Tips for Finding a Mattress on Craigslist We all know how expensive mattresses can be. We spend such a huge part of our lives sleeping on our beds, it's important that we get the best mattress possible, right? Sometimes it's a bit hard to afford an amazing mattress. Luckily I have compiled some tips for the terrifying task of finding a mattress on Craigslist. About a year ago I asked How Do I Make a Futon Work as a Bed? Hilariously enough, you all told me to never try and use a futon mattress over a regular mattress. Last year I purchased a dingy futon off of craigslist for $50 and struggled through back pain (hey, I'm only 23!) and sleepless nights. I feel as though I may have to apologize to you, my trusty readers, for not listening to your advice. I'm always trying to save money and do things the cheapest possible way. I now know the importance of owning a great mattress, but what if I can't afford one? So, it's time to look to Craigslist again. I think everyone is a little wary of buying something like a mattress of of Craigslist.
Might as well be purchasing someone's used tighty wighties right? Well, I've come up with a list of tips to make your Craigslist mattress search much easier! Look for honesty: You want to seek out the listings where the seller is completely honest. It's okay if they mention some minor wear on one of the corners. The best option is when they state how old the mattress is, what brand or manufacturer, or an explanation as to why they are purging. Look for personality: Find a seller that seems to give a little personality into their post. You want to interact with a seller that is going to be personable. That way you can feel more comfortable asking questions and hopefully they'll be nice enough to give you answers! Quality of photographs: This one is super important. Look for the posts where the mattress is well photographed. Never go for a mattress where the image is clearly the stock photo taken off a mattress store website. Bonus points if the seller takes a photo of the minor damage or label of the mattress.
Search "By Owner": If you select "By-owner" rather than "By-dealer" you won't get those cheap looking ads that almost always look like a scam. Yes, they are trying to sell you brand new mattresses, but usually from a warehouse or back alley. If you've had experience with the "by-dealer" option, let me know in the comments. I've always been curious to see if these mattresses are authentic. I would personally rather buy my mattress from a real person who can tell me the history of the mattress. Watch grammar: A lot of bots that post spam on Craigslist use weird grammar or throw in sentences that don't make sense. Unfortunately, you may just be looking at an ad coming from someone with terrible grammar. Be wary of bed bugs: Check the mattress for tell-tale signs of bed bugs — small red or brown spots and other signs of the little critters. If you see even the slightest indication, run the other way! Image: Flickr member robotpolisher. Licensed for use by Creative Commons.
Home »Bed Bug Tips » Buying used furniture? Here’s how to check used furniture for bed bugs. In today’s economy, everyone wants to save money. Buying used furniture or getting used furniture for free from a friend or relative can really save you serious bucks. But, there’s a catch: bed bugs. One of the single most common ways to get bed bugs in your home is through buying used furniture and bringing it into your home. Given the average cost of a bed bug treatments by a professional often exceeds a thousand dollars, it’s definitely best to insure the furniture you’re buying does not have bed bugs. To avoid having your home infested with bed bugs, it’s preferable to avoid buying used furniture or bringing used furniture in your home all together. However, we understand that this isn’t always practical or realistic. Therefore, inspecting any used furniture for signs of bed bugs before you bring the furniture into your home is critically important.
Even bringing used furniture with bed bugs into your home for just a few minutes can be the beginning of a bed bug infestation that will cost you time, sleep, sanity, and money! Inspect used furniture for bed bugs Whenever you find or are offered used furniture, the very first you should do is thoroughly inspect it for bed bugs. Be prepared, this could offend some people, but that is just the reality we live in today. Here’s how to inspect used furniture for bed bugs: Bring some white latex gloves, a magnifying glass, flashlight, and an inexpensive white sheet with you to inspect the furniture. Spread the white sheet on a flat surface, and place the furniture on the bed sheet. The white sheet will help you see bed bugs or signs of bed-bugs if they fall on the ground. Use your fingers, or preferably a credit card, run the edge of the card over the furniture’s surface. Then use your fingers or the edge of the card through any creases, cracks or grooves in the furniture.
Remember, bed bugs like to hid in small tight spaces, so running the card through these areas is critical to performing a thorough inspection. Watch for signs of bed bugs on your gloves or on the white sheet. Signs can include feces (which will be dark red stains), old skin, or bed bugs themselves. Use the magnifying glass to inspect anything remotely questionable. Use the flashlight to highlight and inspect any hidden or dark areas of the furniture. Again, these are the locations where bed bugs like to hide. They are generally not out in the open where they are easily seen. If you see any bed bugs or even signs of bed bugs, do not bring the furniture home. Treating used furniture for bed bugs Assuming you’ve done a thorough inspection, and haven’t found any signs of bed bugs, we still highly recommend treating the used furniture for bedbugs. Bring the furniture home, but do not bring it inside your home yet. Go ahead and place the plastic bag in your dryer and rip it open.
Leave the covers in the dryer and dispose of the bag in an outside trashcan. Run the covers in your dryer on high heat for at least 30-60 minutes. We recommend doing this twice. Thoroughly vacuum the furniture, including all crevices, seams, folds and hidden areas. Immediately remove the vacuum bag and place it in a tied plastic trash bag in an outside trashcan. Using a bed bug spray, spray down the furniture, insuring all areas are covered. Be sure to follow the detailed instructions that come with the spray. Allow the furniture to completely dry. If you prefer not to use a spray, you can cover the couch with Diatomaceous earth, steam treat or heat treat the furniture too. If you use Diatomaceous earth, allow the furniture to sit outside for a few days. Used furniture bed bug tips Avoid taking used furniture from dumps or furniture left on the road side. Furniture like this is generally thrown away for good reason, and bed bugs are often why. Avoid bringing used furniture into your home from high risk bed bug areas of the country, such as New York city.