Buying Used Furniture Safely

Used furniture can be one of the best deals in home furnishing. A solid oak dresser from the 1970s will often outlast a new particleboard one at three times the price, and a good dining table can be found on a local marketplace for the cost of delivery. But some used items carry real risks: bed bugs, recalled products, outdated safety standards, and hidden damage that costs more to fix than the piece is worth.

We sell new furniture, so take that into account. But we also get asked about used pieces all the time, by customers furnishing a first apartment, a rental or a cottage, and we'd rather you buy a great used dresser than a bad new one. This guide covers what's worth buying used, what we'd skip, how to inspect a piece in someone's garage, and how to keep bed bugs out of your house. For how to judge construction quality on any piece, see our furniture quality guide.

What's Worth Buying Used, and What to Skip

The pattern is simple: hard surfaces you can inspect and clean completely are low risk. Soft, porous items that can hide pests, stains and odors are higher risk. And safety equipment, where the standards have changed or the item may have been damaged invisibly, isn't worth the savings.

Bed Bugs: The Real Risk With Used Furniture

Bed bugs don't care about price or cleanliness. They hide in seams, joints, screw holes and fabric folds and can survive for months without feeding. Upholstered furniture, mattresses and wood bed frames are the most common way they move between homes. Hard metal and plastic items are much lower risk, but not zero.

How to check a piece

1. Bring a bright flashlight and a thin card, like an old gift card, to run along seams and into cracks.
2. Look for the signs: live bugs (flat, oval, reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed as adults), pale shed skins, tiny white eggs, and small black or rust-colored spots that look like marker dots. The spots are the most common sign you'll find.
3. On upholstered pieces, check the welting and seams, under the cushions, the deck fabric, the underside dust cover, and where the fabric is stapled to the frame.
4. On wood furniture, check joints, screw holes, drawer corners, the back panel edges and under the piece.
5. On bed frames and headboards, check every joint, bolt hole and the slats.
6. If you see any sign, walk away. It's not worth it.

How to bring it home safely

• Inspect again before it comes inside, in the driveway or garage, in daylight.
• Vacuum it thoroughly with a crevice tool, then empty the vacuum into a sealed bag and throw it away outdoors.
• Heat is the most reliable treatment. Washable fabrics and covers can go through a hot dryer on high for at least 30 minutes. For larger items, professional heat treatment is available from pest control companies.
• Steam cleaning seams and crevices can kill bugs and eggs on contact, but it doesn't penetrate deeply.
• Don't rely on bug bombs or foggers. They're largely ineffective against bed bugs, which hide in cracks the fog doesn't reach.

Why We Don't Recommend Used Mattresses

Beyond bed bugs, a used mattress has absorbed years of someone else's sweat, skin cells and dust mites, and it's had years of body impressions pressed into it. You also can't know how it was supported, and a mattress that sat on a broken frame may already have permanent sags. Most mattress warranties also aren't transferable to a second owner.

Many states regulate the resale of used bedding, typically requiring it to be sanitized and labeled as used. If you buy from a business selling used or "renovated" mattresses, ask what treatment was done and look for a label. From a private seller, there's no such check.

If budget is the issue, an entry-level new mattress, a bed-in-a-box, or a floor model or closeout from a local store is usually a better bet. Our mattress buying guide covers what to look for at each price, and the best time to buy guide covers when they go on sale.

Recalls and Safety Standards

• Check for recalls. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes recalls at cpsc.gov. Search the brand and product name, and model number if there's a label. Recalled products can still turn up for sale secondhand.
• Cribs: Federal crib standards changed in June 2011, banning drop-side cribs and setting stronger requirements for slats, hardware and mattress supports. Older cribs don't meet those standards, and it's illegal for businesses to sell them. Don't buy a crib made before then, and don't buy one with missing hardware or a modified side.
• Dressers and tall furniture: A federal stability rule for clothing storage units under the STURDY Act took effect in 2023. Older dressers don't necessarily meet it. Any dresser, chest or bookcase in a home with kids should be anchored to the wall, new or used.
• Bunk beds have specific federal guardrail and opening requirements. Check that guardrails are on both sides of the top bunk and that no gaps are large enough to trap a child. Our bunk bed guide covers the checks.
• Lead paint: Painted furniture made before 1978, when lead paint was banned for consumer use, may have lead paint. That matters for anything a child might chew, like a crib rail or a windowsill-height dresser top. Lead test kits are available at hardware stores. Don't sand old paint indoors.
• Power recliners and lift chairs have pinch points under the footrest. Check the mechanism and make sure it can't close on a child or pet. See our recliner guide.

