In our blog post titled Items You Can Always Buy Used for Your Rental Home, we listed a series of items that you can safely buy used for your home needs. However, we didn’t specify which household items shouldn’t be bought used. So we’re listing those items here so you don’t end up with something in need of repair because it’s broken and unusable—or worse, something that could make you sick or bring an infestation into your rental home (which could actually be bad news for your entire rental unit).

Except for the cast iron cookware we mentioned in the “Buy Used” post, cookware shouldn’t be bought used. It’s likely to be pretty worn down, and it can still have hidden bacteria and other germs cooked or baked into it. Instead, buy the new yet inexpensive pieces that you need most and can afford, and then build on that collection later.

Vacuums, small kitchen appliances with blades (e.g. blenders, food processors, automatic can openers, etc.) and other important electronics shouldn’t be bought used; they’ll likely be so worn down that they’ll likely need to be repaired or replaced soon anyway. Save yourself the headache (and wasted money) and buy your electronics new. And if you’re on a tight budget, you can find good deals on many of these items year-round.

Mattresses, pillows, and bedding should never, ever be bought used. You have no idea where they’ve been, and they’re likely home to a good deal of germs, bugs, and dead skin cells. In fact, there are laws in some states that prohibit buying or selling used mattresses for health reasons. So, always buy them new. You can easily find inexpensive pillows and bedding at stores near you, and you can ask about inexpensive mattress options at your local mattress stores.

Lastly, it’s a tossup whether or not you should buy cushioned or upholstered furniture. While some of it might be OK, you need to be wary of the dust mites, germs and bed bugs that could be hidden in the fabric or cushioning. If there is a way to take the furniture apart, do so and clean the fabric and cushions thoroughly in your washer and dryer using the hottest settings possible, and hot steam or otherwise disinfect the furniture frame or structure. (NOTE: You might need to research different types of furniture materials to see what the best way to clean it is.) If it can’t be taken apart or you’re otherwise in doubt about the state of the furniture, leave it alone and buy it new instead.

If you’re waiting to buy items for your home because you haven’t found the right rental property yet, Combs Properties can help you with that. We are located available in the Clovis and Portales areas in New Mexico. We have home rentals, apartment rentals, and even corporate rentals available. To get more information about homes and other properties available for rent, you can message us via our Contact Us page, or call us toll-free at 1-877-720-6992, or fax us at (575) 356-4436.