Buying secondhand furniture has advantages and disadvantages: On one hand, you can find some really great deals, but on the other, you may introduce bed bugs into your home. The situation requires prompt bed bug removal in Waterloo because of the speed at which the insects reproduce.

If bargain-hunting is your hobby, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to give it up. However, it does mean that you should be vigilant in guarding against bed bugs when making any secondhand purchases.

How To Inspect Furniture for Bed Bugs

Before you buy a piece of secondhand furniture, you should perform a thorough inspection. Make sure you know what to look for. Bed bugs are approximately one-quarter of an inch long and brown in colour. Their bodies are oval-shaped and flat when they haven’t eaten for a while but more rounded after a blood meal. Immature bed bugs, called nymphs, look similar to adults but are much smaller. As they grow, they shed their transparent skins and leave them behind. Because bed bugs feed on blood, their droppings are reddish. Stains from their feces can look like ink from a marker because it can bleed into the fabric a little bit.

All of these signs of bed bugs can be subtle and hard to see. Bringing along a magnifying glass and a flashlight can make them more easily visible. You should also bring along something like an old credit card that you can stick into crevices, seams, and pleats to dislodge any bed bugs that may be hiding there. If you put a white sheet under the piece of furniture before you begin the inspection, any bed bugs that you dislodge will be easier to see. You may also want to bring along latex gloves during the inspection. Bed bug feces are not toxic to humans, but you still may not want to come in contact with them.

How To Clean Furniture Infested With Bed Bugs

Unfortunately, sometimes bed bugs can evade even a thorough inspection. You should store any furniture that you believe may have bed bugs outside the home in a garage or shed until you have gotten rid of all traces. However, don’t wait for them to starve and die off on their own; bed bugs can go between 12 to 18 months without eating. Steam cleaning will eliminate byproducts such as stains and shed skins but, unfortunately, it doesn’t eliminate the bed bugs themselves.

You can get rid of bed bugs by vacuuming them up using the crevice tool on your vacuum cleaner. It may take several passes before you get rid of them completely. Vacuuming does not kill bed bugs; it just makes them easier to dispose of. Remove the bag or filter and seal it in another bag before disposing of it, then take the trash out right away.

Does the piece of furniture have removable covers on the cushions? If so, take them off and place them in sealed plastic bags. Like other animals, bed bugs can’t survive without oxygen and will eventually die off.

How Truly Nolen Can Help With Bed Bug Removal in Waterloo

It is notoriously difficult to get rid of a bed bug infestation yourself. Home remedies and do-it-yourself kits don’t work very well. Professional pest control services are your best bet to permanently eliminate the infestation. We use chemicals that are environmentally friendly and safe for human health yet effective against bed bugs. We also use a high-pressure misting system that pushes the chemicals deep into the fabric where the bed bugs may be hiding. Find out more about our approach to bed bug control.