How to Inspect Used Furniture

Wood furniture

• Confirm it's solid wood. Look at the edges and the inside of drawers. Particleboard that has already been assembled, disassembled and moved is often near the end of its life.
• Rack test: push on the top corners. A slight wobble can be fixed with glue or new screws; a piece that sways is a project.
• Check drawers slide, stay square and have bottoms that aren't cracked or sagging.
• Smell it. Mildew and smoke odors live in unfinished wood inside drawers and backs and are hard to remove. Musty means it may have lived in a damp basement.
• Look for water damage: swollen bottoms, white rings, lifted veneer and dark stains at the feet.
• Look for active woodworm: small round holes with fine powder around them.
• Surface scratches and worn finish are usually fine. They're what makes a solid wood dresser a bargain, and they can be cleaned up or refinished.

Upholstered furniture

• Inspect closely for bed bugs as described above.
• Lift a corner to check the frame isn't broken or flexing.
• Check the seat: remove cushions and press down on the deck. Broken springs and torn webbing are expensive to repair.
• Smell for smoke and pet odors. They're very hard to remove from foam and fabric.
• Check the cleaning code on the tag if it's still there. A "W" or "S/W" code means you can clean it with water-based cleaners. Our upholstery fabric guide explains the codes.
• Price in reupholstering if the fabric is worn. Professional reupholstery of a full sofa often costs more than a new mid-range sofa, so it only makes sense for a frame that's genuinely good.

Appliances

• Find the age. The serial number on the rating plate usually encodes the manufacture date; a quick search for the brand's serial number format will decode it. Many refrigerators last roughly 10 to 15 years and washers and dryers roughly 10 to 13, so a 12-year-old appliance has limited life left.
• See it running if at all possible: a refrigerator that's cold, a washer through a cycle, every burner on a range.
• Check for rust, leaks and odors, especially under washers, around dishwasher doors, and in refrigerator drip pans.
• Factor in efficiency. An old refrigerator can use considerably more electricity than a new ENERGY STAR model. Over several years, the savings can close much of the price gap.
• Plan the move. Appliances are heavy and easy to damage in a pickup truck. Refrigerators should travel upright and stand for several hours before being plugged in.

Where to Buy Used

Safety Tips for Private Sales

• Bring someone with you when going to a stranger's home, or meet in a public place for smaller items.
• Don't pay in advance for anything you haven't seen, and be wary of sellers who insist on wire transfers, gift cards or payment apps without buyer protection.
• Watch for prices that are too good. A brand-new designer sofa at a fraction of its price may be a scam listing.
• Bring a tape measure, and know your doorway, stair and room measurements before you go. Our Will It Fit? guide covers what to measure.
• Bring straps, blankets and help. Most private sellers won't help you load.

Making a Used Piece Feel New

• Clean wood with a mild soap solution on a damp, well-wrung cloth, then dry immediately. Our furniture care guide covers finishes.
• Hide scratches with a furniture touch-up marker or wax stick matched to the finish.
• Remove musty odors from drawers with an open box of baking soda or activated charcoal for a few days, and air the piece out in dry weather.
• Replace hardware. New knobs and pulls are the cheapest dramatic upgrade there is. Measure the hole spacing first.
• Add felt pads under legs and tighten all bolts and screws.
• Replace sofa cushion foam if the frame and fabric are good but the seats are flat. Foam shops can cut new inserts to size.

Frequently Asked Questions