I have to say that the management company of my building acted amazingly fast when it was thought that bed bugs were present in my building. They hired a bed bug sniffing dog to go thru EVERY apartment. No bed bugs found. The dog is so focused and accurate. What a pooch!

Guys, in the third line of your poll, it should read "they're," not "there."

HOW DO WE AVOID GETTING BEDBUGS, especially for those of us who A) have to shop in thrift stores and Craig's List primarily, and B) stay in hotels semi-regularly?

I asked AT for a post on design and bedbugs in the past, and other AT readers agreed that it would be useful (I'm toward the bottom of the comments here):
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/crosspost/a-room-outfitted-in-thrift-079964

Sorry for the all-caps, but I've been freaked out about this subject for the last couple of years, because I'm on a primarily thrift-store/Craig's List budget. I also travel for work at least 15 times each year, and stay at random hotels all over the country. I keep hearing stories like that of Maxwell's mom, who come home from a hotel stay with bedbugs as unwanted guests who proceed to overstay their welcome.

I cannot afford to replace any furniture; I'm on such a tight budget, it's amazing I've even been able to cobble together a space I can be proud of via used and free items from Craig's List and Freecycle. If I get bedbugs, I won't be able to afford new stuff, I'll have to throw everything out and basically live in a near-empty apartment.

Not to mention the physical trauma of all those bites, and the mental anxiety of dealing with the bugs.

So, are there fool-proof ways for thrift store shoppers, and/or travelers, to avoid getting bedbugs in the first place?

Thanks!

"So, are there fool-proof ways for thrift store shoppers, and/or travelers, to avoid getting bedbugs in the first place? "

Have everything cleaned before bringing it into your house: Send clothing and textiles to the dry-cleaners and have upholstered furniture professionally steam-cleaned.

when staying in a hotel never leave your suitcases on or near the hotel bed. keep it in the bathroom so there is no chance of any stowaways jumping in your stuff and coming home with you.

jplee, that's exactly what I wanted to know too. My boyfriend is a touring musician, he stays in a lot of hotels and sometimes I tour with them as well, so this really freaks me out. We also get most of our furniture "pre-loved."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbugs#Control_and_elimination

There's some tips on how to try and prevent getting them while staying in hotels.

Putting items in a dryer for 5-10 minutes is a recommended method of killing bedbugs. They can't survive the heat (but may survive a wash.) When my husband scored a nice piece of luggage at a second-hand store, I made him put it in the dryer for 10 minutes before I allowed it into the apartment. Worth the extra $2 to run the dryer for the piece of mind, in my opinion. Of course, this method doesn't work for furniture. I have seen bedbug spray in hardware stores, but I would be wary of any item of furniture you can't inspect thoroughly - like anything upholstered.

For traveling, I've heard of leaving your luggage in the bathtub as a way to help avoid them getting into your things - or up high in the closet. Not on the bed, or in the drawers.

I'm not even answering that poll. I know it will jinx me!

I thought bed bugs were microscopic or something.

I just got rid of an old mattress, not because of bedbugs, but it was just showing it's age. Still comfy. I looked for a place that would refurbish it for me, or show me how to strip it down to the springs thus saving it from the landfill. That's when I started reading about this horrible bedbugs problem, and how hard it is to truly get rid of them when they are refurbished. I wonder if storing them in the sun, or in a really HOT attic would be enough to kill them off? I've never seen one, and mainly have the usual microscopic dustmites (I've never seen one of those either, but we all have them.)

So I'm thinking that's the way to go, store them in the attic, which feels like a sauna, and will get up to at least 120 on a hot summer day. Apparently it takes 3 hours of this temp to kill them, or you have to gas them. I wouldn't want to sleep on a mattress that had been sprayed with pesticide!

For luggage, leave it in your car on a HOT day, or in sub zero temp for a few days.
You can also carry a large plastic bag to keep luggage in. Keep it off the floor, such as on a chair or one of those luggage stands. Inspect before bringing home. You should also quarantine your luggage if you notice that you got an itchy bite the next morning, even if its mosquito season.
Some people don't react, so if your partner thinks you are crazy, don't listen. My bf's apartment got infested, and in the house of 3 guys, only me and one other roommate reacted, and we reacted badly.

And Dustmites are the microscopic ones... I was always confused about bedbugs and just assumed they were the same thing as crabs, so I giggled a bit when I heard of a friend having them the first time. Its not as funny when you realize they are real.

I'm on the board of my HOA for a 22 unit building.
One of the unit owners discovered bed bugs - informed the board - and brought in an exterminator.
We notified all of the neighbors in that wing of the building to warn them to look for signs of bedbugs (rather than waiting a week to see if it's that new detergent you're using that's making you itch.)

We were pleasantly surprised that they didn't spread!! We have a theory that bed bugs are easier to control in Denver's dry climate than in a humid climate - but we could be wrong.
Just happy.

If you want to get make sure your house stays Bed Bug free get your home a few House Centipedes. House centipedes feed on spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, ants and other household arthropods. Many homes have them - they are very very fast and creep out of cracks in the walls and floors. If you see them, turn a blind eye for a second, they will be gone before you know it...but whatever you do, DON'T KILL THEM! They are your friends. Ever since I heard this I just smile when I see them knowing they are helping me out...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutigera

Can't take it. Can't take bedbugs. I know that they're everywhere in NYC, but I can't take it. My older sister stayed in a hostel when she was getting medical treatment in Chicago and the next door neighbor was a musician. The management treated his room for the bedbugs, and they all came over to her room. The next morning there were tiny bloodstains on her bed. She called me and I said "Can't take it."

Alexuma, I just had my brother kill one of those!! It was huge just sitting on my hallway wall. Eww! I'm not sure I could live with that crawling around... But it's something to consider. I've seen some in my apartment over the years. Never knew how important these guys are. Someone told me years ago they bite which is why I was so terrified of them!

I run a business helping people prepare for bed bug treatment. Often, the exterminators have a very complicated protocol which has to be followed to get ready. Most people find the job completely overwhelming. Enter: bedbugbustersny! My team can do the job for you (though most people use this opportunity to throw things away, and as a professional organizer, I can help with this, too.