Thinking About Thrifting a Sofa? Look for These Red Flags

Pre-loved sofas need to be treated before they are rehoused. Avoid pests, bugs, and critters with these simple tips.

Looking to furnish a new space on a budget? Thrifting is an exciting, cost-effective, and eco-friendly way to rescue furniture that might otherwise end up in a landfill. However, there are a few reasons to forego gently loved upholstered furniture, whether on the curb, at a garage sale, or at a consignment store. Unfortunately, pests and bugs can thrive in old upholstery, so you could end up taking home more than you bargained for.

Bedbugs, termites, and other critters can lurk in the crevices of furniture. Pest infestations are not only gross, but they can be costly to resolve. Knowing the signs to look out for and understanding the risks can help you salvage the right items. If you are thinking about thrifting or picking up a sofa from the curb, here are some red flags to look for.

Related: How to Sanitize Curtains, Pillows, Upholstery, and Carpet

Where to Find Secondhand Sofas

Thrifted couches can come from a variety of places. Ideally, they come from a person you know who is moving or trying to replace their furniture. But you can check curbsides, garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, online marketplaces like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to find items previously owned by strangers.

How to Check for Pests or Bugs

The most common pests found in thrifted furniture include bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, fleas, dust mites, carpet beetles, and clothes moths. When examining a pre-loved couch, inspect for signs of pest activity. Use a magnifying glass and a flashlight to check the seams, under cushions, and in any dark corners for bugs or their residue. Black spots could be dried blood, fecal matter, or shedding skin.  Of course, live bugs are always bad news.

Bedbugs, which are small, red-brown insects that feed on human blood and can cause itchy bites, hide in the folds and tufts of fabric, which may show reddish streaks or smears. For termite infestations, look for small holes, insect droppings, or sawdust, as signs of weak or damaged wood structures. Press on the wood to hear or see movement from wood-boring bugs’ holes or tunnels. To detect live or dead cockroaches—which often hide in dark, secluded spaces—look for dark smears and egg cases.

Check for fabric-loving pests as well: Carpet beetles are small, oval-shaped insects that can cause severe damage to bedding, clothes, carpets, and upholstered furniture. Clothes moths, which feed on animal fibers like wool, fur, silk, feathers, felt, and leather, can destroy fabric and other materials.

Other bugs may be too small to detect. Fleas (tiny, wingless insects that can bite and transmit diseases) appear as tiny, dark specks that jump when disturbed. Dust mites are also invisible to the naked eye, but you may smell a musty scent. While this could be mildew or mold spores, dust mites can cause the same unwanted reaction: allergy symptoms, sneezing, wheezing, and itching.

Above all, trust your instincts. If you find a sofa abandoned curbside, no matter how clean it looks, do not bring it into your home before cleaning and sanitizing it. Even when you find one at the thrift store, it is advisable to vacuum, dust, and let it air out in a garage before bringing in into your family spaces.

Some thrift stores tag items as sanitized for reuse, but there’s no telling how long ago that process was done before you spotted your beloved item. Err on the side of caution if you detect any of the above red flags.

Take Preventative Measures Before Bringing Thrifted Furniture Inside

Proper pest identification is critical to determining the extermination approach. Certain pests, such as termites and bedbugs, can be particularly challenging to eradicate. Bedbugs are also notoriously resilient, often surviving multiple pest control treatments. Worse, some insects leave behind eggs that hatch later, necessitating repeated treatments.

But not all bugs found in sofas are harmful. Carpet beetles and clothes moths can damage fabrics and materials, but they pose no health risk to humans. Similarly, household spiders are often harmless and can help control other bugs.

Follow these steps to inspect and treat your new find. Thoroughly inspect every part of the sofa, including cushions, seams, and cambric. Look for signs of pests—alive and dead. If you can correctly identify any pests, you will be able to research the best eradication approach. Usually, one of these common extermination methods will do the trick:

Hot water, white vinegar, and dish soap: Mix boiling hot water, white vinegar, and dish soap to create a cleaning solution. Scrub the sofa thoroughly with this mixture, particularly in seams and crevices. Follow up by rubbing disinfecting wipes all over the sofa. Leave it outside over night to thoroughly dry before bringing it inside.

Vacuum: To get a deep clean, try a vacuum with a HEPA filter and hose attachment. Focus on cracks and corners, where tiny bugs hide and thrive. Vacuuming is effective in eliminating many pests and their debris. If you see holes in the sofa frame, position the hose to suck out any nests or wood-boring pests.

High-temperature treatments: Use a steam cleaner to treat the upholstery. High temperatures can kill most critters and their eggs. Remove any cushion covers, cushions, or pillows and wash them thoroughly—use high heat so long as the colors won’t bleed. If the materials won’t shrink, machine dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes. The heat will help kill most pests and their eggs. Otherwise, let them sun dry.

Treat wood: Place the sofa on newspaper or butcher paper and use bug spray or bug bombs to treat the wooden parts. Be careful to use bug bombs properly. They should be used in well-ventilated spaces if people can’t fully vacate the room. But if they are left in an empty and enclosed area for hours, the treatment may be more effective against insects. Vacuum away any debris.

Pest control products: Many insecticide sprays and powders are explicitly designed for furniture. These can be highly effective in pre-treating potential infestations.

Professional pest control: If the sofa is an antique or the infestation is visibly severe, hire a professional pest control service to treat the sofa thoroughly before use.

Related: The 7 Best Steam Cleaners of 2024, According to Testing

How to Know If a Thrifted Sofa is Worth the Risk

Start by assessing the piece’s overall condition and uniqueness. If it’s a rare or valuable find, it might justify the effort and cost of treatment. Otherwise, the cost and inconvenience of transporting it to your home might make a free item more expensive than it is worth.

Thoroughly inspect the sofa for visible signs of severe pest infestations. Consider the financial implications of thoroughly cleaning and treating the piece. Think about where you can store the piece—in a storage unit, garage, or backyard—until you’re sure it’s safe to bring inside. Last, consider the health risks. Bites, allergies, and rashes are common reactions to bugs and the chemicals used to eradicate them.

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