Oh crap! So much for trying to be frugal.

June 26, 2007 8:51 PM

Can you get bedbugs from thrift store clothes?

So I was on the train home tonight from a successful trip to the thrift store when I felt something itchy on my thigh. I looked down and there was a tiny, barely visible orange bug crawling on me. I flicked it off and didn't think much about it until a minute or so later I had another itchy feeling on my arm. I looked and there was a larger, nastier looking, but still orange bug on my arm. Weird, right?

A minute later a lightbulb goes off and I'm wondering if the bugs are coming from my bag of loot from the thrift store.

When I get home, I immediately dispose of the bag outside, strip and wash both my thrift store items (a top and a skirt) and everything I was wearing except for my backpack in hot water and detergent. Then I put myself into a very hot shower and shampoo my hair thoroughly (since I was pulling clothes over it in the dressing room).

I googled bedbug and the picture looks just like what I remember seeing on me on the train.

Questions: How likely is getting bedbugs from thrift store clothing? Assuming it's possible, do you think I'll be okay, given the actions i took immediately after retuning home? And finally, do you think once the clothes are washed and dried it's okay to keep them or is that a really bad idea?

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (15 comments total)

While the chances are very slim that someone might buy clothing that has bedbugs, it is very likely that someone who has bedbugs in their home can carry them to other homes. They're notorious for hiding in the cuffs of pants.
posted by HotPatatta at 8:58 PM on June 26, 2007

I don't know about bed bug eggs, but no amount of flea shampoo can kill flea eggs on dogs.
posted by HotPatatta at 8:59 PM on June 26, 2007

Yes you can get bedbugs from thrift store clothes. The precautions you took, though, are commendable and probably did the trick. Don't drive yourself nuts over, it, chalk it up as a close call and proceed merrily through life. If anything bad will come of this, there's little you can do about it until fresh signs appear.

Which they probably won't. Because of what you did.
posted by hermitosis at 9:06 PM on June 26, 2007

The hot water will kill them. Far easier to get bedbugs out of clothing than furniture.

Did it bite you? Because those bites are annoying.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:12 PM on June 26, 2007

I think you've done the right thing, and the clothes will be bug free. Here's some advice on getting rid of bedbugs (at the bottom of the page)
posted by bluefly at 9:13 PM on June 26, 2007

Absolutely. There is a bit of a bedbug epidemic going on in certain parts of the country - particularly NYC. A couple of camp facilities that I work with are having a lot of trouble with this - a weekend conference group will come up, and two days later there is an outbreak of bedbug activity. It's been pretty darn widespread, and really has nothing to do with frugality so much as being exposed to fabrics that contain bedbugs. The epidemic is not confined to thrift store clothing or fleabag motels - at this point, it's pretty widespread.
posted by Miko at 9:16 PM on June 26, 2007

Yes, you can get bedbugs from thrift shop items, though bedding and linens remain the primary vectors. I would suggest perusing Bedbugger for an authoritative answer. I found this thread there, for starters.
posted by rolypolyman at 9:21 PM on June 26, 2007

If you're particularly scared of infection, you could try washing yourself and your clothes in Dettol (I think it's Lysol in the US). There are different types of Dettol/Lysol for clothes and for the body, so be careful.
posted by divabat at 9:55 PM on June 26, 2007

Yeah, my friend in NYC had bedbugs in her apartment a few years ago, that's how I became so familiar with them.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:00 PM on June 26, 2007

Please note that your thrift store is likely either a) entirely infected or b) not washing the clothes before they resell them. You might want to let them know and/or don't ever go back.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:23 PM on June 26, 2007

Your backpack needs to be either washed in hot water (if possible) or thrown out entirely, if memory serves me well. I would look that up before bringing the bag into your house.
posted by brina at 5:22 AM on June 27, 2007

Or it might not even be a bedbug. It's hard to identify insects from memory. I've found small bugs in the house that I was sure were bedbugs, based on photos and descriptions I had previously seen. They were not.
posted by Melsky at 5:45 AM on June 27, 2007

+1 on hermitosis — from someone who nearly two years ago had an infestation himself. Brina is right, however — personally, I'd toss your backpack. What "costs" more ... a backpack or your piece of mind? A backpack or extermination/etc.?
posted by WCityMike at 8:19 AM on June 27, 2007

If your backpack isn't easily washable put it in a heavy duty trash bag, tie it up and leave it outside in the sun for 2-3 weeks. It should be fine after that.

Also, definitely notify the thrift store, but be aware that bed bugs are near impossible to get rid of if their is any little place for them to hide. Personally I would not buy things from that store again.

...but I've also dealt with the little jerks and will do just about anything to avoid going through it again.
posted by trishthedish at 1:56 PM on June 27, 2007

I have bought most of my clothes in thrift stores for years and never seen any bedbugs. However, I don't buy wool or fur coats or other massive and uncleanable items in which they might prefer to hide. Thrift stores that sell furniture on the same floor as the clothes might have bedbugs.
posted by bad grammar at 4:15 PM on June 27, 2007