It's not germs that would bother me but the possibility of picking up cat dander if one has allergies, or bedbugs, fleas, lice, even rodents. And then there is the possibility of the smells associated with some one else's upholstered furniture - musty odors from improper storage, cigarette smoke, sweat, spilled food, ect. Smells may not be noticed when it is sitting outside in the persons driveway. There is also the "ick factor' of wondering how much human skin flakes, dandruff, snot and drool is on the couch.

I would never risk buying used furniture, even wood pieces. Critters like bedbugs and fleas can harbor in wood. It could be a nightmare buying a dresser secondhand unless it is treated first.

I don't think it would bother me if the upholstered piece is from a clean home and it looks like it's in good condition. If you are really concerned you could have it cleaned after you brought it home.

I am ambivalent about this: I helped my brother recently buy some furniture off cl (sofa, love seat, upholstered chair) and it looks brand new. The owners had bought another house and wanted more furniture so they bought all new.
I had no problem with this and brother has 4 cats so...!

I bought a table from cl from a very nice home and the likely hood of fleas was nil. Their 3 car huge garage was spotless.

Nevertheless, I am very aware of bedbugs and their hiding places. I wish I were still ignorant of them. I don't want to travel anymore! boohoo

dilly, yes, that's exactly what I am talking about, dirt, dander, fleas, smells, etc. when I referred to myself as a germo-phobe.

happy, thanks for your response. I would only buy if I was taking to the upholsterer to completely re-do from the springs on up.

bumblebeez, sounds like your brother got a deal with the furniture being practically new.

Although I've not gotten anything from CL, I imagine you can tell a great deal of how furniture is kept by the surroundings where you are purchasing it?

Ok.....I agree with the ick factor. This winter I've brought home "5" upholstered chairs, FREE off CL. "2" were wingback chairs out of an office building. An office building is pet and smoke free. Then I slip covered them. The other "3" I reupholstered down to the springs.

Antiques are always gonna be used! I bring those home and don't bat an eye. They live in the garage until I've sanded, stained and replaced missing wood. After all that I have a personel connection to the piece and it can live indoors. :0)

I shop for my running clothes & zip off hiking pants at a thrfit store. I figure once I wash it it's no worse than something someone tried on in a dressing room and didn't buy. I save a ton!

keep in mind, if you ever go to a hotel/motel/B&B/friends house...you might bring critters home in your suitcases...

...and some brand spanking new furniture is stored in areas that are not pristine.

If something from CL smells or is too dirty, I stay away from it.

ML (who has purchased a "good" antique that turned out to be termit infested)

Oh maddielee, I assure you that you would do the big eye roll if you saw how I handle staying in a hotel room and I'm not talking downtrodden type motel type digs. DH just laughs, although he has now seen enough tv coverage of bedbugs and other disgusting stuff that he is not so amused.

I am ready with my rubber flip flops, own pillow case, you name, if there's a precaution, I'm taken it. LOL

work in progress, I take my own pillow.... :)

ML

If I want to reupholster, I take that into account, but in general, I never think about it. I sit in movie theaters, hotel lobbies, restaurants, etc. I think this sort of worry can drive you crazy.

I am not a germaphob but I get what you are saying and I have thought about it.

"I would never risk buying used furniture, even wood pieces. Critters like bedbugs and fleas can harbor in wood. It could be a nightmare buying a dresser secondhand unless it is treated first." We love antiques and much prefer that over new pieces (wood) so no way can I go along with this thinking, although we are very careful what we buy - and where - and inspect it thoroughly. The only problem we have ever run into was a dresser that had been stored and picked up a strong smoke smell. The dresser had been refinished but the inside drawers had not. Even after thoroughly cleaning, there was still an odor. My husband ended up rebuilding the drawers and refinishing the inside of the dresser. It's a beautiful piece and was worth it to us.

As for upholstered pieces, I've never bought anything upholstered used. I do think there is more concern there for bugs, etc. and smells do bother me, I always do a smell test - even on wood (I'm still not sure how the above mentioned dresser made it home with us!). If I were to buy an upholstered piece, it would definitely have to be recovered - down to the springs.

tina

I miss the naiveté and simplicity of college days sometimes.
I never thought ever about the dirtiness and bugginess
of anything. And I survived!

