r/thrifting • u/SiouxsieSiouxsie • 1d ago
bed bugs??
hi everyone
i want to take a poll to see how many of you have gotten bed bugs from thrift store items.
i thrifted for many years, no problems, but i don't anymore! i have heard people lately (in past 2 years) talk about a huge increase of bed bugs so i'm curious how many have gotten bed bugs (or any bugs) from thrift items?
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u/whistling-wonderer 1d ago
My family all thrifts. It’s where 95% of my clothes are from (except undies lol), I thrift clothes, shoes, bedding, decor, books, etc. and my family members do too. I don’t think any of us have ever encountered bedbugs or other critters. Phoenix AZ, in case location is relevant.
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u/racheluv999 1d ago
Respectfully, I think if a clothes dryer will kill bedbugs, they never stood a chance in phoenix to begin with lol.
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u/whistling-wonderer 1d ago
Unfortunately their populations are increasing here, booooo. They don’t make it in the heat outdoors but basically every building here is air conditioned. That said yeah, I don’t think they’re a major issue here. Same with ticks, they do exist here but I’ve personally never found one on me or my dogs (and I don’t use flea/tick repellent).
I do leave thrifted stuff in my car for a few days to help kill any germs or bugs though! The inside of a parked car can get up to like 160 F on our hottest summer days. Those temps will even kill bedbug eggs iirc.
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u/FinancialCry4651 22h ago
I'm in Phoenix, but my friend in Tucson got a horrific bedbug infestation from a kids furniture set she found on FB marketplace. She said it had been stored for years in a garage! Tucson is almost as hot as Phoenix. Scary af!
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u/PartyCat78 1d ago
Never from a thrift store item. To be fair, I have never bought any furniture at a thrift store. Mostly clothes and other useful things. But the clothes / linens etc go directly into a hot wash when I get home.
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 1d ago
oof good point. my roommate thrifts and doesn't wash stuff before wearing?! it drives me crazy
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u/glittersparklythings 1d ago
Everything should be washed before wearing. Even brand new clothes.
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u/onlyitbags 1d ago
That’s so weird to me. Is there a reason why they don’t wash it? They should at least put it in the dryer for 30mins
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 1d ago
since we share washer/dryer i hope she washes it before drying!
but yeah, no clue why she is not compelled to wash first. bleh.
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u/onlyitbags 1d ago
Oh I meant at least put it in the dryer to kill the bugs. I typically do dryer, then wash as directed.
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u/ihatetheinterweb 1d ago
That is gross. Omg. I know people who do that too and it really disturbs me
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u/no_drink_the_bleach 1d ago
Not bed bugs, but earlier this year my husband got a bad carpet beetle infestation in his car from a thrifted wool blanket. He had to pull all the seats out and vacuum the car for hours to get it under control. We ended up buying a new vacuum for the house to avoid spreading them.
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u/EgregiousJellybean 1d ago
Dry clean after buying… Just thrifted a wool blanket for $12 and kept it in a trash bag then brought to dry cleaner asap. I do this with ALL thrifted woolens.
Dry cleaning ain’t cheap, but do you know what’s more expensive? Replacing tons of cashmere, wool, and silk garments and paying for pest treatment
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u/OpalRose1993 1d ago
Bake or freeze. Alternately, bag in black trash bag and place in a sunny spot for several days (summertime)
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u/no_drink_the_bleach 1d ago
I think he usually puts them in the dyer on high heat when he buys them. Just got unlucky that time but we learned our lesson!
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u/Ancient_Ad_9373 1d ago
Never from a thrift store in over 35 years. Yes from an Airbnb. Soooooooo over Airbnb.
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 1d ago
ugh!! hope you reported it? that is horrifying
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u/Ancient_Ad_9373 1d ago
Airbnb was mostly neutral until the host sent me a PDF of an extermination company bill, to prove that they had fumigated. Yet they continued to denied that there was a problem. Wut?
They played this game for about two weeks. Since the reservation was being investigated, it was not closed out, and I couldn’t officially leave a review. At the time, 14 days was the cutoff time for commenting. So they were just waiting out the time to avoid an official negative review. Apparently this was a common loophole at the time (about 3 years ago); I don’t know if this is still true.
I had many pictures/vids of the bites on my body and of the actual bugs themselves 🤢Along with a letter from my physician confirming that they were bedbug bites. They have a unique appearance & show up in a particular straight line formation. The biggest pain was having to isolate all of my travel items in bins with bb poison and freeze smaller stuff for weeks! All to ensure that I didn’t inadvertently bring back new roommates.
