Be Careful About Buying These Items Second-Hand

Buying vintage or second-hand items can be fun, affordable, and smart for the environment.  But some items can be risky purchases to bring into your home unless you take care and sanitize them.

Think twice before you buy:

• Used ties--rarely if ever cleaned. According to a Globe and Mail article, in 2006, the British Medical Association recommended doctors "ditch neckties, since the rarely washed accessories can carry bacteria that cause illness."
• According to the same article, some hospitals have put restrictions on doctors’ jewellery and watches for the same reason...." so sanitize second-hand items before wearing.
• Used belts and handbags. When using the toilet, most people fasten their belts, and women grab their handbags, before washing their hands. Belts and handbag straps are rarely-cleaned items.
• Books and magazines--wash your hands after handling them.
• Gloves and mitts.
• Toys, baby cribs and furniture--make sure you can disinfect them, and that they conform to current safety standards.
• Upholstered furniture, mattresses, cushions, stuffed animals, hats, clothing that  you can't be sure isn't infested with fleas, bedbugs, lice or other insects.
• Books, which can be a hiding place for bedbugs.