In a recent post, we told you about the most common ways bed bugs travel. It’s usually because of a suitcase in a hotel room, and the little bugs grabbed on because they’re just horrible. Sometimes, they can come in on guests, too, often in backpacks or other types of bags where bed bugs like to hide because they’re simply the worst.

 

While you can certainly take measures to de-infest a suitcase (like our all-natural bed bug-killing spray) or put out some bed bug traps to prevent them from moving throughout your house once guests bring them in, there’s one way that people bring bed bugs into their house that you can altogether avoid: used products. We’re discussing the garage sale and Craigslist items that can infest your entire home.

 

So, when looking for a bargain, always remember the following: Then, ask if it’s worth the risk.

 

Mattresses

Danger Level: Off the Charts!

First of all, they’re called bed bugs! THE MOST COMMON place to find bed bugs is on a mattress.

There are many reasons to never pick up a mattress at a garage sale. There are dangers, such as human pathogens (including skin diseases), that can be transferred. There are the squirm-inducing, like the levels of human skin cells and dust mites that come with it. And, of course, there are bed bugs. On every level, bringing home an old mattress is just disgusting. 

If you’re having trouble affording a new one, here’s a tip: Consumer Reports and this fun podcast note that Mattress Stores have one of the highest markups of any product on the market. If you haggle, a $1000 mattress can usually be had for about half that. If you go with the absolute cheapest model and play the stores against each other (you should be able to see two or three from whatever window you look at right now), we’ll bet you could get a brand-new mattress for very little money. Trust us, it’s worth it!

 

Upholstered Furniture

Danger Level: High!

 

Wanna see something scary? Click this link. If you’re too scared to, just know that it’s hordes and hordes of bed bugs hanging out on, in, and under couches. Many people will completely forget about the dangerous levels of a sofa because bed bugs are so associated with beds. But it makes sense because couches have even more nooks and crannies than mattresses. Couches have wooden and plush parts, giving the bed bugs great hiding places.

The only thing that makes couches less of a threat than mattresses is that people don’t tend to sleep on them as much. Unless they do, like when you have a friend sleeping on the couch for a week. At that point, the sofa is just as problematic as a bedbug-infested mattress.

So yeah, don’t buy any upholstered furniture.

 

 

Dressers

Danger Level: Medium-High

 

Two aspects of dressers make them highly susceptible to bed bugs. First of all (and the one that people often forget about), garage sale dressers were in people’s bedrooms. That’s the same bedroom with the mattress, which is the most likely place for bed bugs. Bed bugs have no problems crawling long distances for a meal, and pregnant females are the most likely to hide out a bit further from the bed.

The second is that dressers have lots of cavities, those parts that are over, under, or behind the drawers and provide excellent spaces for bed bugs to hide. So, while you might look in the drawers and think you’re good to go, there are many spaces you simply can’t see.

If you absolutely must bring home a dresser — and we’re not advising that you do — don’t take it straight to your bedroom. Work on it in the garage or driveway as you take out the drawers and inspect it more thoroughly than when you bought it.

 

Spray any crevice you see liberally with our pet-friendly, human-friendly, all-natural bed bug treatment, and once it does reach your bedroom, put some bed bug traps and insect-control dust around the feet of the dresser.

 

If you see the traps capture any bed bugs, put any clothing you’ve put in the dresser in a garbage bag and immediately wash them in hot water and a hot dryer (throw away the garbage bags immediately). Wrap up the dresser in plastic and take it straight to the dump.

 

Articulating Furniture

Danger Level: Medium

Some furniture has moving parts, such as a desk with drawers or a roll-top. The good thing is that most of this furniture was never in a bedroom. The bad news is that moving parts often mean more spaces where bed bugs can hide. Another problem is that it can be hard to identify the signs of bed bugs on hard furniture: is that a bed bug fecal stain, or did someone’s pen just leak?

Dealing with articulating furniture is much like the dressers we mentioned above. Clean it outside or in the garage, and put some bed bug-killing spray in every nook and cranny you can see.

 

Hard, Non-Articulating Furniture

Danger Level: Medium-Low

 

So you’re at a garage sale and see a gorgeous little coffee table. Is it safe to bring it home?

Of all the items we’ve discussed today, this has the lowest chance of bringing home bed bugs. While you can’t be sure if it was kept in a bedroom, the fact that there aren’t as many places for bed bugs to hide is a plus. Spray any place where the wood, metal, or plastic come together because bed bug eggs are less than 0.1 inches long.

 

Exercise Equipment

Danger Level: Medium-High

 

 

You want to get healthier. Yay! But you also don’t want the mental stress of a bed bug infestation.

We will put exercise equipment into the “articulating furniture” category but at a higher level. Why? Because exercise equipment is usually more complex to take apart and check for bed bugs, you can’t just spray our bed bug treatment blindly into a piece of electronic equipment that plugs in. Have you ever removed the treadmill roller or opened up a rowing machine? If not, then you might be missing the bugs.

Likely, the people selling the item don’t even know they’re something of sale containing bed bugs. Their whole house might have them, but they might not know the signs that they’re infested. (And if they do know they have bed bug problems, they’re certainly not going to tell you and ruin the sale!) So whenever possible, buy new!

 

 

Our natural, plant-based Bed Bug Patrol Killer Spray provides an all-natural solution to infestations of bed bugs, as well as fleas, spiders, and other common indoor bugs. Our 100% natural solution is made in the USA. It relies on the power of natural ingredients like citric acid, clove oil, and peppermint oil to naturally deter these bugs from living in your furnishings and upholstery. Just spray our solution on affected surfaces twice per day, and it will get to work on exterminating your bed bugs and preventing their return. To keep you safe from bed bugs on our travels, arm yourself with our Bed Bug Blasting Travel Spray, which comes in a handy travel-sized bottle for your convenience.