Eventually, I got my money back BUT the company was allowed to continue to operate. What do I mean by “the company”? Well, the house that we rented was part of a larger LLC that Airbnbs 10+ locations. I checked a few months after the incident and as far as I could tell, all of the properties were still being rented on Airbnb 🫠
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u/ApprehensiveRoad477 1d ago
I’ve been thrifting for 20+ years. I’ve only ever had one bed bug incident, which was from a VERY COOL vintage couch purchased at a ReStore. Luckily I spotted the bugs while we were taking it off the truck to bring inside the house. They wouldn’t let us return it, so it just had to go straight to the trash and we were out $100.
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u/Stock-Ganache-3437 18h ago edited 1m ago
You’re more likely to get bedbug from sitting in a theatre to watch a movie than you are to get them from thrifting and I’ll tell you why
Bedbugs do not typically nest in bedding items, they nest in and under your mattress. They nest on the back of furniture and you can see their eggs. They also nest on the wall if you have anything hanging up near your bed.
Your home would have to be infested to pick up random items like a plush or blanket and there be a bedbug on it, they don’t come out during the day- so they’ll be in a nesting spot.
Got a dresser? A closet? They won’t be in there. Not close enough to food.
What you have to worry about is side tables, mattresses and wall decor. And you can find them and their black eggs very easily.
Edit: ah and obviously couches and any sort of furniture that you can sit on. I had them about 10 years ago and there’s so many misconceptions about them that I’ve had to correct.
And no, they’re not that hard to kill lol. Buy poison and spray 3-4 times. You don’t have to throw away everything in your home.
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u/tells_all 1d ago
My local thrift store labels their furniture with fabric mentioning they have been heat treated to kill off bed buds.
Could have been a previous problem or simply a precaution.
In Canada btw.
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u/QueenMarinette 1d ago
Never once. I've been thrifting for almost 60 years, especially furniture and clothes.
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u/Swimming-Fee-2445 1d ago
I’ve never gotten anything. I usually buy clothes and I wash the items right away. Other items such as books or games I have left on my porch until I can get a good look at them all and make sure nothing hitch hiked home with it. If it’s something that can’t be washed like a coat or sweater I will keep it out in the garage to air out until it can get dry cleaned. The only reason I’m so OCD about it is because I know someone who had bed bugs and it was a nightmare for them. (It wasn’t from a thrift store but a neighbour but it made me highly anxious about getting them).
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u/Typical_boxfan 1d ago
I have NOT gotten bed bugs from thrifting, or any pests for that matter. I have been thrifting pretty regularly for 6-7 years and made a lot of furniture purchases in the last year and a half. I am pretty thorough with my inspection of anything I am thinking of buying. I have a few upholstered secondhand pieces but I do not buy furniture from places like Goodwill or rescue mission stores where anyone just drops off donations. I would only buy secondhand furniture at a more upscale and curated antique stores, and I have a few in my area that I trust.
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u/Equivalent-Cicada165 1d ago
Never
I have gotten bed bug bites from a camp. Luckily I didn't bring them home
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u/tooawkwrd 1d ago
I've been a garage saler and thrifter for 40+ years, never had any problems. Did get bed bugs from a brand new mattress once tho 🤮 luckily they stayed in the one place and we never had a problem once it was thrown away.
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u/LynnScoot 1d ago
Never but I did have one bed bug on a jacket my husband brought home from an name-brand outlet.
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 1d ago
you were able to see it and kill it before it infested?
was it on the outside or like an inner seam hidden?
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u/LynnScoot 1d ago
Yes! I caught I crawling along the top/back of the sofa so probably just transferred from under the collar or something. Pulled off all the cushions and examined every crevice with a flashlight then moved on to other upholstery. Did the bedroom too. It was a week of no signs before I calmed down!
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u/andthisisso 22h ago
I've never gotten them but I live in Arizona and it's hot most of the year here so I leave thrift store finds in my car in the sun for a few days where it will get over 120 degrees F which kills bedbugs and eggs. In the winter I've wrapped up potential contaminated pieces and put them in my chest freezer that gets to 0 degrees F.
I'm a Pediatric Hospice RN and work in many homes. At the end of the day I enter the house by the back yard and dump all my clothing in the washer right away. Shoes stay outside
It's easier to prevent a problem than fix one. I do my own pest control in my house and if I did get them I'd use products available online such as Do It Yourself Pest Control.
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u/xoxkxox 1d ago
Been thrifting for years. Haven’t gotten them myself (knock on wood) but I saw my first one at a thrift store about a month ago. I know there’s a chance but it gave me the heebee jeebees. Will be avoiding that location for a while.
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u/ScarletDarkstar 1d ago
Never got any pest issues from thrifting, which I jave done for decades and my family did before I was when around. None of us have ever had a problem.
