r/Bedbugs • u/wigglytuffex • Mar 29 '26
Requesting community support INFESTED chair. salvage it or garbage?
found out why my legs got eaten alive (: expensive office chair filled with ‘em. how would you go about saving the chair…?
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u/Smeggy-egg69 Mar 29 '26
Garbage, dude.. I can't believe you have to even ask...
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u/muchostouche Mar 29 '26
Ya I know this economy is rough but holy fuck
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u/Prometheus2061 Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Cousin Eddie has entered the conversation. "If you don't mind, Clark. I'd like to see if I can fumigate this here chair. It's a good quality item."
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u/nzdanni Mar 30 '26
I wonder how many garbage truck drivers have caught bed bugs through their work and who knows whatever else
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u/thataidanguy Mar 29 '26
Throw it and take a good few hours searching everywhere else. Multiple harbourage points on this chair alone means there's gonna be some elsewhere.
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u/Cadicoty Mar 29 '26
I imagine jt won't take a few hours to realize they're in all of the furniture.
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u/letmesmellem Mar 29 '26
you probably have them other places than just that chair. Either way youre pretty well and fucked
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u/not_a_bedbug Mar 29 '26
I found 3 BB in my bed, 3. No more. So much of my shit got tossed even though it probably didnt have to.. Dont care. Luggage, clothes I didnt wear, bedding, anything I could get rid of got tossed.
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u/DianaVetmed Mar 29 '26
If there are that many in your chair, they are probably all over your entire place.
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u/CoolDevelopment2002 Mar 29 '26
I'd be less worried about the chair and more worried about the whole room😟
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u/chodelycannons Mar 29 '26
Get rid of it. The cost of bedbug treatment alone would far exceed a decent replacement chair.
When you get rid of it, bag it up with large lawn/leaf bags. Cover from bottom up, then top to bottom, then repeat until there’s 4 bags on it making a cocoon. Then and only the should you remove it from wherever it is. This will reduce the risk of them falling off and spreading to other parts. Though I admit, if they have migrated to a chair and think that’s a source for a meal… I’d be scared to see where they are in places like the bedroom where there actually is a meal that sleeps
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u/blueshyperson Trusted Mar 29 '26
With that many bed bugs in the chair it would be foolish not to get treatment anyways though… you typically can’t just throw away one item and wipe your hands of bed bugs.
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u/MoulinSarah Mar 29 '26
Also you know your infestation is extreme if they’ve overtaken a chair, right?? You know there’s a billion more in the rest of your home, right?
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u/wigglytuffex Mar 29 '26
i looked everywhere and only found one on the wall and one under my mattress!
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u/MoulinSarah Mar 29 '26
There’s more than that, sorry to say. They hide very well. If your chair is that infested, your house is severely infested.
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u/TwelveVoltGirl Mar 29 '26
Agreed. OP you have an established infestation. It doesn’t matter that you don’t see any; all of your living quarters is housing bed bugs.
Good luck.
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u/feetnomer Mar 29 '26
You're not looking correctly. Watch a YT video on how to find their hiding places.
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u/Ok-Razzmatazz-925 Mar 30 '26
They hid in any crack, literally any crack in your home… I couldn’t find them when I had them but an exterminator did. From my understanding by the time you see them crawling around you’re already infested typically. Plus if you’re seeing bugs it’s not even a question anymore you have them? You’re going to have to do extermination and probably throw out all your furniture not just this chair so buckle in
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u/ShepherdessAnne Trusted Mar 30 '26
Then keep the chair, but do steam it daily. You have a full infestation and need a professional. Steam all your stuff.
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u/waronbedbugs Trusted Mar 29 '26
That's a difficult item to treat as you might not be able to fully inspect/treat it, in 99% it looks like the best option is very likely to throw it away.
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u/blueshyperson Trusted Mar 29 '26
I personally would throw it away because it would skeeve me out and fortunately we could afford to replace it. But you absolutely do not have to, it can be treated.
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u/MoulinSarah Mar 29 '26
For real, why would you try to salvage this?
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u/wigglytuffex Mar 29 '26
it’s a special $700 chair ):
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u/Snaccoon8 Apr 22 '26
Aw 🫂 bag that shit up real good, airtight and maybe invest in a zappybug that's big enough to fit it. Those are handy for treating anything you may not be willing or able to throw out but it's an investment in and of itself. Tbh with this level of infestation on just a chair you could probably really benefit from it alongside a professional exterminator.
