sslong's Profile

I just wanted to comment because I am seeing a lot of misinformation on this thread. First of all, going to see the house where the furniture came from is not going to be any indication. A perfectly clean house can get bed bugs just as easily as a messy one. The only indication might be if they have a lot of their possessions bagged or in plastic containers - that could indicate they are battling a bed bug infestation.

However, you'd really have to be a monster to go through the hell of bed bugs and then try to sell your infested belongings to someone. I doubt most average people would knowingly sell infested items. The danger is that if their infestation is just starting, they might not know. Also, getting rid of an infested item isn't going to solve their problem. Many people don't understand this so they might try it anyway, but if you get rid of a couch in your home that has bed bugs, you're not getting rid of the bugs. They will still be in other areas of your home.

Personally, having lived through having bed bugs myself I still buy items from Craigslist. You have to assess the risk item by item. Any type of furniture can carry bedbugs, even wooden or metal pieces. The risk is a lot lower if you are buying from someone who lives in a single family home rather than an apartment building (I only say this because infestations in homes are easier to treat than in apartment buildings).

And finally, no, steam cleaning will not kill the bugs. They are able to burrow down deep inside and the steam won't touch them.