Finding bed bugs in your bed or furniture is unsettling for any Boise homeowner. These pests don’t mean a home, hotel, or business is “dirty” – bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers and can travel on luggage, clothing, and used items. While there is no way to guarantee you’ll never encounter them, understanding where people most commonly pick up bed bugs can help you reduce your risk and protect your household.

Below are five common places where Treasure Valley residents may be exposed to bed bugs, along with practical tips to help you stay ahead of them and what to do if they follow you home.

1. Secondhand Furniture & Resale Shops

Secondhand stores, thrift shops, yard sales, and online marketplace purchases are some of the most common ways bed bugs hitchhike into Boise homes. Bed bugs and their eggs can survive in furniture seams, drawers, and upholstered items for weeks, even when no one is using them.

If you’re shopping secondhand:

Carefully inspect seams, tufts, and folds of couches, chairs, and mattresses.
Look for dark spotting, shed skins, or tiny cream-colored eggs in cracks and joints.
Avoid bringing home any item with an unknown history that shows signs of staining or odor.
Whenever possible, treat or heat-treat items in a garage or isolated space before bringing them indoors.

2. Hotels & Short-Term Rentals

Hotels, motels, and short-term rentals see guests from all over the country, which makes them a frequent transfer point for bed bugs. Even well-maintained properties can experience occasional issues because bed bugs travel in luggage, backpacks, and personal items.

When staying overnight away from home:

Set your luggage on a luggage rack or hard surface instead of the bed or upholstered chairs.
Pull back sheets and inspect mattress seams, especially along the headboard area.
Check the edges of the mattress, box spring, and nearby baseboards for dark spots or shed skins.
Keep clothing in sealed bags when possible and wash/dry items on high heat when you return home.

3. Laundromats & Shared Laundry Rooms

Bed bugs don’t live inside washing machines, but they can move between baskets, carts, folding tables, and seating areas in busy laundromats or shared laundry rooms. Items placed on public surfaces can pick up hitchhikers if another customer’s belongings are infested.

To reduce your risk when using shared laundry facilities:

Use plastic bins or bags you bring from home rather than public laundry carts when possible.
Avoid placing clothing or linens directly on benches, folding tables, or floors.
Dry items on high heat (when fabric allows), as heat is effective against bed bugs and their eggs.
Store clean items in sealed bags until you get them home and put away.

4. Public Transportation & Rideshares

Buses, shuttles, and rideshare vehicles can occasionally harbor bed bugs in fabric seats, cracks, and seams—especially in high-traffic urban corridors. Because people sit in close proximity with bags, coats, and backpacks, it’s easy for a few bugs to transfer from one person’s belongings to another’s.

When using public or shared transportation:

Keep bags off fabric seats when possible, or place them on your lap.
Avoid pressing coats, purses, or backpacks tightly into deep seams or corners of cushions.
Inspect and shake out bags and outerwear when you arrive home.

5. Movie Theaters & Other Public Seating

Any place with upholstered seating and high turnover—movie theaters, performance venues, waiting rooms, or stadium box seats—can occasionally be a transfer point for bed bugs. The bugs hide in seams and underneath cushions, coming out briefly to feed when a host sits down.

If you’re concerned about exposure in public seating areas:

Limit placing coats, scarves, or bags directly on the seat or on the floor.
After an outing, check purse straps, backpacks, and jackets before hanging them in closets or on beds.
If you frequently visit venues with upholstered seating, consider drying outerwear on high heat periodically as a preventive step.

How to Protect Yourself from Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can be picked up almost anywhere people travel, gather, or share fabric surfaces. While you can’t control every environment, you can lower your risk of bringing them home by building a few simple habits into your routine:

Be diligent when traveling: Inspect hotel or rental rooms before unpacking, keep luggage elevated, and wash and dry your clothes on high heat when you get home.
Inspect used furniture before bringing it inside: Check seams, joints, and undersides of secondhand furniture. If you see dark spotting, shed skins, or live insects, do not bring the item into your home.
Vacuum regularly: Routine vacuuming of carpets, baseboards, and upholstered furniture can help remove stray bugs or eggs. Empty the vacuum canister or bag outside into a sealed trash bag.
Use protective encasements on beds: Quality mattress and box-spring encasements can make inspections easier and help limit hiding places for bed bugs.
Act quickly and call a professional if you suspect activity: The earlier a bed bug problem is addressed, the easier it is to manage. If you see possible signs—bites in lines or clusters, small dark spots on bedding, or live bugs—contact a licensed bed bug treatment professional for an inspection and treatment plan.

Knowing where bed bugs are most commonly picked up and taking a few extra precautions in your daily routine can greatly reduce the chances of bringing them home. If you ever do suspect an issue, professional help can make the process faster, safer, and more effective for your Boise area home.