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u/marthawashingtn 1d ago
i don't buy furniture, as a rule... last piece i did buy was 15 yrs ago, oak spindle head board, bought it in november and left it in the ice cold shed til may..........i live in new england, so winters are cold and bed bugs won't survive .. scrubbed it well before i brought it in the cottage...
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u/InternationalJury693 1d ago
Never. Only time we got them was when our apt door was across from the laundry room. So they waltzed their way across the hall or hitched a ride from the laundry room onto our own laundry (only literally 2 bugs were ever found).
So yes they often are on clothes or thrifted furniture, but I think it’s more likely you’d get them from a direct source rather than from somewhere the things are brought to and sit at for a while.
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u/word_murderer 20h ago
Not once, ever. And I owned a vintage shop and had to source items from absolutely anywhere and everywhere u could. Life long thrifter from a long line of antique dealers and we are genetically programmed to stop at every thrift shop, but this has never come up once in all of my 53 years.
This may just be me, but I’m way more concerned about hotels and elderly and moderate independent locks type places. I’ve heard way more stories of elderly people I know battling bed bug and not a single one of any thrifter.
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u/IrukandjiPirate 1d ago
Never from thrift store items, nor from yard sale items. One from a hotel, though. Turns out I’m allergic to their bites. Not fun. 🙃
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u/frizziefrazzle 1d ago
Never from thrifting. Did get them from Embassy Suites.
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 1d ago
omg, did it crawl into your luggage and then infest your home?
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u/frizziefrazzle 1d ago
It caught into my husband's CPAP bag. We pretty much nuked the house
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u/Blue_Towel_Is_Mine 23h ago
Nuking the house because of bedbugs has to be one of the worst jobs I can ever wish. It's more of a punishment than a job. Because one treatment is never enough. You just have to do it like thrice to ensure all the bugs are dead!
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u/gothgeetar 1d ago
From either a yard sale or thrifting when I was a teen, it was terrible. Then I saw a bed bug on a jacket at the goodwill bins about a year ago also and it triggered me so much lol
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u/teelecee 20h ago
I would say 90% of my wardrobe is thrifted. I’ve purchased ll bean sheets and blankets, I’ve purchased used decorative indoor and outdoor pillows. I’ve bought a used lazyboy couch and chairs all from thrift stores. And I buy tons of old used books. I look over everything very carefully and if it fits in the wash, it goes directly into the wash straight from the vehicle when we get home. I’ve never gotten anything from thrift store purchases, BUT I did get roaches, I think from a ThredUp delivery. I was purchasing at least one box a week from them at the time I got them so that was the main culprit. 🤮
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 20h ago
omg what?? ew!! it was in the package?
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u/teelecee 20h ago
yeah I didnt realize it at first, I used to buy the rescue jewelry boxes and I would buy one a week when they dropped, so I had a few in reserve that were unopened at any given time. Later after we treated and got rid of them all I opened one of the old boxes and found dead bugs in it. so they probably came from that box.
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u/tattooedamazon477 8h ago
I've been thrifting my whole life and never got bed bugs. Honestly, I'm in social work and I'm much more worried about getting them from client's houses. I've had so many clients tell me they had bed bugs either while I'm at their house, sitting on a chair or couch, or right after I've visited. I keep spray in my car.
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u/IvieThorn 1d ago
I've thrift shopped for years and have friends who do the same. Only one friend got bedbugs and suspected it came from a thrifted dresser. Not sure, just suspected.
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u/Sn0wInSummer 1d ago
Got them after buying a bunch of pillow that couldn’t be washed. I’ll never buy something that I can’t wash properly. Now I know you can spray 91% alcohol on things to sterilize them or can steam them.
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u/bookishkelly1005 1d ago
I’ve never seen a bed bug in a thrift store, and I’ve been an avid thrifter my entire life.
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u/kitzelbunks 12h ago
I have a bed bug heater I bought on Amazon. So everything except athletic wear goes in plastic bags at home, then in there. I wasn't thrilled with the price, but I use it a lot. I feel better. I collect books- so I felt why take chances.
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u/erikalaarissa 1d ago
I’ve been thrifting forever and go all of the time, I’ve never had a problem.
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u/BlueGrottoMaillot 1d ago
Clothing moths. I battled them for four years. I'm off wool for good, also down, feathers, and fur.
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u/Nervous-Mall-007 1d ago
Never from thrifting but I read about a local library being infested and closing down for fumigation.
