Five Ohio families got an unwelcome “bonus gift” when they rented or purchased furniture from a local Rent-A-Center. Furniture rental stores do a brisk business over the holidays when people need extra beds for visiting friends and family members. In hot demand are rollaway beds, cribs, highchairs, booster seats, car seats and other baby paraphernalia that is too bulky to be carried aboard a plane. Rental stores also take advantage of holiday shopping to sell off old or excess stock.

Buying used is a time-honored strategy for keeping expenses down, but the resurgence of bed bugs in the U.S. over the past decade has added an unwelcome element of risk to the practice. The chance of brining home a bed bug-infested couch or bunk beds has made people more circumspect about used furniture.

In most cities today, people are warned not to take home furniture, especially mattresses, placed at the curb for trash pick up and to closely inspect thrift store furniture before purchase. But rental centers can pose an even bigger threat. Furniture that travels from home to home simply stands a better chance of coming into contact with bed bugs. If you happened to rent furniture over the holidays, there’s a chance your home could already be infested.

Don’t start the New Year losing sleep over bed bugs. Call Stern Environmental to schedule fast, discrete bed bug extermination.