How to Check Secondhand Furniture for Bed Bugs

How to Check Secondhand Furniture for Bed Bugs

Hitchhiking and Hiding

Bed bugs are infamous for being hitchhiking pests, and one of the easiest ways for them to access new homes is through secondhand items. While this can affect a number of items, furniture tends to be one of the biggest culprits. Bed bugs have a proclivity for finding tiny and dark areas to conceal themselves and furniture provides the perfect opportunities for just that.  

Let There Be Light!

Bed bugs are very small insects measuring an average of about 3/16 inches in length, and they are incredibly adept at hiding. They tend to lurk in areas that are very dark and sheltered from view. In furniture, this tends to be in the cracks and crevices or even on the underside of the piece. Due to this, it can be difficult to spot them without a little help. Thankfully, just a little bit of light from a flashlight can make a big difference in your search for these bloodsucking pests.

What To Look For

Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown in color with oval-shaped bodies. They are typically flat similar to an apple seed though, after a sanguine meal, they are swollen and more rotund. Aside from seeing the actual bugs themselves you will want to look for little reddish-brown spots (their defecation) or their shed skins.

What Furniture Should You Check?

While bed bugs are most likely to inhabit beds, they can be found a variety of places. This can even include light fixtures, stuffed animals, and electrical outlets… however, these are more extreme areas that these pests have been found. It is far more common to find bed bugs in basic furniture items such as couches, chairs, curtains, chaises, cribs, ottomans, or recliners. If you are considering bringing any of these items into your home, it is very valuable to spend the couple of minutes it takes to check them over for bed bugs to avoid a potential massive and expensive infestation down the road.

The Inspection

Bed bugs like to inhabit dark, small areas such as the creases, crevices, cracks, seams, nail/screw holes, and joints of furniture. Using your flashlight, you’ll want to:

1. Lift any cushions and inspect all around them
2. Examine areas beneath cushions
3. Look along any fabric folds/creases moving the crease to get a clear view
4. Check the parts of the furniture where they connect (ie. legs to the base of the chair, etc.)
5. Inspect the underside of the furniture, lifting the dust cover if possible
6. If there are any cracks in the furniture, be sure nothing is hiding in them
7. If there are tears in the fabric cushions, try to look inside the hole and ensure nothing (not just bed bugs) could be hiding inside. If you have any doubts, consider replacing the stuffing/foam and re-seal the cushion.

Bed Bug Extermination

  You have a right to feel comfortable in your own home without being at mercy of bloodsucking pests. If you have bed bugs in your home, give us a call right away. We can rid you of these nasty pests and restore comfort and peace of mind back in your home.