What's Hiding In Your Furniture

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are wingless insects that feed on human blood and are more common than you think inside many households. These bugs can be found hidden within your mattresses, but tend to opt for harder surfaces, such as unfinished wood.  Next time you lie down to sleep, you never know what could be hiding in your headboard.

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Carpenter Ants

These ants choose moist areas to make themselves at home, including wooden structures where holes have already been established. Common places these ants may be living in your home include windows, door frames and wooden furniture. Though they don't eat wood, theses critters won't think twice about getting comfortable in your space.

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Beetles

Wood-boring beetles make the list of top suspects to blame for your damaged wooden furniture. Whether it be during the construction stage of your furniture or afterwards, these beetles will make themselves a delicious meal out of your wooden items.

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Common Furniture Beetle

In the beetle family, the common furniture beetle or woodworm beetle is the most likely to snack at your furniture. Though you may think this is nothing to worry about, this beetle actually belongs to the Anobiidae family—known to include some of the most dangerous beetles.

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Termites

All homeowners should be scared of finding termites in their homes. These insects are known for eating wood at an alarming rate and leaving substantial damage to a home. The worst part is—one termite is never alone. Usually they are hiding with a colony of friends! 

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The damages termites do to households each year is shocking. According to essortment.com, more than five billion dollars each year is spent on repairing damage from termites. The biggest problem these insects cause is the damage they can do to your bank account, as getting rid of these insects is extremely expensive.

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Lice

Insects aren't the only things hiding in your furniture. If you've ever had head lice, you may know it doesn't only live on your scalp. These nasty critters also find a home for themselves on any pieces of furniture around the house you may have put your head on. Do yourself a favor and thoroughly clean your whole home.

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Chemicals

According to sfgate.com, experts say its impossible to avoid dangerous chemicals in couches. It’s almost impossible to find furniture that lack flame retardants, which is very dangerous. So whether you know it or not, there's a good chance chemicals are hiding in your sofa. 

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Mold

If you have wooden furniture in your home that has been exposed to moisture or damaged, mold could be hiding beneath the cracks. Certain molds found in homes produce mycotoxins, which can cause health related issues in people. You may want to take a closer look at your furniture, especially pieces kept in the basement and ground floor. 

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Bacteria

If you have wooden table tops or end tables in your home, hidden organisms could be lurking here. Though you may not find any insects or mold, wood is also highly susceptible to other bacteria due to its small cracks. Make a habit of cleaning all wooden objects in your home frequently to avoid the arrival of germs.

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Though they may prove better than plastic, wooden cutting boards are also known to gather Salmonella bacteria. According to an article on Rodale.com, put your wooden cutting boards in the microwave for five minutes on a bi-weekly basis to better de-germ the surface.

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Toxic Pesticides

Some argue wooden furniture should be kept outdoors, especially if made of wood pallet. According to tinyhouseshankers.com, some wood pallets get treated with a toxic pesticide called emthyl bromide. These pallets are highly dangerous due to this treatment and can cause major health complications. 

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Carpet Beetle

The black caret beetles is a brown or black colored beetles who may be responsible for the tears in your socks, carpet or that expensive duvet cover you just purchased. These insects lock themselves to fabrics, especially those that have been exposed to food. Avoid welcoming these pests into your home by frequently cleaning and washing your carpets and fabric.

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