Can bed bugs live in a sofa?

Most people picture bed bugs in a mattress, but a sofa suits them almost as well. It has seams, folds and a dark frame to hide in, and a person sitting on it for hours every evening. In shared houses and small flats, where the sofa often doubles as a spare bed, it can be where an infestation starts.

Where bed bugs hide in a sofa

Bed bugs prefer tight, dark spaces close to where people rest. On a sofa, check:

• Seams and piping on the seat and back cushions
• Under the cushions, in the crease where the seat meets the back and arms
• The underside, especially the fabric lining stapled to the frame, and the staples themselves
• Zips on removable covers
• The frame and legs, in joints and screw holes
• Sofa beds, around the folding mechanism and the thin mattress

Signs to look for

The NHS lists the main signs: bites on skin that was exposed while you were sitting or sleeping, small black spots (droppings), tiny blood smears, pale shed skins and the bugs themselves. On a fabric sofa the spots often show along seams and on the underside lining.

Bites after an evening on the sofa, rather than after a night in bed, are a clue the sofa is involved.

Second-hand sofas: the most common route

In cities with a lot of renting and moving, like Liverpool, second-hand furniture is one of the main ways bed bugs arrive. Sofas from online marketplaces, left on the street or passed on at the end of a tenancy are a real risk.

Before you bring one home:

1. Inspect it in daylight with a torch, turning it over to see the underside.
2. Look along every seam and under each cushion.
3. Check the staples and lining underneath, where droppings collect.
4. Ask where it came from and why it is being sold.

If you have any doubt, leave it.

Can a sofa be treated?

Usually, yes. Throwing out a sofa is often unnecessary and, if it is carried through a building unwrapped, can spread bugs to the stairs and other flats.

• Heat reaches deep into the padding and frame and kills eggs in the same visit, which makes it well suited to upholstered furniture. See heat treatment.
• Spray and steam courses treat seams and the frame, with steam used on fabric. Two or three visits are normally needed.

The British Pest Control Association recommends professional treatment rather than shop products for established infestations.

When a sofa should go

A specialist may suggest getting rid of a sofa that is heavily infested, badly damaged or cheap to replace. If so, wrap it completely in heavy plastic and tape it before moving it, mark it as infested, and use the council’s bulky waste collection rather than leaving it on the street, where someone else may take it. Liverpool City Council’s website explains how to book a collection.

Shared houses and sofas

In a student house or HMO, the living-room sofa is shared by everyone, which makes it a meeting point for bugs from different bedrooms. If one room has bed bugs, the sofa should be inspected and included in the treatment. Our student houses and HMOs page covers whole-house treatment.

While you wait

• Stop sleeping on the sofa, and keep sleeping in your usual bed.
• Vacuum the sofa seams and underside, and empty the vacuum outside in a sealed bag.
• Wash removable covers and throws at 60°C and tumble dry on hot.
• Do not spray the sofa with shop insecticide.