Thanks maddalie, I actually have friends that bring their own pillow as well. I don't always remember to, but I have been known to bring my own pillow:) DH thinks I've gone round the bend.

ideffixe and tina, I don't think I am a germophobe, I go out to movies, restaurants, music venues and don't have any problem. But to bring a chair and set it down in my LR, I don't think I would care to do that,

I do love antiques, and most that I own are acquired through family but I do have a few from different dealers. It's just the upholstered thing that freaks me out.

Bumblebeez - Love you post, isn't it the truth - 35 yrs later and I am worried about what I sit on:).

WIP, I wasn't calling you a germophobe, you asked in your original post if you were the only one here. ??? Now I'm confused LOL!

As I said before, I DO understand your caution, I am the same way with the upholstered pieces.

Oh I always travel with my own pillow, and never, ever does our luggage touch the floor. I am careful, I just don't go overboard.

Speaking as someone who has sold furniture on Craigslist, I cleaned the pieces up so they looked almost brand new.

I agree, you can drive yourself batty worrying about all the things that might be out to get you. That's why I try not to think about it. (Denial -- it's not just a river on Egypt, LOL!)

I don't mean to sound critical, but those of you that travel with your own pillow -- do you then bring your pillow home and put it back on YOUR bed? Because then don't you risk transfering skeevies back onto your own mattress. That possibility would skeeve me out more than my head touching a potentially nasty pillow inside what I would assume to be a clean pillowcase - at least I'm going to shower and wash my head the next morning, whereas my pillow and mattress can't really be cleaned.

And whoever said your luggage doesn't touch the floor? That must be a bedbug prevention thing? (That makes sense to me....) Because I'm thinking that the airline baggage people are probably dragging your luggage across all kinds of nasty surfaces, at least judging by the new dirt streaks that seem to appear on my luggage every time I get them off the baggage carousel.

Anyhow, all that said, I do buy used furniture from CL, both upholstered and non-upholstered. And I have just plucked it out of the car and put it right in my living room. Like I said, I try not to think about it - otherwise, I'd probably never sit anywhere. So if you ever come visit, bring your own lysol, I guess!

lkp - interestingly, yes the pillow I bring with is discarded. I use the extra space for souveniers and the like on the return trip.

I drug my own pillow on a trip to the High Arctic, not because I thought the small ship we were traveling on was dirty, but because I'd never get any sleep without my own pillow and it was a 16 day trip. It came in handy as I collected so many cool things on the trip and my pillow and other things I could discard prior to departure took up an entire suitcase:P

taking my own pillow is about comfort. However, our pillows are encased in pillow protectors and that and the pillow case are washed after a trip. We keep our own set of pillows in our RV.

As for luggage off the floor, yes I have read that creepy crawlies (including bedbugs) can get into the luggage and that you should never sit it directly on the floor. My hubby and I neither like to fly, so that is rarely a concern for us.

tina

We always set out luggage outside, on our deck, in the single digit cold temperatures when we come home from a trip. :0) If nothing else the critters would be stiff, easy to see and catch.:0)

We travel with down pillows, in protectors and pillow cases. We like them soft. Not a bug deterent.

Two weeks ago we were in the middle of nowhere. I called ahead of time, the little B&B's were booked a year in advance. This hotel had it all, a pool, free breakfast...BUT there was a bloodstain on the sheets and a hole in the bedspread!!!!! That was sooooooo nasty!

This is how germophobe I am! I always ask for extra towels and make a "walk way" with the towels around the room and especially from bed to toilet area. I don't like me bare feet to touch the floor. I REALLY wish I wasn't that way, but, I guess there could be worse things I do. I know, I AM weird!

WOW WOW WOW - can't believe I stumbled on this after reading this thread. Be sure to read the disclaimer at the bottom.

D'ya think they'll have any takers??!!

Here is a link that might be useful: CL ad with disclaimer