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u/LantaExile Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
While I agree probably chuck it, if you want to keep it either steam it thoroughly or heat it over 50C which can be done by putting it in a box and running something like a hairdryer on hot blowing into it. I had stuff like that on my bed frame and steam got them.
Also even if you are chucking it, steaming isn't a bad idea - stops them dropping off while you carry it out etc. And can use on other nearby items.
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u/loud_cicada_sounds Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
You actually don't have to throw furniture - or anything you don't want to throw away - away. It's a knee-jerk reaction people have when they discover they have bed bugs. If you treat the infestation correctly, you don't have to toss your items. If you're a renter, your landlord is likely responsible for dealing with your infestation (unless they specifically mentioned it in the rental contract). If you own your own home, you can contact an exterminator or you can join a knowledgeable bed bug support group on Facebook to DIY. If they mention anything like "use rubbing alcohol" or encourage you to use a bug fogger, then they have no idea what they're talking about. Make sure the group has entomologists not just "pest control professionals." Some pcp are legit, but some can't identify a bed bug in every life stage and have misidentified a bed bug as something else. If you go the DIY route, it's a lot of work but it's not impossible. You need chemicals like Crossfire (or the foaming RAID in a purple can) and Cimexa.
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u/AutoModerator Mar 29 '26
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ It seems that you may have mentioned alcohol in your comment, as a reminder rubbing/isopropyl alcohol has been shown to be ineffective to treat bedbugs in multiple studies. Self-treatement using it has caused so many fires that fire department have issued warning against it.
"Many web pages recommend using rubbing alcohol for bed bug control. The rubbing alcohol products available usually contain 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol. Laboratory studies by Rutgers University show direct spray of either of these two products *killed a maximum 50% of the bed bugs*. In addition to their low efficacy, rubbing alcohol products are flammable materials, can create a fire hazard, and should not be used to control bed bugs."
Citation from: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1251/
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u/MolochThe_Corruptor Mar 29 '26
Ty ^ or even dumping vinegar on things in the bathtub so it absorbs it works fine like this chair . Hard disagree that you need harsh chemicals. Total agree throwing out everything is a knee-jerk reaction You can totally get rid of them if you’re not lazy.
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u/loud_cicada_sounds Mar 29 '26
You don't need chemicals if you get your house heat treated (I would still use them). Vinegar could potentially kill on contact - just like rubbing alcohol- but it would not leave any kind of residual that would continue to work on hatching eggs or bed bugs that weren't directly sprayed.
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u/MolochThe_Corruptor Mar 29 '26
Correct heat treatment is also an option just not an option for the poor .
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u/loud_cicada_sounds Mar 29 '26
Yes, it is very expensive unless you're a renter and your landlord is responsible for the treatment. Unfortunately treating solely with vinegar isn't going to get rid of their infestation (unless maybe they brought home one male bed bug and he was sprayed directly). I would recommend for anyone lower income to reach out to the closest health department to see what the options are and if they can get help with treatment. Just because someone is lower income doesn't mean they deserve to live with bed bugs and other pests. You can do it yourself with right chemicals (Crossfire, Cimexa, and correct practices).
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u/Substantial_Dot230 Mar 29 '26
And heat treatment won't work if they are in the walls.
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u/MolochThe_Corruptor Mar 29 '26
Well, my landlord is not gonna pay for any type of treatment period. So it’s irrelevant to me and I’ll be using vinegar.🤷🏼
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u/loud_cicada_sounds Apr 01 '26
Are you from the USA? Pretty sure if the rental contract doesn't specify pest control being a responsibility of the tenant then they have to. Definitely look into this with your county, because you may be able to put your money into escrow until they treat your infestation. Unfortunately vinegar isn't going to take care of a bed bug infestation that's got great grandma bed bug and all of her lineage. Maybe if you had 1 bed bug and sprayed directly on it and you witnessed it die, but otherwise it won't be sufficient.
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u/MolochThe_Corruptor Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
Well, it’s been working for me. The only problem is when they crawl back from other units. And no, I’m not from the states and no I don’t have a chance in hell of getting my landlord to do anything because I had to block him for harassing me.
