No one ever wants to have to deal with bed bugs. It’s always disturbing to find out that you have them in your home.
As soon as you notice problems with these pests, you want to take action to get rid of them. Sometimes it can be a bit of an annoyance to do what you must to kill all of the bugs.
It’s common to find bed bugs living in mattresses. Is it also possible for these bugs to live in couches?
Continue reading to learn about whether bed bugs can live in couches. You’ll also learn about related topics so that you can figure out the best course of action to take.
Bed Bugs Can Live in Couches
Sadly, bed bugs aren’t relegated to only living in beds. These parasites can live in many different places such as couches and other pieces of furniture.
Bed bugs tend to infest areas where humans spend a lot of time. This is why they usually inhabit beds.
Some people sleep on their couches, though. You might have a sleeper sofa or you could simply sleep on your couch a lot out of convenience.
You don’t even necessarily have to sleep on your couch for bed bugs to infest it. There are studies that show that people commonly have their couches and chairs infested after their beds.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small and flat parasitic insects. They feed on the blood of people and also animals.
Generally, bed bugs feed on you while you’re sleeping. They live in your bed and wait for you to go to sleep so they can feed.
These parasites eat your blood and they have the potential to make you sick, too. Bed bug bites are known to cause hives and rashes.
Sometimes the irritation will be severe and you’ll experience itching and burning. It’s even possible for bed bug bites to become infected.
Rarely, people will have severe reactions to bed bug bites. Some might have trouble breathing or experience anaphylaxis.
Can Leather Couches Have Bed Bugs?
Technically, leather couches can have bed bugs. It’s a lot less common for bed bugs to live in that kind of material, though.
Bed bugs have to climb to get around, and leather isn’t a good material for this purpose. So these bugs will usually look for a material that is better for their needs.
It’s much more common for bed bugs to infest fabric couches. This doesn’t mean that they can’t infest leather couches, though.
Bed bugs can hide in various types of furniture. They can hide in sofas and chairs that are made out of leather, suede, and even vinyl.
So don’t think that buying a leather couch keeps you safe from bed bugs. You’ll need to do your best to keep them at bay no matter what type of material your couch is made from.
Can You Get Bed Bugs From Sitting On a Couch?
It is possible to get bed bugs on you by sitting on a couch. A couch that is infested with bed bugs will be risky.
Bed bugs don’t live on humans directly, but they can attach themselves to your clothes and other things. So bed bugs might wind up getting on your clothes and coming home with you.
For example, you go visit a friend who has bed bugs. The friend might not even know that they have bed bugs in their home yet.
You sit on their couch and spend some time over there. When you get up to go home, some of the bed bugs will have attached themselves to your clothes.
Once you go home, the bed bugs will then get on your couch or your bed. This is the way that bed bugs are transferred from place to place.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in a Couch
Getting rid of bed bugs in your couch will take a bit of effort. To start, you’re going to want to remove the cushions and covers from your couch and other pieces of furniture.
Wash the couch covers and cushions. If possible, use your dryer to dry the items at the highest setting. You’re doing this because heat can kill bed bugs.
It’s said that bed bugs die when exposed to temperatures of 118 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for twenty minutes. Many recommend putting the cushions themselves in the dryer, but if they don’t fit, you can steam them later.
Vacuum the couch as thoroughly as you can now. This is being done to thin the bed bug numbers.
Using your vacuum will get rid of some of the bed bugs, and it can also pick up some bed bug eggs. You’ll also vacuum up bed bug fecal matter and shed skins.
Once you’re done, dispose of the contents of your vacuum cleaner. Keep this stuff far away from your home.
Put it right into a sealed trash bag, and don’t even open the vacuum cleaner up until you’re outside. You don’t want the bed bugs getting back on anything.
Next, you should use hot steam to kill the bed bugs. If possible, hire professionals to steam your home.
This can be a bit expensive, but it’s worth it to hire experts. You’ll spend hundreds of dollars to get your entire home steamed, but it can kill the bed bugs.
You want to have the home steam-cleaned as thoroughly as possible. If you rent a steamer to do the job yourself, be sure to take your time and try to get in all of the corners.
When this is done, you’ll want to use chemical sprays on your home. There are chemical sprays that are designed to kill bed bugs and their eggs.
These sprays work great, but some don’t like to use them when they have pets or young children. There are also natural spray options that aren’t quite as powerful.
Ideally, you should hire exterminators to spray your home. This will give you peace of mind and you’ll know that the job is being done right.
You can use bed bug traps to prevent bed bugs from infesting your couch in the future. Place these traps under your couch and near the legs.
