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Dave's Picks | A TikTok user's rehabbed curb couch stirs debate over bedbug risk : NPR

When a young New Yorker stumbled upon a pre-owned sofa left on the sidewalk, she rehabbed it to use in her apartment. However, some observers promptly voiced concerns: the possibility of bedbugs.

TBF, yafavv.mandaa really worked for that couch… Image via The Daily Dot

She shared a video of herself and her family cleaning the couch, mentioning that she kept it at her father's workplace for two weeks before bringing it home. She confidently declared, "If there were bed bugs, we would have seen them!"

Nevertheless, there is apprehension that these unpleasant pests might still be hiding within the modern blue sofa. Even with meticulous cleaning and the passage of time, it is possible to obtain a good piece of second-hand furniture that harbors bedbugs. Unfortunately, these efforts may not be sufficient to entirely eliminate CIMEX LECTULARIUS from your furnishings.

In my mind, it may not be worth the risk”

— Jim Fredericks, senior vice president | National Pest Management Association

Bed bugs are difficult to spot. While a significant infestation may reveal numerous bloodsucking insects or their excrement, it is harder to see bedbug eggs or newly hatched nymphs. They may also be hidden in concealed areas of the furniture, such as seams, crevices, or even on the exterior.

It is impossible to eradicate bed bugs from second-hand furniture solely through vacuuming, steam cleaning, and thorough cleansing. Overlooking a few of them can lead to significant problems.

Even if you eliminate 90% of the hundred bedbugs present on a couch, you still have ten remaining, which is sufficient to initiate a new infestation.

Some people who discover bedbugs in their beds may think that temporarily sleeping on the couch will solve the issue and they would be wrong: Bed bugs have the ability to walk and follow you to other rooms.

Leaving the furniture unattended in hopes of waiting out the bedbugs is not effective either. Bed bugs, often referred to as "little, six-legged vampires," simply enter a dormant state when they lack a food source.

FUN FACT:

Bedbugs can survive for over six months without feeding on blood. Attempting to starve the bedbugs only results in extremely hungry bedbugs upon your return.


FINAL TAKEAWAY!

FINAL TAKEAWAY!

Sometimes it’s just best to walk away from second-hand furniture altogether. But if you absolutely must have that sidewalk score, proceed with caution and call a pest control pro!

@yafavv.mandaa Replying to @Habibi the long awaited couch update πŸ˜™ #nyc #couch ♬ original sound - yafavvmandaa
 

How To Best Snag And Destroy Bedbugs? Here you go…