Used Furniture and Appliances on Marketplace or Kijiji: How to Avoid Bringing Home Bed Bugs or Cockroaches

An $80 couch, a solid wood dresser, an almost-new microwave or a free fridge: Marketplace and Kijiji are full of great deals in Montreal, Laval and on the North and South Shores. And in Quebec, every July 1st (moving day), sidewalks fill up with furniture left at the curb. The problem is that used furniture or appliances can arrive at your home with stowaways: bed bugs, cockroaches, mice or other insects. A bargain can then end up costing far more than new furniture. Here are the real risks, what to check before you buy, and what to do if you have a doubt.

Why used furniture and appliances are risky

The hardest pests to get rid of in a home are precisely the ones that hide well and travel easily. They do not need dirt to settle in: furniture from a clean home can still be infested. And the seller often does not even know.

• Bed bugs hide in seams, folds, cracks and screw holes. They can survive several months without feeding, so a couch stored in a garage or basement can still have them.
• Cockroaches love the warmth and moisture of appliances: the fridge motor, inside the microwave, toasters, coffee makers, dishwashers, stoves. They lay their egg cases there: small brown capsules that hold dozens of eggs.
• Mice sometimes nest in the insulation of a stove, under a dishwasher or behind a fridge, where it is warm.
• Carpet beetles and clothes moths attack rugs, wool upholstered furniture and natural fibres.
• Wood-boring insects, rarer, can be found in old solid wood furniture: look for small round holes and fine wood powder.

The riskiest items (and the safest)

Avoid, or inspect very closely

• Mattresses, box springs and upholstered headboards: the favourite hiding places of bed bugs. A used mattress is the riskiest bet.
• Fabric couches, armchairs and loveseats: many seams, folds and corners that are impossible to inspect completely.
• Small kitchen appliances (microwave, toaster, coffee maker, air fryer): warm, full of crumbs and hard to open.
• Fridges and stoves: the motor compartment and insulation give cockroaches and mice warm hiding spots.
• Wooden furniture with many joints, drawers and cracks.

Lower risk

Furniture with smooth, hard surfaces, made of metal, glass or plastic, is much easier to inspect and clean. A metal table or a glass shelf offers very few hiding places.

Before buying: questions to ask the seller

• "Have you ever had bed bugs, cockroaches or mice in your home or building?"
• "Where was the item kept? How long has it been stored, and where?"
• "Why are you selling it?"
• "Can I inspect it with a flashlight before I pay?"

A seller in a hurry who refuses an inspection, or an item kept in a very cluttered home, are warning signs. Also look at the listing photos: furniture photographed in a damp basement or among piled-up items calls for extra caution.

How to inspect used furniture on the spot

Inspect before you put the item in your car, ideally in daylight, with a flashlight and an old plastic card (like a loyalty card) to slide into the seams.

1. Seams and piping: look for small black spots (bed bug droppings), rusty blood stains, brownish shed skins or brown insects the size of an apple seed.
2. Underneath: flip it over if you can. Lift the fabric under a couch, check the corners, staples and screw holes.
3. Cushions: remove them and check the folds at the back, where the backrest meets the seat.
4. Drawers and joints of wooden furniture: pull out the drawers and check corners and rails. Look for wood powder or small round holes.
5. Smell: a strong musty, oily or sweet, unpleasant smell can point to a large cockroach or bed bug infestation.

How to inspect a used appliance

1. Unplug it and use a flashlight to look behind it, under the bottom grille and around the motor.
2. Open the doors and check the rubber seals, corners and hinges.
3. Look for cockroach signs: tiny droppings that look like ground pepper or coffee grounds, brown egg cases, shed skins, or live cockroaches running from the light.
4. Look for mouse signs: black droppings shaped like grains of rice, chewed insulation, nesting material, a smell of urine.
5. For a microwave or toaster, gently shake it over a white sheet of paper: droppings or insects falling out are a clear sign.

At the slightest sign, do not buy it, even if it is free. It is never a good deal.

After buying: the right steps before it comes inside

• Do a full inspection again at home, in the garage, on the balcony or in the entrance, before bringing the item into your rooms.
• Vacuum thoroughly in the seams, folds and cracks, then throw out the bag or empty the canister into a tightly sealed plastic bag, straight into the outdoor garbage.
• A steam cleaner is an excellent tool: very hot steam, passed slowly over seams and joints, kills bed bugs and their eggs on contact. Check first that the fabric can handle it.
• The dryer: cushion covers, blankets and washable fabrics go in for 30 minutes on the hot cycle. It is the simplest way to kill bed bugs on fabric.
• Clean appliances thoroughly, inside and out, before plugging them in in the kitchen.
• Do not count on the cold on your balcony. Killing bed bugs takes intense, steady cold for several days, which Montreal winters do not always provide. It is not a reliable method.

Mistakes to avoid

• Picking up a mattress or couch from the sidewalk, especially around July 1st. Some furniture is thrown out precisely because it is infested.
• Using bug bombs (foggers) or aerosol insecticides "just in case". They do not solve a hidden infestation and can push insects to spread to other rooms or to the neighbours.
• Moving the item from room to room if you have a doubt: you risk spreading the problem.
• Reselling or giving away an item you suspect is infested. You would pass the problem on to another family.

Too late? What to do if you think you brought pests home

1. Isolate the item: stop moving it and, if possible, keep it away from the bedrooms.
2. Take photos of what you see (insect, stains, droppings). Our Identify a pest page can help you figure it out.
3. Watch for signs over the next few days: bites when you wake up, spots on the sheets, cockroaches in the kitchen at night.
4. Call quickly. A bed bug or cockroach infestation caught early is much easier, faster and cheaper to solve than one that has been settling in for months.

If you are a tenant, you must also notify your landlord. Our guide Bed Bugs in Rental Housing in Quebec explains everyone's role.

When to call an exterminator

Call if you saw a suspicious insect on used furniture or a used appliance, if you have had bites since a couch or mattress arrived, or if cockroaches appear in the kitchen after you bought an appliance. A technician identifies the pest, checks how far it has spread and chooses the right treatment, for example a heat or targeted treatment for bed bugs, or gel baits for cockroaches.

ExtermZone serves Montreal, Laval, the North Shore and the South Shore, 24 hours a day. Call us at (514) 295-7696 for an inspection.