In a recent blog, we discussed why it’s almost always a bad idea to bring home furniture from a garage sale or craigslist. After all, you decide what comes into your home, and not bringing in something with bedbugs is one way in which you can control the situation. So while it’s possible to take some precautions and make sure some pieces of furniture are bed bug safe, there are just some pieces that should be avoided at all costs (mattresses and upholstered furniture are certainly two of them).
“Okay,” you might think, “I don’t need any furniture anyway. But I sure do love a good garage sale. Can’t wait until Saturday!” Hold on a moment, we’re afraid we have to ruin a bit of your fun. While furniture is almost always a no-no, we’ve got some smaller items that are also a good idea to avoid. When you’re looking for a bargain, you have to ask yourself “how confident am I that this doesn’t have bed bugs?” and “is it worth the risk?”
Danger Level: High
Head to Toys R Us and take a look at the price of stuffed animals. $8, $15, $25, $149.99?! So when you see a stuffed animal at a garage sale for a quarter, it can be tempting to give in when your son or daughter starts hugging it and going on about how “totes adorbs” it is.
Sorry kids, but as cute as it is, it should be left at the garage sale. Sure it could have bed bugs, but it also probably has other “features” that you’ll want to avoid as well, like dried snot and saliva.
Danger Level: Sky High
Okay, let’s think back to some recent blogs and detail the most common way that bed bugs get into people’s homes. The answer is that they travel in luggage that brings them in after people have been an infested hotel.
So, the luggage is definitely out. But what about bags, including purses and camera bags? Best not to risk it. They’re filled with nooks and cranny’s that the little vampires can hide in.
Danger Level: High
Best to leave it at the garage sale. If you just can’t say no, you’d better be willing to wash them in hot water and put them in your dryer on the hottest setting. Just make sure no bugs drop to the floor on the way to the washing machine.
Danger Level: Pretty Low, but...
Are we going to ruin all the fun? What’s wrong with electronics? Well, we weren’t going to mention it until this story broke last week, about PlayStation 4’s being particularly susceptible to roach infestations. Yes, you read that right. Remember, insects are cold-blooded, so they like any place that’s a) warm, like a gaming console, b) has easy access, like heat dispersing vents, and c) safe, thanks to predators not being able to get through the vents. While we deal exclusively in bed bug eradication products, we just thought we’d tell you what you could be in for if you have a gaming console in our bedroom. After all, bed bugs are cold-blooded too. And they’re just as nasty as cockroaches, so they’d probably get along pretty well!
So, what’s safe to purchase at garage sales? Perfectly smooth glass balls. That’s it.
We kid of course, but we thought it best to tell you that it’s always important to be careful about purchasing bed bugs, uh, we mean, great deals at a garage sale. If you just can’t give them up, make sure you have a plan in place when you get home, whether it’s a clothes washer and dryer, a handheld steamer, or some bed bug killing spray.