HOUSTON &
Scoring a sweet deal on second-hand furniture or clothing isn&t as safe as it used to be. Bed bugs that live in bedding and feed on humans are finding their way into the thrift store supply chain.
Most people think of bed bugs nesting in their mattress, but what about between couch cushions? Or even in a book?
The easiest way to avoid bed bugs is knowing where they like to live.
&I felt something. I looked down, there were bed bugs,& said Passion Ross. &There were three of them on me actually.&
But even before Ross actually saw the insects, she noticed bites on her hand. She said she was so freaked out that she tossed the used couch and chair she had purchased at a second-hand store onto the front lawn.
&They were like a little cluster & kind of scattered about on the under side of the cushion,& said Ross.
Prior to buying the couch, Ross remembers seeing yellow tags on the furniture in the store, tags showing the merchandise had been treated with a germicide.
&That tag kind of makes you feel secure. The Texas Health Code says that you sanitized this, but you&re absolutely right, it doesn&t say that we bedbug-proofed it,& said Ross. &It just says that we sanitized it.&
By phone, Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman Chris Van Deusen said the tags aren&t meant to be a guarantee.
Read more from the original source:
How to avoid bed bugs while thrift shopping