Used furniture is an amazing cost-effective way to furnish your home on a tight budget, especially for first time home owners who are furnishing a home from scratch. With online classified advertisement companies like Kijiji and other similar businesses, coming across the exact used item that you are looking for is easier and cheaper than ever, but at what cost can used furniture really be found for?
Sometimes furniture can be as cheap as free if you are willing to pick it up and get it out of someone’s way, but there are some important things to check and consider when you buy a piece of used furniture. Your risks become exponentially greater when you are purchasing an upholstered item. Cleanliness and wear and tear is much more obvious on a simple wooden table or bed than it is on a couch or upholstered chair. If you have given your piece of furniture a good test drive and thorough inspection, and you decide to purchase your item your next step is cleaning – before you enter your home!
Especially in the case of upholstered furniture, you should have your item professionally cleaned, or you will be running some serious risks to your safety and health. The proper technician can clean all types of upholstery, from everyday durable fabrics to the most delicate weaves or even leather upholstery that is done entirely by hand. Methods of cleaning will sanitize and deodorize your home. You will also have the option to Scotchgard protect your furniture. Remember not to be fooled by a piece of furniture that appears to be clean or has no noticeable odour. Serious hazards may not leave any signs behind, but can do plenty of damage once brought into your home.
The most serious offenders are bed bugs. Bringing used furniture into the home is one of the most common ways to set off a bed bug infestation. Most people do not know how to properly inspect furniture for bed bugs, and this should not be left up to chance. Bed bugs can quickly disperse themselves all over the soft materials in your home, including of course beds, and can become extremely difficult to get rid of once they have spread. Treatment for bed bugs includes intensive vacuuming and washing materials in high temperatures, as well as applying a bed bug spray, which is most safely used by professional exterminators and furniture cleaners.
Other problems to look out for are fleas, lice, carpet beetles, ants, bees or wasps and mites. Some of these pests are so small that they can easily go unnoticed, as can their eggs. This is why it is so important to have a professional clean your used item so that you do not run the risk of inviting any of these unwanted annoyances into your home.
Beyond the living things that you do not want in your home, a professional cleaning can help you eliminate dust, pet dander and other potentially harmful substances. This is important, especially if you are unsure of the environment the furniture had been used in previously. Your used furniture may have been exposed to a variety of allergenic materials, or even worse, fibrous minerals such as asbestos that can pose a serious risk to your health. It is best that when planning to buy any used furniture, include the cost of proper cleaning into your budget to make sure you are getting a deal without putting your health and safety at risk.