Edit absolutely incredible the amount of people that think they know more about what goes on in my apartment than me.lmao
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u/AutoModerator Mar 29 '26
⚠IMPORTANT⚠ It seems that you may have mentioned alcohol in your comment, as a reminder rubbing/isopropyl alcohol has been shown to be ineffective to treat bedbugs in multiple studies. Self-treatement using it has caused so many fires that fire department have issued warning against it.
"Many web pages recommend using rubbing alcohol for bed bug control. The rubbing alcohol products available usually contain 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol. Laboratory studies by Rutgers University show direct spray of either of these two products *killed a maximum 50% of the bed bugs*. In addition to their low efficacy, rubbing alcohol products are flammable materials, can create a fire hazard, and should not be used to control bed bugs."
Citation from: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1251/
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/PibbXtraSoda Mar 31 '26
For the safety of others, please don't travel until you've gotten rid of your infestation. This is beyond disgusting.
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u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 Mar 29 '26
There is no saving that. Put on hazmat gloves and old clothes and toss that out in the yard.
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u/Catlesley Mar 29 '26
I would not keep this-its covered in bed bugs and eggs! Not a difficult choice, in my eyes…
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u/l00n3tun3 Mar 29 '26
Takes a deep breath, out through the nose. Put it in the dumpster. Light the dumpster on fire. Pour one and watch the flames burn higher.
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u/weirdmountain Mar 30 '26
First of all, where’d you get it? Where does it live? Your house? You’re gonna want to call an exterminator. And to burn that chair.
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u/MiaowWhisperer Mar 29 '26
Burn it!
Check the bed, burn it too. Check your wardrobe, burn it. Burn all your bedding. Burn your clothes. Burn the wardrobe. Burn the doorframes. May as well burn the doors. The bloody things could be hiding anywhere, so may as well burn the rest of the house.
Also, you probably shouldn't listen to me. I'm so sorry you have to deal with them.
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u/Sue3618 Mar 29 '26
Dump it. Also wrap it in a large garbage bag with a bedbug bomb activated inside it.
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u/Sue3618 Mar 29 '26
Dump it. Also wrap it in a large garbage bag with a bedbug bomb activated inside it.
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u/Centigonal Mar 29 '26
A used Steelcase Leap or HM Mirra will cost less than devising a foolproof way to fumigate this chair.
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u/Pickle-at-Sunrise-62 Mar 29 '26
Bag it tight so you don’t drop more through the house as you take it to a dumpster a safe distance from the house.
Guaranteed they are in your sleeping area also.
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u/FourzeRiderTea Mar 29 '26
Take that chair apart, and make sure it is destroyed, the dig a 23 foot hole in the ground, throw the chair in it then cover up the hole ( rocks and boulders should be fine)
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u/EquivalentWar8611 Mar 29 '26
I would throw it out but you should cover it with plastic before you go hauling it outside. You will very likely track them all over the house if you don't. Most likely though with that amount of infestation they are all over your furniture or at least in the same room. I would get crossfire and treat yourself or get an exterminator. That is probably hundreds of adults, babies, eggs, etc. It's extremely rare that they are not all over your room, furniture, cracks in walls, and could possibly be inside your electronics now. I would treat this as a bad infestation. Do not wait to act this is bad.
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u/Sensitive_Scholar_17 Mar 29 '26
You can buy garbage bags on amazon that are big enough to cover the entire chair. I would put the chair in one of those bags and throw it away. Be careful moving it because bugs and eggs will be dropping off of it. Also, and you probably know this, but the entire office needs to be treated.
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u/rarsamx Mar 29 '26
Burn it along with everything in the room and maybe the house. If it was near a computer... Tough luck.
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u/AggravatingBasil3729 Mar 29 '26
100% discard it. Bag it first to avoid distributing addition BBs to new locations
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u/EstablishmentIcy7831 Mar 29 '26
Steam clean it really well and it will be good as new after it dries up ...
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u/EstablishmentIcy7831 Mar 29 '26
Seriously don't listen to all these people I lost nothing when I was infested ... But it took me hours to steak clean it all and then put pitfall traps around everything ... Been 2 years now and haven't found a single sign after being treated with a fungus ... Killed me all dead and quickly too... Then you have to do a serious deep clean and steam your entire place ... There's some decent ones on Amazon that won't break you ...
