Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I always get the heebie-jeebies when thinking about buying upholstered furniture from CL or a thrift store. I now tons of people do it, but I can't get past the idea of "Unclean! Unclean!"

Can anyone out there convince me otherwise?

Hmr, I won't begin to convince you otherwise. I have bought many used sofas and upholstered chairs at auction over the years and have reupholstered them myself (not a pro, just an amateur with lots of experience and the right tools). I've yet to get one that was clean enough that I didn't want strip them and redo them. Once in awhile I'd see one that looked very clean but never in a style that I liked.

I reupholstered a sectional like the one above, early 60s or late 50s, really comfy, and it looked great when I was done, if I do say so myself. But guess what---every summer when the weather gets hot and humid, IT STINKS. I left the heavy cotton batting on the pieces where it was intact and looked clean. What I didn't realize was that it had absorbed a lot of odors over the years and these "bloomed" in the right conditions. My daughter has it now in her house with A/C in the basement that is dry and always cool. I can still detect some odor but only if I stick my nose right up to it.

I replace all the padding when I do upholstery now.

That's why it's always a good idea to go check out the furniture before committing to buying it. You can see what kind of home the piece comes from and whether it's nice or ratty.

I've bought a couple couches/chairs from Craigslist and have had excellent outcomes!

my rationale is that unless you're lounging on the couch naked, it's probably just as clean as your own couch. we all sit on buses, trains, bicycles, office chairs (8 hrs a day, that other bums have graced before us, might i add), benches, sidewalks, etc. all the time...then we plop down on the couch...we all have comparable couch cleanliness i'd say.

Or you could just stick with a pair of armchairs. Sofas are overrated.

dear hmr:

the world is not dirty. have you ever taken public transport? did it kill you / make you sick? I think a lot of our germ-phobia has been taught by cleaning companies who want us to think we need to wipe / spray / disinfect to be healthy, when really the opposite is true.

what might another person have done to their couch to make it so "Unclean!"? If they really did something *that* atrocious, there would be a smell or stain to attest to it. I feel your fear is more akin to fear of "the other" (those people might not be clean, LIKE ME) or a fear of a lack of control (you don't know what "the other" did that might not be CLEAN, LIKE ME).

if you really want to get over this fear, just be observant while making any second-hand purchases. if observation of the couch alone will not persuade you, then have fun buying new couches.

Free on Craigslist is the very best thing you can do, there are TONS of sofas there for free, from some very clan and meticulous people. Or off the street in a fancy 'hood. I currently have a thousand dollar sofa I got from the garbage, with $40 bucks worth of help from the day laborer dudes who were conveniently hanging out on the opposite corner looking for work. As for the cleanliness factor, if you are a fancy person seeking a fancy couch you'll probably get it second hand off craigslist not thrifted or off the street, in which case the fancy people you are buying from will be as fancy as you are and not have made their couch unclean. But hey, if you want to leave the bargains for us , I'm cool with that too. Ill just buy your couch from you when you move.

CLEAN not clan. There is no sofa clan.

Everyone prefers their own filth to others'. We even prefer the smell of our own B.O. It's natural (and I mean that very literally) to be "turned-off" by this, even if, relatively speaking, all of our sofas are unclean, fancy people included. : )

HMR obviously suffers from some degree of Automysphobia, Mysophobia, Molysmophobia, and/or Rupophobia.

Posting on AT won't cure it and neither will new furniture. HMR needs a therapist.

hmr
Even my husband has a similiaar phobia .. he is totally against buying second hand the bed ,mattress or the couch from .He has his own theories :) .... happy that there are people like him :) ...

I'm all for saving money, and my collection of thrift store and ikea stuff proves it, but I think in the long run you really can't get a decent couch cheap unless you luck out on craigslist or through a friend.

better off saving and buying something reasonably priced. I have a west elm walton sofa, not pricy, not super cheap but super comfortable.

I'm fine with buying used furniture (about half of mine is from Goodwill or Craigslist), but the thought of accidentally infesting my apartment with bedbugs or something is always in the back of my mind. Couches are expensive, though...probably worth the risk.

And bepsf suffers from some degree of not being nice.

Jeez, I was just trying to start a conversation about my admittedly narrow midset about buying used furniture. I don't think that's pathalogical, but thank you all for being both rational and supportive.

It took me 5 months to find a decent second-hand sofa, but I ended up with a designer, hand-made couch from a thrift store for $100. I had it professionally cleaned & it has feather stuffed cushions, but what I really loved about it was the classic shape. Eventually, I will have it reupholstered, but even the existing fabric is in great shape. If I buy used upholstered furniture, I always get it cleaned by a pro, and I pass on anything that has stains or odors. One thing I wouldn't buy used: mattresses!

hmr, I think your feelings are completely natural, and shared by many --myself included, even when I'm staying at a *nice* hotel! Having a sofa (or bed, or chair, or whatever) in your actual full-time living space requires, first and foremost, that you're comfortable with it. Otherwise, you're much better off spending the dough to get something new. To each his/her own!

Can we just return to the bedbug issue, please? A used sofa can look clean and beautiful and still have bugs. Maybe this is not yet a problem in Chicago, but in NYC bedbugs are an epidemic.

