Bed bugs are back with a vengeance! They love hiding in clothing, second-hand furniture, suitcases and boxes. Bring home bed bugs, and you”ll get more than you bargained for: infestations, perhaps thousands of dollars in extermination fees not to mention, bites and anxiety. When shopping garage sales and thrift stores or even picking up uncle Marty’s comfy old couch, follow these tips from TheAllergyGuy to help avoid infesting your belongings and home.

1. Carefully inspect the item(s) that you are interested in purchasing. Pay close attention to:

• Bed Frames/Mattresses

• End Tables/Dressers

• Upholstered furniture

• Clothing/Shoes

• Stuffed Animals

• Mirrors and picture frames

2. Check corners and crevices of furniture for signs of bed bug activity.

3. Look for evidence signs of pests: bed bugs (reddish-brown), eggs (white), cast skins (yellow) and fecal dots (black).

4. If you think you see evidence of bed bugs, tell the proprietor and leave!

Better safe than sorry- When you get home follow these steps

• Bring the plastic bags or even better, bed bug laundry bags for any treasures you want to bring home.
• Wash everything that you wore in HOT water 120°≥F and use the drier on HIGH setting for 30 minutes, or dry clean.
• If you buy furniture: inspect it carefully. Very, very, carefully.
• Vapour steam clean your new finds.
• Use prevention and detection tools.

If it’s in the trash, leave it there! Even if it’s the PERFECT picture frame, the previous owner may have thrown it away because it is infested with bed bugs.