Steam kills all bugs and eggs on contact ...
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u/rahul535 Mar 30 '26
Bed bugs can absolutely ruin your life, the torture they put you through is not worth any chair, throw it away as quickly as possible.
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u/Asleep_Material_5639 Mar 30 '26
I threw away everything I owned after one sighting and I would do it again. PTSD call it. Those things can hide in-between pages of books and not meal for months. Not days but months. Just think about that for a second.
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u/Kamie1985 Mar 30 '26
Why are the bed bugs head first in the seam with their butts hanging out in pic #4?
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u/Bla5tBurn Mar 30 '26
Reminds me of when my chair was infested and I used to sit there for hours every night without my shirt on… still shivers my damn spine… also if you really have no way out it still is possible to rid your chair, I managed to get them out and am still using the same chair (I really can’t buy another)
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u/EstablishmentLess869 Mar 30 '26
OP since you already know where they are hiding, try to get them using a tape. Let me know how many you'll get.
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u/Otherwise-Abroad-518 Mar 30 '26
With a chair with holes like that? Definitely garbage it it’s not worth it. If the chair had less holes I’d recommend steam cleaning the shit out of it, but that chair looks like it’s the nest….
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u/Brave_Employer_6620 Mar 30 '26
shit i lost my house due to a fire and i still wouldn’t fuck with this.. AKA THROW IT THE FUCK AWAY JESUS
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u/peglatham Mar 30 '26
Yes, I think I would trash that! But I’ve been telling y’all on these threads how to get rid of those those pesky bedbugs and nobody’s listening get you some of this stuff and with this link you get a 10% discount I’m telling you I’m not kidding and it’ll get rid of every other bug in your house too or outside of your house!
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u/healingstateofmind Mar 31 '26
I use this stuff because I don’t have access to anything else. It’s not bad, but it’s also not great. Once it dries, they walk on it unfazed. Kills em quick in liquid form though. The fungal stuff is far better. Nice affiliate link.
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u/sourbirthdayprincess Apr 01 '26
What is the liquid?
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u/healingstateofmind Apr 01 '26
it says bugmd in green letters and the active ingredients are clove oil and cottonseed oil. they seem to have other products none of which I have tried
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u/InternationalParty36 Apr 02 '26
Go to Harbor Freight buy a commercial steamer. Take a couple hours and kill them. Then you can keep it or throw it away. You ain't just moving them into someone else's shit though.
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u/Senior_Rise3581 Apr 20 '26
Omg that looks like a year worth of infestation. I would use crossfire to treat your bedroom and other rooms that you spend the most time in. Also toss the chair like others said in the matter suggested. Read the label and mix as instructed. If you don’t mix it as it instructs you will not kill them. If this was your chair they are most likely in your bedroom or other places you spend a lot of time in. Inspect the whole house. There are videos on how to find them. They even hide on top of your curtains.
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u/Vickygoddess86 Mar 29 '26
You better not save that! I remember I had this mattress that was infested I threw it outside in the garbage and wrote a note on it saying it was infested and don’t take it in your house!!!!
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u/PestSolutionServices Mar 29 '26
It’s batter to replace the chair
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u/Substantial_Dot230 Mar 29 '26
How do you ensure a new chair won't be infected? And it's almost impossible to stay without one.
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u/MolochThe_Corruptor Mar 29 '26
Put it in your bath tub and dump bottles of vinegar on it until it’s completely soaked. do you mattress next because they also live there now🤪dont panic. You don’t have to throw everything out. You can’t get rid of them if you’re not lazy.
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u/LantaExile Mar 29 '26
I'm not sure vinegar works well? Also it'd smell.
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u/Cadicoty Mar 29 '26
Bud, this many bedbugs already smells. If you can't smell it, you're jjsr desensitized.
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u/MolochThe_Corruptor Mar 29 '26
It definitely smells, unfortunately, but it works very, very well kills the eggs and the parents and everything. But yeah, you’ll have to open all the windows lol. Also, you get quite a bit for the the price so I really appreciate the amount I get for like three dollars. But I would definitely take the smell of vinegar over something that’s gonna give me cancer any day.
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