I'm with you, hmr. I don't get the heebie jeebies in hotels for some odd reason, but I do not buy used upholstered furniture. The idea of bedbugs are especially creeping me out these days, after having listened to a horrible story about them on TAL...

the above sectional is gorgeous..too bad it would take up my entire living room!

I agree with hmr. Used sofas are right up there with used mattresses, shoes and underwear....um, no. No amount of cleaning can remove the "ick" factor for me.

But, hey, if it doesn't bother you and you get a great deal, good for you!

That sectional in the photo ooks just like one some friends had in their basement that they tried to give away, but no one would take.

I'm not comfortable with the idea of buying used upholstered furniture either. And yes, planes, hotels, and other people's dirty couches gross me out too. I can put the thought in the back of my head temporarily, but I wouldn't be able to bring it into my own home. It's something I inherited from my mother.

That sofa in the picture is AWESOME.

One more tip: measure your doorways so you know what size furniture will fit into your home!

And that sofa IS awesome!

lol

i'm amazed that bepsf and skippyandebsy were able to diagnose a mental disorder based on a few lines of text. you guys should definitely quit your day jobs.

I'm on the hunt right now for a new sofa but I haven't found many good deals on CL. It never seems like any of the really nice stuff is that cheap.

that sofa is unbelievable!!!

hmr, i can understand how u feel about used upholstered furniture. but i think the the possiblity of a vintage treasure is definitely worth it. and u can always get it reupholstered which means u not only get new fabric, u also get new stuffing and padding.

tabithacat, that's my problem with CL. I spent a week reading every listing for used sofas and all of it was either complete trash (ugly, worn out, and dirty) or the sellers were asking too much. In the end, I decided that it wasn't worth the time or hassle, or the risk that I'd end up bringing bugs into my home, and bought a new one.

And I totally understand hmr. I like to snuggle up on my couch in my pjs under a blanket, so I'd like my couch to be as clean as any bed. It's really not so different than buying a mattress, and I wonder if bepsf and skippyandebsy would similarly lash out at someone who refuses to buy a used mattress.

with all the lice & bed bug infestations that i've known about firsthand, i'd be wary too of buying used upholstered furniture. i do buy (& love) used and antique furniture/dishes but no way i'd buy a used mattress. with a couch, i'd go over with a fine tooth comb & have it professionally cleaned & probably reupholstered.

I bought an old upholstered chair that I quite like in a thrift store a while back. The springs were shot but it was still comfortable for me. A month later the springs fell out of the bottom. I'm still using it because I'm quite short and can't seem to find a chair small enough for me.

I know everyone says don't tackle springs if you're an amateur, but has anyone tried it? What's so difficult about getting it right? I figure I have nothing to lose since the chair is shot anyway.

I've gotten pretty much all of my non-upholstered furniture from thrift stores and Craigslist, but I have a paranioa about bedbugs that is preventing me from getting a used couch. (I came across bed-bugs in an otherwise lovely bed and breakfast, and went to extreme lengths to sanitize my suitcase.) After hearing all the horror stories, I just don't think that it is worth the risk. However, I do hope that someday when I sell my bedbug-free couch on Craigslist, somebody will buy it.

^^^^omg, meguita, that's exactly my problem!

I'm really paranoid about buying used sofas and chairs now and it's all AT's fault. I've never had bed bugs or known anyone who does, but y'all always do articles about them and I have this horrible fear I'll get a something that's infested!

In her original post, Dana explains that she had the sectional professionally cleaned and restuffed with new foam.

Sorry to do this, HMR, what with everyone else on your case, but it's pathological, not pathalogical.

To the topic: I have a friend who has gotten absolutely beautiful, clean and comfortable sofas on Craig's List. I don't know how she does it. She had one that I envied so much -- mid-century, great lines, beautiful, warm tan/grey color. I was so jealous.

But, every time I've needed something and looked on Craig's List, there have only been hideous, grandma couches.

I'm with the no used upholstery camp. I ride NYC subway several times a week with no qualms/germ fears. I do, however, think someone is more likely to have sex on a sofa than the train. A sofa they may someday try to sell on Craigslist. And the comments about the bed bugs are so true!

I bought a couch off Craigslist for $50 because I was having the hardest time getting my new kitten to stop scratching the good couch. The $50 sofa was already scratched up by the previous owners cat.

Turns out, it's WAY more comfy than the $800 couch I had before. And it still sits in the living room as the main couch. Ugly as sin.

I wonder how much of our perceptions are colored by regional experiences. I live in a midwest city where I have thankfully never experienced bedbugs or pest-infested furniture. I know these things exist (a friend of mine is a social worker with horror stories), but perhaps my good luck, clean acquaintances, and dearth of public transportation opportunities give me a naive perception of buying second-hand furniture!

Are all the germaphobes (using that term lightly) on this post located in major metropolises?

