Can fleas live in a TVs or picture frames?

Answer 1

This answer deals with recovery of used items but also applies to anyone's personal property.

Anytime you deal with other people's property, you risk bringing into your home fleas, mites, bedbugs, and Spiders/nests, along with rodents like mice.

Fleas need a blood source. But their eggs can lay dormant, even on cement floors, until a warm blooded animal or person walks by... then, the eggs can hatch and fleas jump onto the human or animal to feed. Eggs can be in clothing piles, boxes, etc., depending how heavily the apartment or home is infested. Always bag used clothing and close the bags, and take used clothing to a Laundromat FIRST. Wash in the hottest water possible to kill the eggs and live critters. Never take items loose in your car--- you can get bugs on your clothing and bring them into your house. Never bring dirty/used clothing to your washer, dump out in your basement, etc. Also, if you use your vacuum in an infected area, make sure to remove the collection bag after vacuuming because flea eggs can live in the bag, hatch, and crawl back out.

Home appliances would more likely contain spiders and rodents like mice.

Picture frames on walls can have spiders, but low incidence. If stored in basements or crawl spaces, you can FIRST PUT ON GLOVES and spray Bug Spray into a garbage bag, put small items in, and close up the bag-- BUT you will need to put gloves back on, remove items later, and wash every item by hand (with gloves). Don't touch your face either.

Upholstered and cloth items-- couches, stuffed chairs, stuffed animals, throw pillows, bed pillows, mattresses and linens, and stored fabric can harbor spiders, dust mites, fleas, and bedbugs. If it cannot be put in a washer in HOT water, trash the used item rather than bring home bugs. If you can Dry Clean an item, it should kill the bugs. However, steam cleaning couches, chairs, or mattresses does NOT work because bugs and rodents can get inside the frame, in the stuffing, etc., so trash rather than bring home.

ALL wood, metal, and plastic items should be handled with gloves ONLY. Why? People can leave bacteria and viruses on objects-- it depends which 'bug' but some can live on objects (called fomites). Always wash with disinfectant, with gloves on, and rinse/dry before taking them into your home.

IF you see even ONE cockroach in an apartment or home you are cleaning out-- leave the items in the trash. It is extremely hard to kill cockroaches, even babies and eggs. One female cockroach can produce thousands of eggs and babies. Nothing used (free) is worth the cost of exterminating your home.