Most secondhand items are perfectly safe, but bed bugs are one risk worth keeping in mind. These tiny pests hide easily in furniture, clothing, bedding, cushions, and other fabric-covered items. You may never see one during a quick trip through the store.

That doesn’t mean you have to give up thrifting. It just means you should take a few minutes to inspect your finds before putting them in your car or carrying them through your front door.

A little caution at the store can save you a much bigger headache later. Here’s what to look for and what to do once you get home.

Why Bed Bugs Are a Real Concern

Bed bugs are small, flat, oval-shaped insects, usually reddish-brown. Adults are roughly the size of an apple seed. They don’t fly or jump, but they’re very good at hiding in places people may not think to check.

They tend to stay close to areas where people sleep or rest, including mattresses, box springs, upholstered furniture, and fabric folds. They can also hide in seams, pockets, cracks, screw holes, and other small spaces.

That’s why secondhand furniture and clothing are worth checking. A bed bug doesn’t need much room to hide, and an infested item can carry them from one place to another.

Once they make their way into a home, getting rid of them can take time and money. Catching the problem before an item comes through the door is much easier.

What Bed Bugs Actually Look Like

If you thrift regularly, it helps to know what bed bugs and their signs look like.

Adult bed bugs are flat and oval, while younger bugs are smaller and lighter in color. Their eggs are tiny and pale, and they can leave behind shed skins as they grow.

You may never spot a live bug during an inspection. Instead, look for clues such as:

Tiny black or dark brown spots
Small rust-colored or reddish stains on fabric
Tiny pale eggs or eggshells
Shed skins
Groups of dark spots around seams, folds, cracks, or crevices

Pay close attention to places where fabric comes together or where an item has small openings. If you see signs that make you suspicious, it’s better to leave the item behind.

How to Protect Yourself While Thrift Shopping

You don’t need to treat every thrift store item like it’s contaminated. A careful inspection is usually a good place to start.

For clothing, check seams, cuffs, collars, pockets, waistbands, and folds. Thick coats, quilted jackets, and layered fabrics give bugs plenty of places to hide.

For sheets, blankets, and towels, inspect hems, folds, and corners closely.

Furniture needs a closer inspection. Lift cushions and check underneath them. Look around piping, zippers, seams, joints, screw holes, and the underside of the frame. A phone flashlight can make dark cracks much easier to see.

Take extra care with:

Upholstered chairs and sofas
Mattresses and box springs
Headboards
Nightstands
Furniture kept near beds
Thickly padded items

Wood furniture can also hide bugs in joints and cracks. Bed bugs aren’t limited to mattresses or fabric.

If you’re trying on clothing at the store, wearing a thin layer underneath can reduce direct skin contact. Once you’re home, change clothes and launder what you wore.

What to Do As Soon As You Get Home

This is where it’s easy to get careless after a successful thrift trip.

Try not to drop your new finds on the bed or couch. Keep them contained until you’ve had a chance to clean and inspect them.

Wash thrifted clothing according to the care label, then dry it on the hottest setting the fabric can safely handle. A household dryer on high heat can kill bed bugs and their eggs when items are heated thoroughly.

For items that can go straight into a dryer but don’t need washing, drying on high heat can also work. Follow the manufacturer’s care instructions to avoid damaging the item.

If you’re concerned that an item may already have bed bugs, keep it sealed and separate from the rest of your belongings until you can treat or inspect it properly.

Don’t Immediately Bring Furniture Inside

It can be tempting to carry a great secondhand chair or dresser straight into the house, especially after finding a good price. Give yourself a minute before doing that.

Keep secondhand furniture in a garage, shed, or other suitable isolated area while you inspect it. Check seams, cracks, joints, undersides, and the areas around hardware.

Vacuuming can remove bugs and debris from cracks and crevices, but empty the vacuum carefully afterward so anything collected doesn’t remain inside the machine.

Steam can also be useful on appropriate furniture surfaces because high temperatures can kill bed bugs on contact. It needs to be done correctly, though, and steam alone may miss bugs hidden deeper inside an item.

If you see clear signs of bed bugs or aren’t sure what you’re looking at, getting advice from a pest control professional before bringing the furniture indoors is a much safer choice.