Thrifting/Garage Sales & Bed Bugs

[astroasis]

Hey everybody

I'm an avid garage saler and thrift shopper... and it was just recently brought to my attention that both kinds of shopping can easily put buyers at risk for bringing home... ick, ick, ick... bed bugs.

Now that it's in my mind, I can't get it OUT of my mind Might be my OCD making that aspect worse, though.

Regardless, I've been looking at sites that have ideas for how to clean items to make sure any bugs on them are removed/killed. However, they all seem to have the same advice for things like mattresses (don't buy), clothes (wash immediately), plush things (wash immediately or don't buy), etc, etc. Predictably, not a single site deals with My Little Ponies and bed bugs Or plastic/vinyl toys in general.

Obviously, I don't want to submerge them in water, for fear of having rust/mold issues later. Heating them is out - don't want to melt them! And I don't have enough room in my freezer to put new acquisitions in there :/

So I'm wondering... What do other pony/toy collectors do? Am I worrying over nothing? Are there any tips or helpful advice anyone can give me? I don't want to have to stop hunting for ponies and toys, but... I can't stop worrying about this

Anyone...? Bueller...? Bueller...?

[FairyDust]

I *think* bed bugs are attracted to the fabric things.  They are blood suckers.  Probably most ponies should be fine since they are plastic.  Hopefully no bed bugs find us!

[apanda0622]

I've never found bed bugs on any plush toys but I have found plenty of fleas.

[Cate_Dartfinger]

Whenever I get a new lot of ponies, I immediately wash them with antibacterial dish soap. I pop their heads off as carefully as possible, being careful to keep the neck plug intact, pull tails and washers out, and scrub them inside and out with a soft bristle toothbrush. Manes and tails get conditioned, rinsed and everything gets set aside to dry overnight before I put them back together. I'm not a germaphobe, but most of the time the ponies I get NEED an overhaul, so I wash all of them, whether they look like they need it or not.

I've never found bugs in any of the ponies I've gotten, and I've had some pretty nasty ponies show up on my doorstep. I can't imagine bedbugs are much of a problem when it comes to ponies.

[RockinPrettyBeats]

I've never found bed bugs on any plush toys but I have found plenty of fleas.

Really you've seen fleas on plush toys? Eeewww...

[melipuffles]

Oh, believe me, this is one of my worst nightmares. My mom and me, well, we had a scare where her deadbeat homeless jerk bf stayed at a hotel that had them. He had come over to our house at one point, and we were so terrified we'd get them. We called an exterminator and he told us that there wasn't much he could do atm unless we found one. He sprayed as normal and told us to take everything we owned and put it into duct taped and sealed totes/spacebags/giant ziplocks etc! Me and my mom were so paranoid of hotels, AND STILL ARE.
We had our stuff sealed for a good amount of time before we knew for sure we were clear and did not have them, but we stayed up late at night itching, and using flashlights to check every crevasse of our beds.
They're truly a scary thing to deal with, since they can lie dormant for a good amount of time, and can travel so easily!

Every time I go into a thrift store I start instinctively itching in fear, it's just ingrained in my head now. I LOVE finding things at thrift stores, but as soon as I get something, into the washer and dryer it goes, or into a hot, hot sink full of soapy water.

The good thing about ponies is that bedbugs will be less inclined to hide in them because they are plastic, but there is still a chance. They told me they could crawl into action figures, so I'd be wary and make sure you wash everything well.

Nowadays I think that most place are better prepared for an outbreak, but for a while they were quite a terrible problem! Just keep in mind that for clothes you should check seams, sleeves, exposed areas, turn pockets inside out, etc. For stuffed animals check all seams as well and make sure to wash everything in the hottest water it can stand, and dry it in the hottest heat it can stand. To be safe you can also put things into a space bag, the vacuum seal can suffocate them.

Boy I know far too much about these things, and now I'm itchy!! >O<

[lovesbabysquirmy]

The bedbugs or nasties you would bring home from the garage sale would be from walking around the house/property and on your clothes and your hair, far far less likely would be from the items you are buying. 

[NovelNerd]

Things I buy second hand from a garage sale/ theift store tend to be attached with bleach and ponies are no exception.

[Ice Crystal]

I'd be sure to wash everything thoroughly, even all plastic things. You never know!

Every time I go into a thrift store I start instinctively itching in fear, it's just ingrained in my head now. I LOVE finding things at thrift stores, but as soon as I get something, into the washer and dryer it goes, or into a hot, hot sink full of soapy water.

I'm the exact same way! Especially here in NY where they are a huge problem. Just thinking about it makes me itch.

[Sarahlacewing]

At goodwill we sterilized our stuffed merch with sterifab when I worked there. Never had any problems for our customers or employees.

[spookysage]

At goodwill we sterilized our stuffed merch with sterifab when I worked there. Never had any problems for our customers or employees.

Sterifab, eh? Won't be long before someone organizes a group order!

[Cadence]

You are not alone! I was wondering about this recently too. Apparently they can hide in virtually any crevace, which probably includes the tiny grooves found on textured plastics (or the spaces near the necks/tails of ponies!)... so I agree with the above comments, you never know...

I'm no bedbug expert, but I'd suggest putting them in ziplop bags as soon as you buy them, in case they contain bedbugs. You don't want 'em on your clothes nor in your car etc on the way home!

The bedbugs or nasties you would bring home from the garage sale would be from walking around the house/property and on your clothes and your hair, far far less likely would be from the items you are buying. 

Around the property? D: How likely is it to get bedbugs from walking on lawns? (And while we're at it, from car/bus seats etc?) >.<

[astroasis]

Thank you for so many wonderful responses! Well, I mean, wonderful as in chock-full-of-good-information, since any post about bed bugs is pretty much terrible at the same time

I've already decided to just stop buying plush toys at all - seems easier, since they're a potential playland for all kinds of nasties. That works out best for me, too, since I don't really have any room to store any more of them, but it's usually so hard to pass up authentic 80s plushies.

...and now I'm itchy, too! D:

[achab1984]

I thought that bed bugs were big? Or am I wrong?

[Ginger]

Eeeeeee....!! I never really thought of bedbugs on ponies. I'm a bit of a germophobe though and sanitize/clean ALL ponies I get unless they are clean from another collector (but heads don't come off unless there is tail rust). There have been a couple times where I ordered lots of grimy ponies on ebay and found live bugs in the box it was shipped in. Once a spider, the other a beetle. This worries me sometimes. What if I bought something from an infested seller?
 

Bedbugs have been found in our movie theater, nearby hotels... an old coworker even had an issue in her condo complex. A hoarder lived there (and I mean the dirty type, the kind of house you would see on BBC "how clean is your house"), brought bedbugs, and it infested the entire complex.

Eeeee now I'm itchy.