Most people would never pick up a discarded mattress they saw on a sidewalk. These mattresses are not only not clean, but increasingly they are also infested with bedbugs.
But what about “renovated,” “reconditioned” or “refurbished” mattresses? There are state laws that require companies that process these mattresses to sanitize them, but it has been found that bed bugs are not adequately controlled by some of these companies. Think twice about buying these mattresses, and look for the white tag that is placed on new mattresses, not the yellow or red tag on second hand mattresses.
If you know anyone who is discarding a mattress infested with bed bugs, be sure to tell them to slit it open, bag it, label it “Bed Bugs,” and dispose of it properly, so that hopefully no one will re-use it.
