# Should I stop buying thrift store clothing because of bedbugs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115 "2013-04-30T16:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/1 "2013-04-30T16:03:48Z")
I’m not sure if this belongs in general questions or not. I love to shop at thrift and consignment stores for clothing. I have a few favorite stores, and some of my very best designer garments come from these places. However, I’m starting to get uneasy about the possibility of bedbugs. I already would never buy furniture at a thrift store ever again (Sheldon Cooper was right, dammit!), but now I’m starting to feel hinky about clothing, too. I always empty thrift store clothing straight from the shopping bag directly into the washing machine and run it through a couple of washes before it ever enters the house. Is this enough? Or am I just paranoid? ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/2 "2013-04-30T16:10:22Z")
Running it through the dryer is probably more important. Temperatures above 140 F kill bedbugs and their eggs. ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/3 "2013-04-30T20:03:17Z")
I was going to suggest just stashing the stuff for a while. However, after looking at this [website](http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7454.html), I see you would need to keep it isolated for about two years to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/4 "2013-04-30T20:25:55Z")
Having just completed a work-mandated bed bug training, we were informed that hot water does not kill them, the dryer will on hot but you have to dry for 1 hour above 140 F to be effective. As an alternative, Since not every item can be machine dried, if you have a deep-freeze style freezer, you can also place clothes in the freezer for a week. Standard household freezers are not cold enough. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/5 "2013-04-30T21:39:11Z")
A lot of the items I buy can go in the dryer, but some are silk or wool and cannot. I take these directly to the dry cleaners. Does dry-cleaning kill them? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/6 "2013-04-30T21:50:39Z")
Put em in a car with closed windows, in the sun. Temps of over 140 are easy to achieve. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/7 "2013-04-30T21:54:00Z")
loan it to a friend or relative for a couple weeks. see who scratches. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/8 "2013-04-30T22:05:12Z")
Velour jumpsuit and some house slippers Dookie brown leather jacket that I found diggin’ They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard I bought a skeet blanket, then I bought a kneeboard ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/9 "2013-04-30T23:10:39Z")
I’ve never washed vintage/used/garage sale clothing before wearing it and I’ve never had any problems. (Is it any wonder that I scored 2% on the germaphobe quiz?) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/10 "2013-04-30T23:26:16Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > … you have to dry for 1 hour above 140 F to be effective. Various googling suggests this is a bit extreme. There seems to be some level of consensus that 120 F for 30 minutes is effective. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/11 "2013-04-30T23:45:31Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Various googling suggests this is a bit extreme. There seems to be some level of consensus that 120 F for 30 minutes is effective. This. I had to do some BB killing and this worked fine. Use a meat thermometer at the height of the drying cycle - stick it in the middle of the clothes in the dryer and make sure you’re over 120F. My dryers do a 1 hour cycle, so as long as they were at the right temp at 30 minutes, just complete the cycle and good to go. My BB problem came from a neighbor, and that hasn’t stopped me from thrifting clothing at all. I do only buy washer/dryer clothing and put it through a dryer cycle before bringing it into the house. I started doing this when I originally had a clothes moth problem that originated from one of my first thrifting forays over a decade ago. So a nice hot dryer cycle helps with more than just BB’s! ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/12 "2013-04-30T23:46:32Z")
How do you know that regular (non-thrift) store clothing wasn’t tried on by another customer who had bedbugs? Or taken home to a bug-infested apartment and then returned? Or handled by a bug-bearing employee? ---
**Author:** ![bink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bink)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/13 "2013-05-01T00:19:02Z")
I’m more worried about scabies since hearing that thrift store clothing is the #1 source of scabies infections around here. I still shop at thrift stores, but I don’t try anything on in the store. Buy it, wash it, then I’ll try it on. Worst case scenario, I can re-donate if I guessed horribly wrong on the size. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/14 "2013-05-01T01:21:05Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > How do you know that regular (non-thrift) store clothing wasn’t tried on by another customer who had bedbugs? Or taken home to a bug-infested apartment and then returned? Or handled by a bug-bearing employee? It’s nice to see society’s anti-[bugbear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugbear_%28Dungeons_%26_Dragons%29) bigotry being overcome by people willing to hire them. It gives them dignity. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/15 "2013-05-01T10:29:44Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > How do you know that regular (non-thrift) store clothing wasn’t tried on by another customer who had bedbugs? Or taken home to a bug-infested apartment and then returned? Or handled by a bug-bearing employee? > [@](#): > > I’m more worried about scabies since hearing that thrift store clothing is the #1 source of scabies infections around here. I really wish I hadn’t clicked on this thread! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/16 "2013-05-01T13:58:54Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > This. I had to do some BB killing and this worked fine. My first thought was that you had eradicated bedbugs _with a BB gun_. That would be some fine shootin’ indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/17 "2013-05-01T16:38:51Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Various googling suggests this is a bit extreme. There seems to be some level of consensus that 120 F for 30 minutes is effective. They probably assumed that the dryer would not be at top heat for the whole hour, and that most people would not measure the temp. In other words, I assume what we were told had a huge margin of error. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/18 "2013-07-31T12:21:40Z")
I’m resurrecting this thread to post a link to this [story](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Goodwill-tosses-donated-goods-after-bedbug-scare-4696227.php) about a local Goodwill having to dispose of a couple of entire warehouses full of goods because of bedbug infestation. Euuwwgh. I think my days of buying cheap, high quality clothing from thrift stores are over. I can’t risk infesting my home with this vermin. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/19 "2013-07-31T13:36:55Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Velour jumpsuit and some house slippers > Dookie brown leather jacket that I found diggin’ > They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard > I bought a skeet blanket, then I bought a kneeboard This is fucking awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-stop-buying-thrift-store-clothing-because-of-bedbugs/657115/20 "2013-08-04T09:54:01Z")
I’ve so far avoided bedbugs while thrifting, but I have a hell of a moth infestation, presumably from one of the many wool jackets I’ve bought from Goodwill.