One aspect of proactive health care and preventative pest control that often gets overlooked is simply being careful about what you buy. People are always looking for bargains, and sometimes, that means buying used items. However, there are certain pieces that will only cause you more trouble in the long run if you don’t get them new.   

What Pre-Owned Items Should You Avoid?

1. Certain Clothing & Physical Gear 

Underwear and swimsuits spend too much time against the skin to be completely free of the original owner’s bacteria. Previously worn hats are often riddled with dead skin cells, oil, and even lice. Old shoes are usually shaped to suit the first owner’s feet, meaning they would be uncomfortable or even painful for you.

2. Baby Items 

Car seats have expiration dates and become structurally compromised after accidents, even if they don’t appear that way, so don’t buy them used. Also, avoid baby bottles and cribs that are more than a few years old; the U.S. has recently imposed more regulations on these items to make them safer, so if you buy them used, you’re putting your baby’s health at risk.  

3. Cookware 

Pots, pans, slow cookers, blenders, and other cookware items that have seen many years of use are likely so worn down that the chemicals used to make them will find their way into your food. This is especially true if the items are flaking. Also, anything with blades or motors could be too dull or broken to work properly. 

4. Mattresses & Bedding 

Old mattresses and bedding could easily be filled with bacteria, dead skin cells, oils, dust mites, and bodily fluids from their previous owners. Mattresses, in particular, are impossible to wash out entirely. Not only that, but they could be infested with bed bugs as well. By the time you pay for a pest control service to clean your home out, you could have spent the same money on something new. 

5. Upholstered Furniture 

Similar to used mattresses and bedding, upholstered furniture often hides unpleasant surprises, like dust mites, dead skin cells, and bed bugs. Unfortunately, you can’t simply throw upholstered furniture into the washer, and pest control can be expensive. Save yourself the trouble by buying new furniture. 

 
If you end up buying something that turns out to be infested by bed bugs or other insects, turn to the pest control professionals at All Service, serving Seguin, San Marcos, Schertz, and New Braunfels, TX. Additionally, they offer chimney cleaning, duct cleaning, and termite control to keep whatever you already own safe, sanitized, and free from pests. To find out more about their services, call them today at (830) 626-2847 or check out their website.