@ prometheanne--
yup. if you live in ny or boston, you really fear bedbugs as everyone knows someone who's had them. here in boston it's a real problem since we have a large student population (300,000!) & the city has posted warnings in student areas describing the risks of picking up free curbside furniture. but be aware that bed bugs are not due to uncleanliness or bad hygiene. the most expensive hotels have been infested with them. ny times currently has an informative ongoing debate about bedbugs.

Yeah, another former Bostonian student here. You would not believe the horrible time my friend went through when she got bedbugs in her apartment. You do NOT have to be unclean to get bedbugs - just unlucky.

It can be incredibly expensive to get rid of them too, because some strains of the bug are getting resistant to the popular pesticides, so you can be stuck with many expensive visits from exterminators.

Not saying you should never buy a couch second hand, but it's a good idea to be careful. Sofas are bedbugs second favorite hiding place, because people are so often on them for long periods of time. Pull out all the cushions if you can and inspect them. Look very carefully at the seams and as deep into any cracks you can find. Under skirts or buttons are good places to look too.

You may not see any bugs, but if you do see little black or brown speckled stains, that is a signal that bedbugs have probably been there, as the tiny stains are actually their excrement. (All together: "eeeew!")

@ deniseb
I bought a book on reupholstering (including springs) that had some great reviews. I'm still in the planning stages, but you could check it out. http://www.amazon.com/Upholstery-Basics-Singer-Reference-Library/dp/0865733198
or http://www.amazon.com/Singer-Upholstery-Basics-Step-Step/dp/1589233298

Floor models are also a great option. I got my dream sofa for 600 pounds. That's not cheap, but it was reduced from 2000 and it is a stunning piece of furniture.

My ex-roommate decided it would be a good idea to pick up an upholstered chair for his room for free and low-and-behold... major, major bedbug problem. It was horrendous. I do suggest that people buy new or inherit from a family member or friend instead of ever getting a used couch or chair from a stranger.

My Ikea Karlstad loveseat is the equivalent of those "two armchairs." Hey, it's comfortable.

I'm firmly in the camp of those no longer buying used upholstered furniture. Just peace of mind.

For a long time my husband and I were really against buying used upholstered furniture, but a few years ago we needed a couple of chairs. We looked everywhere for something we liked that was small enough and within our budget. We finally found the perfect chairs, at a thrift store. We bought them intending to have them reupholstered (they were really cheap, well below budget), but the fabric has grown on us and we haven't bothered.

We moved a few years after that, and our new house is significantly larger than the old one. Unfortunately, buying all new furniture (even cheap, which has its own issues) wasn't doable for us. I have never had good luck with Craigslist, but we happened to randomly (I wasn't specifically looking for furniture when I found them) find two couches and a living room chair, all very much our style and in excellent condition at thrift stores (three different ones, in fact). We'd lived here for a year before finding the second couch, but it was still faster than saving up for a new one (and super cheap!).

We're lucky to live in the Midwest where bedbugs are not a big issue. I hear about them, and I understand that we are taking a risk. I do inspect things very carefully before purchasing them. It's a shame that they have become such an issue, because buying used furniture can be a great way to affordably furnish a house, find things that don't look like the same stuff you see in every store (at least around here--every store was like deja vu!) and, of course, reuse things.

I can say that after getting over the stigma of it, I became all for thrift store shopping in terms of furniture as long as they aren't bedbug/flea ridden, as my mother taught me that there were some major finds in second hand shopping. For example, the couch I grew up with was brand new from Mig&Tig (still had tags on it and was in plastic), and would have retailed for about $3000, but my mother got it at a thrift shop for about $200. But, in Chicago, bedbugs were an issue (not as big as NYC or Boston) but they freak me out! Enough that when I'm looking to furnish my new place int the next few weeks, I'll probably be inclined to purchase new...even though I know my mom and everyone says to just get it clean and reupholster, I still want my butt to be the only butt on it. I'll probably just use what I have until I can afford more expensive items or get over my fear.

The bug issue is NOT a myth! I have had success with second hand furniture before, but a few years ago I picked up a gorgeous vintage armchair from a thrift store. It looked and smelled clean, but what I could not see was that it was infested with fleas. We spent weeks de-bugging our apartment and cats! So please, please think twice about acquiring furniture from sources that you do not know to be bug-free.

Whatever money you think you're saving buying used furniture would be wiped out if you get bed bugs. I got them from moving into an infested apartment in NYC, and it's easily cost me $2,500 to rid myself of them. (BTW in NY the landlord is required to exterminate, but not many will deal with it properly, or they are in denial about it.) It's not that big an issue in Chicago, YET. But, I see from the Bed Bug Registry that there's a growing bedbug problem on the northeast side, from Rogers Park to Lincoln Park, and also in the Loop.
Check out this map: http://bedbugregistry.com/metro/chicago/

My advice is, if you live in a metropolitan area that has been affected by bed bugs, don't buy used furniture from ANYONE unless you know them personally (and know their house is pest-free). It's just not worth the risk. Bed bugs unbelievably expensive and difficult to eradicate, never might the social stigma of having them, the fear of sleeping, anxiety, and stress. I live in constant fear of getting them again. They are like the pest spawned from Satan, I kid you not. I might have to move back to Chicago to get away from them, so please don't spread them around Chicago!