on in the life of its occupants, and art is a big part of that.

Rather than buying something because it matches your color scheme, or for a space that needs filling, look at it closely to see how it makes you feel and ask yourself how a child would describe it. This is a simple method to assess how your subconscious mind will respond to the content and colors.

5. Beware furniture

While wooden, metal or other solid furniture will absorb the energy of a previous location, it is easier to re-energize. As a bare minimum, deep clean all pre-loved items before bringing them into a space, including the insides, back and underneath, and don’t stint on the process to release the energy of previous owners. Learn more about our cleaning tips.

There are practical, sanitary concerns here too if you do decide to go for it with a find you love or desperately need. Inspect upholstered items closely for signs of pet hair as this may indicate the presence of flea eggs and an unpleasant surprise when the weather warms up.

For sofas, chairs and cushions, always do a sniff test before purchase. Cigarette smoke and some other aromas can be next to impossible to shift. Residual dust also traps airborne particles, including pollution and dormant viruses, so take this into account if purchasing pre-owned rugs, drapes, curtains and soft furnishings.

There are many items you can steam clean at home, and this method is an excellent solution, but always do a patch test first to prevent damage.

6. Damaged, chipped or cracked items

These are never good value as a thrift store purchase, for your home’s energy, or for your own self-esteem. It’s important to feel ‘whole’ and supported in life, and unfortunately, battered and broken items can reflect fragmented energy in a way that won’t ultimately be helpful.

There are many amazing treasures to be found in thrift stores, so choose mindfully and consider the long-term impact on you and your home. If your initial gut feeling is ‘no’ then put it back on the shelf and move on.

These Feng Shui mistakes to avoid at home should always be followed if you want to keep your home's energy positive.