How Clean Are Your Rental Clothes, Really?

The rental-clothing industry has never been more popular. After a pandemic-era dip, its two biggest players, Nuuly and Rent the Runway, reported stellar 2024s — with Rent the Runway seeing shares soar by 170% in April and Nuuly reaching a record 300,000 subscribers in December. Though formal-wear rentals have been around for some time, Rent the Runway changed the game in 2009 by taking clothing rentals online and later introducing a subscription model, which provides a less expensive alternative to fast fashion: Instead of popping into H&M or Zara for a few tops, customers receive five to six pieces from their favorite brands, like Agolde and Altuzarra, for less than $100 a month. All you have to do? Return the clothes.

I didn’t think much of this requirement until 2023, when I unknowingly sat in human sh*t (yes, you read that right) on the New York City subway while wearing rental jeans. In the aftermath, I cried, I laughed. I called my mom in St. Louis for advice on what to do. Ultimately, after a manic 15 minutes finding and purchasing a pair of leggings from Lululemon, I made a decision: I’d wash the black, baggy cargo jeans at the laundromat and return them to Nuuly. I mean, I had to return them or I’d be out $200!

In December, my story went viral on TikTok, and it hit me: I couldn’t be the only person who’s sent back pieces in dubious condition. After all, these companies expect a bit of wear and tear: Both Rent the Runway and Nuuly cover minor damage, like ripped seams and stains, in their subscription prices. Customers aren’t just paying for the clothing, but also for state-of-the-art washing machines and seamstresses at the warehouses. The rental services instruct subscribers not to worry about cleaning their rentals before sending them back. But what about more extreme stuff? Is everyone secretly returning sh*t-stained clothes?

According to one rental clothing company employee, who asked to remain anonymous, the answer is yes: “Every day, I see bloodstains, discharge, and poop stains.”

Unsurprisingly, not everyone is as forthcoming about their rental faux pas as I am, but I did manage to hear about some of these incidents from the horse’s mouth.

“I rented a dress, wore it to a wedding, jumped fully clothed into the afterparty pool,” Jackie*, a 30-year-old New Yorker and frequent wedding guest, tells me. She returned the black, flowery Katie May dress to Rent the Runway the next day. “It dried perfectly, and I never heard anything from them,” she says. “Honestly, the most annoying part was drying my clip-in extensions.”

According to my anonymous source at a rental clothing company, people sometimes accidentally return keys, cash, credit cards, and sometimes even vibrators in their packages. (Speaking from personal experience, the day your clothes are due can often feel chaotic. I run around my Brooklyn apartment, emptying drawers, digging through my laundry basket in search of the six items I owe Nuuly.)

“I accidentally mailed back my Elf on the Shelf in my last Nuuly order,” says Elaine*, a 30-year-old Brooklyn resident.

For the last three years, Elaine and her roommate Olivia have hid two elves around their apartment every winter, but last month, Elaine was stumped on their location. She looked everywhere and couldn’t find them for more than a week.

Unbeknownst to Elaine, Olivia hid them in the pockets of a vegan leather cherry-red Atoir trench coat she’d rented from Nuuly — which Elaine had returned.

“I chatted with Nuuly trying to get them back,” Elaine tells me. “I described their features, their little red hats and striped pants, and even told them the exact coat, but I’ve yet to get my elves back.” She likes to think the elves were mailed to another person, are having a fun getaway, and will one day find their way back to her apartment for safekeeping.

Sometimes, less cute things find their way to renters. TikTok user @idkgracek commented on my post, “My homegirl got a dress in her Nuuly that had 12 fingernails in the pocket…”

“If a customer receives an item that arrives in unsatisfactory condition or erroneously includes an item they shouldn’t have in their Nuuly tote return, we encourage them to reach out to our customer service team,” says Kim Gallagher, Nuuly’s executive director of marketing and customer success. “Every complaint is investigated.”

Regarding the cleaning process, Gallagher says, “We employ a comprehensive 16-point inspection process on each individual garment to ensure it meets our high standards. While oversights can and do occur — Nuuly shipped over 2 million orders in 2024 — our top priority is to ensure our customers have a positive experience, despite any issues that may arise.”

So, yes, the clothing rental business isn’t always perfect, and it can get messy. But even after all I’ve learned, I don’t plan on canceling my Nuuly subscription. I didn’t stop renting after sitting in sh*t and I won’t be stopping any time soon.

*First names used for purposes of anonymity.