Ensure that all of your couches and chairs have legs. This makes it tougher for bed bugs to crawl up and infest your furniture.
Another thing that some people do involves enclosing the couch. You could wrap the couch in plastic for up to one year to ensure that all of the bed bugs are truly dead.
Bed bugs can survive for a long time without feeding, though. They’ve been known to live for up to one year without blood.
For most, this idea is impractical at best. You should focus on killing the bed bugs using chemical sprays and steaming if possible.
Always Check Second-Hand Furniture Before Taking It Home
It’s common for people to buy second-hand furniture. You might buy a used couch or a used chair from someone at a good price.
Before you take the furniture home, it’s important to check to see if it has bed bugs. You never want to carelessly take used furniture home without practicing due diligence.
Take the time to examine the furniture item carefully. You want to look for any signs of bed bug infestation.
After looking under the cushions, inside the couch, and everywhere else, it’ll be fine to take it home. You need to do this each time you plan to take home a used item where bed bugs might hide.
Be careful when buying used mattresses, box springs, chairs, ottomans, sofas, and other such items. If you aren’t careful, you might bring bed bugs into your home.
Are Bed Bugs Only Attracted to Dirty Homes?
There’s a common misconception that bed bugs are only attracted to dirty homes. It doesn’t matter whether your home is messy or if it’s very clean.
Bed bugs are simply looking for people that they can feed on. They’re attracted to body heat and carbon dioxide.
It’s not going to protect you if you put extra effort into cleaning your home. Of course, cleaning your home is still a good thing to do, but the cleanliness of your home doesn’t have an impact on your likelihood to get bed bugs.
Bed bugs can be brought home from other places. You might get unlucky and bring some home with you if you’ve been traveling.
So if you discover bed bugs in your home, don’t put yourself down. It doesn’t mean that your home is dirty or that you did something wrong.
You likely just got unlucky and brought bed bugs home with you from someplace that you traveled to. You’ll just have to take the necessary steps to get rid of the pests so you won’t have to worry moving forward.
Be Careful When Traveling
Traveling is a common way to bring home bed bugs. Don’t let this make you feel afraid to travel, though.
You simply need to keep your wits about you. Check hotel beds to see whether they have signs of bed bugs or not.
If the bed shows signs of bed bugs, you might want to go to another hotel. Be sure to check every time you get a hotel room just to be safe.
Can You Protect Your Home From Bed Bugs?
There are a few things you can do to protect your home from bed bugs. One of the best ideas to consider involves encasing your mattress and box springs with protective covers.
These protective covers prevent bed bugs from being able to enter and exit. You want to buy a high-quality protective encasement that is tear-resistant.
Aside from this, vacuuming regularly can help. When you vacuum more often you’ll have an easier time getting rid of bed bugs that might have entered your home.
Getting rid of clutter is a good idea, too. Clutter gives bed bugs more potential hiding spots, and you don’t want them to be able to hide out in your home.
If you live in an apartment complex, you can do some things to protect yourself. Consider installing door sweeps at the bottom of your doors.
This makes it less likely that bed bugs will come in from under the doors. It should keep things from creeping in from community hallways.
Do your best to seal any cracks that you see along the baseboards in the apartment. You don’t want bugs coming through voids in the wall.
Be careful when using community laundry areas, too. Transport your clothes using plastic bags and always remove your clothing items from the dryer directly into plastic bags.
Fold your clothes at home and not in the community laundry area. This should make it less likely that you’ll track bed bugs into your home.
Final Thoughts
Learning more about bed bugs should help you to understand what to look out for. These parasites can indeed live in couches, and you can find them living in other types of furniture as well.
It’s best to be on top of things when you notice signs of bed bugs. You want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Getting rid of bed bugs involves washing your bedding, using chemical sprays, vacuuming the house, and steaming your home. Paying professionals to steam your home can truly make a difference.
It’s also beneficial to call professional exterminators. They can come out to your home and spray chemicals that will get rid of the pests.
Remember that getting bed bugs in your home doesn’t mean that you’re dirty. Bed bugs can be found in any home.
You can bring bed bugs home with you from other places. This often happens when you’re traveling.
Even if getting rid of bed bugs can be a bit of a pain, it’s something that can be properly handled. You can get rid of bed bugs fast and then take steps to protect yourself from such issues in the future.
If your friends or family have any questions about bed bugs, be sure to let them know what you learned. You just might help to set someone’s mind at ease.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys, and I’m so excited to start this adventure with them! In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.