While online early Sunday morning, I ran across something that truly disturbed me. These pictures were from PCO Roger Capps out of PA, who found this while doing a bed bug inspection.
Whether this car seat came from a secondhand store or not we don’t know, but serves as an alert for those who should come by a hand-me-down car seat, crib, playpen, bedding, stuffed animals, diaper bags or any other items for their child.
One never knows if items obtained from a used source have experienced a bed bug problem (whether or not they knew about them) and because of this, you need to have all items thoroughly inspected before placing it in your home or car.
Sometimes bed bugs will be between or under material seams or in areas that are not visible to the naked eye so we offer our detection dogs to identify whether or not there is any evidence of bed bugs or their eggs.
Perfectly good used items
I’m sure that if you were to ever shop at a secondhand store you will find plenty of items that have hardly been used and look brand new. As my mom used to say, “Another man’s trash is another’s treasure” and you can find some cool things. However, what if it came from a home with bed bug problems? How would you know?
We receive calls from people and when asked about infested items that were thrown away, they replied, “We took them to Goodwill or Salvation Army”.
WHAT?!?!?!
Life, as we know, is changing rapidly because of bed bugs and they often find their way into unsuspecting people’s homes because of used items.
Does this mean that you can never benefit from a used item? No, but what it does mean, is that it is imperative to have whatever items you may receive from others, purchase online or in a secondhand store checked for signs of bed bugs.
Here are some treasure hunters helpful hints:
For clothing, bedding, pillows or any item that can take a tumble, place them directly into a dryer for 40 minutes right away. Don’t forget to keep the item(s) wrapped in a tightly sealed bag or container while transporting them in your car and on the way to the dryer.
For items that cannot go into a dryer, you have other options.
- If you are a frequent treasure hunter shopper, you can purchase a ZappBug oven to gently heat items. The ZappBug reaches a temperature high enough to kill every stage of bed bugs.
- If you are someone who seldom shops but every once in a while finds a deal that you can’t pass up you can purchase Nuvan strips online and follow directions to gently “fumigate” the item.
- Furniture, chairs, mattresses, box springs and large items: If you want absolute peace of mind, you can depend on MassBedBugBusters to bring in our trained bed bug dogs to go over any suspected items you may have purchased. We also offer regular inspections so you never have to worry about a bed bug infestation building without you knowing.
