I wouldn't buy used upholstered furniture either. Not worth the risk. I love my second-hand clothing, but it all gets washed as soon as it enters the house.

A person I know was given a fairly new microwave and a coffee machine. She was happy to get them and set them up in her kitchen.
She said she got up in the middle of the night to get some water and her kitchen was literally moving. She thought something was wrong with her eyes. She turned on the lights and saw thousands of small roaches everywhere! It seems they had nests inside the microwave and coffee machine. And when the lights went out they came out.
She immediately threw both out into the trash and bombed her kitchen. She was so freaked out. I would have been too because I hate roaches. The ones around here are the giant tree roaches though you can definitely see those and they fly too. At night outside around the lights you can see them flying around. Gives me the gooseys just talking about them. When I was a child in Louisiana one of those giant one flew out of the pine tree into my hair and I was screaming and beating my self on the head trying to get it off but their legs have little hooks and they get really tangled up in your hair. That has left it's imprint on me!

I saw an article that said you have to be careful of all furniture, that mattress companies will bring new mattresses but then haul off the old one in the same truck, and so the next person to get a new mattress might get one that crawled off the old one that was hauled away.

We just got a new mattress and they took away our old one. The new one was completely wrapped in plastic, I was happy to see. It kept it nice and clean as they hauled it up a flight of stairs.

Our new sofa is due in a couple weeks. Now I'm worried about our old sofa, should I bother trying to sell it for $100 or just let them take it away? It's a Lazy Boy but it's about 10 years old and the cushions are a little tired.

I got 2 wingback chairs free off CL. They came out of a smoke free/pet free office building that was redecorating. Had them for years! No problem. Love them still!!

Last year I purchased 2 leather club chairs off CL. Also wonderful and @ $50 each, a HUGE savings!

And yes, my Sharp microwave was purchased off CL a few years back. Love it! Saved me a ton!

Just saying....

This post was edited by nicole__ on Fri, May 16, 14 at 16:04

Bedbugs have been found in books as well.

I've heard both yes and no on the books. I hope it's no because I'm always buying (and selling) used ones.

Flamey, you could try selling the sofa, and if it hasn't sold by the time the new one comes, you could tell them to take it.

I gave away our sofa and loveseat on Freecycle some years ago. A couple with a bunch of little kids was happy to get it.

One of the problems with bedbugs is that they have become such a widespread problem, with stories about upscale hotels having them. This means that you can't 'judge a book by its cover' and think that because an item bought comes from a well kept home in an expensive neighborhood that it is safe.
It is just one of those risks.
But I think the OP has a good point, mattresses are probably a highly suspect item. I think if any self respecting bedbug had to choose between Serta and Dostoevsky, he would choose Serta every time.

I have 2 kids in college. I laundry EVERYTHING that returns to my house clean or dirty. Lots of work, but helps me sleep at night. ;)

I think if any self respecting bedbug had to choose between Serta and Dostoevsky, he would choose Serta every time.

LOL I love it!

You guys! So fixated on beds (and books, it seems).

Looks like a bunch o' buggers, to me!

(If a guy who drives a truck is a trucker ... what do you call someone who chases bugs?).

Hi Flamey,

You know the pedigree of your sofa - that it's clear.

It's the receiver that sometimes needs to be worried.

Which may limit the number of folks who might be interested ... but all that you need is one.

Two ... three ... or more ... might be helpful in the sense of potentially a bidding war.

o j