Crouching Dresser, Hidden Bedbug – from Tri-County Pest Control

During the weekends now, you’re going to see more and more yard sales pop up; people are eager to clean the clutter from their home before winter. While yard sales are a great opportunity to grab a sweet deal on some furnishings for your home, they are also a vector for spreading infestations, specifically of bed bugs.

So, before you lug that new-to-you dresser back to your home, we advise doing a quick check-over to make sure that it’s not harboring any bed bugs that can lead to a massive infestation in your home.

Just follow along to our little list, and you’ll be fine.

• Do not assume anything. Just because the yard you are buying from looks nice and pristine, and the furniture itself looks well kept, does not guarantee that the furniture will be absent of bedbugs. It’s always better to err on the side of caution with these critters.
• If you are looking to buy something hard, like a dresser or a nightstand, open up all compartments, and take the drawers out if you can. Then, run your fingers or a credit card along the edges inside. What you are looking for are either bedbugs themselves (they are brown, flat, and small) and signs of bedbugs (such as eggs and droppings). If you see either a bedbug or signs of them (small, white eggs or small, black blobs of excrement) walk away immediately. Notify the seller, and walk away.
• If you are buying something soft like a futon or an armchair, remove the coverings if you can, and start looking for the aforementioned signs. In addition, look for rusty or reddish stains, which indicate that a bedbug has been squished there. Again, if you see any signs, notify the seller and walk away.
• Try to avoid mattresses and box springs as best you can, as they are too easy of vectors. If you really want one though, look all around both items, looking for bedbugs, eggs, excrement, and stains. Keeping with the common theme here, if you see something, notify the owner and leave.

While we have no issue removing bedbugs, and can do so quickly and effectively, we do not want you to go through the pains (literally) of an infestation. So, when you’re driving by and see that dresser perfect for you child’s room on sale, take a quick, five-minute look before putting it in the back of your car. It’ll save you in the long run.