“Beware bedbugs in used clothing, furniture” |
| Beware bedbugs in used clothing, furniture Posted: 26 Nov 2010 10:21 AM PST Submitted photo Bedbugs can hide in the nail holes in furniture. The pest's bite can cause a painful allergic reaction. Loyola University Photo Dr. Joseph Leija, an allergy specialist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, in Chicago, examines a potential bedbug under his microscope. People who buy used clothing and furniture need to take steps to avoid bring the pests into their homes, Leija warns. <</span> > Published: November 26, 2010 Updated: People who like to seek treasure among other people's used furniture and clothing need to take care they don't bring home something they weren't bargaining for – bedbugs. While items found at yard or estate sales or abandoned are popular with many people, they can harbor bedbugs in the tiniest places, according to Dr. Joseph Leija, an allergist with the Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System, in Chicago. Leija has seen one family that came in covered in bites from bedbugs that were in free furniture they found in an abandoned apartment. "The couple had only taken the wooden headboards and baseboards of the beds – not the mattresses because they knew that would be unsanitary – as well as a table and chairs," Leija said. "The bugs were found in the tiny crevices," he said. Leija has also cared for patients with bedbug bites traced back to clothing purchased at neighborhood garage sales and resale stores. The bedbug, known to scientist as Cimex lectularis , has a set of pinchers. It uses one pincher to pierce the skin and inject saliva that contains anticoagulants and a numbing solution. The other pincher sucks the blood of its host. "The male bedbug also uses the pincher to pierce the abdomen of the female during reproduction, and bedbugs reproduce rapidly," Leija said. Bedbugs find their prey by seeking carbon dioxide or warmth, to indicate a warm-blooded animal. "The bites can result in a skin rash or even large weeping blisters due to allergic reaction," said Leija. "But for many, the psychological damage is greater than what they suffer physically." They are hard to detect because they are dormant during the day but come out at night to feed, making detection more difficult. Leija offers this advice for people who want to avoid bedbug problems from used clothes of furniture: •If you buy used clothing, keep them in the plastic bag before washing immediately in hot water. Use the dryer at high heat to make sure all parasites are killed. •Paint or seal any newly acquired used furniture. Bedbugs are so tiny they have been known to hide in screw holes. •Spray insecticide and vacuum bedding and furniture thoroughly and throw the vacuum cleaner bag outside in the trash after each sweeping. Keep spraying the insecticide and vacuuming daily; check for tiny brown bugs or pieces that may be part of the bug. •As you travel this holiday, check mattresses in hotels, motels and other guest accommodations before bedding down. If you see tiny brown specks, move yourself and your clothing and your luggage out immediately and tell the manager or your hosts what you have discovered to prevent further infiltration. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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