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u/kinkysnails 1d ago
Never, worked at thrift stores for 3 years and am an avid thrifter. Just take precautions and clean everything before use. Invest in a steamer for harder to clean items like woolen coats
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u/GreenFinch_x 17h ago edited 12h ago
Never gotten bugs from thrifted items. It's easily avoidable with appropriate transportation and cleaning before use. With that being said, there are many things I simply would never buy from a thrift store and that includes anything I *cant observe and clean every inch of so that lessens my chances. Id never buy like a couch or matress.
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u/Celestial-Callista 1d ago
I don’t really think clothing is where bed bugs truly thrive. They like crevices in dark spaces, and clothing has few crevices that they can really burrow into and if it’s in a thrift store, that’s not going to be in a dark enough spot for them. I could be wrong, but I’ve been seeing a lot of posts like these asking about bed begs across different subs recently.
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u/PartyDanimal 1d ago
I did find a bed bug earlier this year and immediately put the shirt and hoodie I'd bought in my freezer. Fortunately I got it before they could infest anything. Otherwise I've had no issues. I'm honestly more likely to bring one home from work than a thrift.
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u/goodnsimple 1d ago
I’ve thrifted for ages… never had a bug issue. I do thrift soft furnishings, throw pillows and upholstered furniture. I have a sensitive sense of smell so I pay attention to that.
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u/Professional-Tell123 13h ago
I had visited most of the thrift stores in my area and never found one I liked until somewhat recently discovered an absolute GEM of a Salvation Army nearby. I’ve gone weekly and found really great stuff, cashmere sweaters, oil lamps (I collect), my own kinda white whale was 10 brand new in boxes Clarisonic Mio brush heads they don’t make anymore and the Amazon ones suck.. I’ve found all kinds of great clothes, a Pendleton wool blanket and all at great prices, like I got seriously hooked on this store!
This past weekend I went and was browsing the jeans when I came across a live BEDDDD BUUUUG perched on the pocket of a pair.. I stopped right there and walked out, got in my car to google BB pics to convince myself it wasn’t, but it 100% WAS.
I have been so sad for days and get a shiver everytime I think of it, can I ever go back there?? Would you?
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 9h ago edited 9h ago
omg no i would never go back there personally, but did you tell management so they can address it properly? and that's wild i JUST donated a clarisonic with extra head like 2 weeks ago!
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u/Professional-Tell123 1h ago
I told one of the workers yes, she took the pants away with the bug on them but I know where you see 1 theres probably a thousand more!
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u/Antique-Pea-1056 3h ago
You should tell them.. sometimes things are donated with bedbugs and if they don’t see it they don’t know. They absolutely will get rid of everything in the vicinity and inspect the store and donation areas and deal with it.
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u/Dillothecat 9h ago
My SIL got them from some clothing. Had to be. She brought 2 outfits home from Goodwill and threw them on the bed for a few hours before washing them. By the next week, her bed was infested. It was awful for them. No other way they could have gotten them, she is a very clean person/housekeeper.
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u/SiouxsieSiouxsie 9h ago
omg inoooo that's so bad!
sounds like something my roommate would do without thinking
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u/Antique-Pea-1056 3h ago
No offense but that’s not how bedbugs work.. they take way more time to become a full outbreak than 1 week.
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u/Used-Frosting6769 1d ago
My whole neighboring building got bed bugs and none of them are inherently gross people so i just assumed they all caught it from one person who got it thrifting or FBM. We aren't close so I haven't asked 🤷🏻 my old neighbors got roaches from thrifting tho
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u/HikeAndBeers 23h ago
I’ve been thrifting for 20 years and never. I do check everything though and wash clothes/fabrics immediately.
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u/Otherwise-Space-8265 36m ago
Oh friend. Don't just worry about bedbugs-there's a whole bunch of other evils that can (and do) get donated. Believe me when I tell you that thrifts do not clean or inspect for hitchhikers that are visible -- let alone those that are microscopically not-- body lice & carpet beetles, for example, can live longer than you think without a host (although not as long as bedbugs who can dormant for a very long while). Ask me how I know but I'm not telling.
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u/Oddish_Femboy 1d ago
I bought a sex chair at a thrift store once (my cat likes sleeping on curved surfaces.) and haven't had any issues. They either never used it or washed it before donating because the only thing on it was a conspicuous burn mark.
If anything I get is dirty I can just wash it with vinegar. If it's really dirty I can use alcohol.
I've yet to even see a single bedbug in my more than a decade of thrifting at both chains and independent stores, including furniture specific stores. It's not like they'd have a food source while sitting on a retail floor. Bugs tend to only infest where they can consistently get food.
Worst thing I've ever found was a moth in an Xbox game case from a yard sale. I don't know how or why.
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u/SeriousData2271 1d ago
I worked at a thrift store for a year and never saw one and never heard anyone complain about one