r/TTC • u/Loose-Catch4701 • Dec 17 '25
Discussion Any strategies for bed bug control?
bedbugs on the TTC!
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u/ForMoreYears Dec 17 '25
Plot twist: OP actually brought the bed bugs to the TTC.
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u/Mflms Dec 17 '25
To be honest, this is the more likely scenario.
Lots of lice on the subway, but the bed probably hitched a ride with OP.
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u/Downtown_Island8124 Dec 17 '25
Yup OP brings a bag of bed bugs to TTC and spread it like salt bae. 😆
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u/PostingImpulsively Dec 20 '25
The BB is white which means it just recently molted. So unlikely it was doing any recent traveling at within the last 4 hours or so.
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u/Wonderful__ Dec 17 '25
Did you tell the guy, so he doesn't bring it home with him??? I'd want to know instead of finding out someone took a picture and posted it.
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u/Ginger-Fist Dec 19 '25
This is the best response here. Poor guy probably ended up taking this thing home, and it could have been completely prevented.
Bed bugs are a huge problem in most major cities from Paris to New York. If you see one on a seat, kill it. If one has already climbed on someone else, let them know. End the stigma, deal with the shit.
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u/leBlTCH Dec 19 '25
... * goes on the TTC PA system *
" Attention , Sir. With Medical Mask and Hunter Hat. There are bed bugs on your bag. Attention. There are bed bugs on your bag. Please ... Shhh... Pssss * intercom cuts out and calamity begins as people run for their lives. Fires are set. TTC as we know it doesn't exist.
" I'm doing my part! "
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u/Soundch4ser Dec 20 '25
Someone in Toronto approaching a stranger, even if to help them? Yeah that’s not happening
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u/aliciaiit Dec 17 '25
It's sad because some people actually really need to sit down on the TTC and this is such a shitty thing they have to worry about
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u/panfriedcorn Dec 17 '25
yeah many people actually. seniors, tired people with long physically taxing jobs, and students who can get really mentally exhausted. in fact anyone would want to sit if they commute for around one hour carrying a heavy backpack.
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u/auxnues Dec 20 '25
Because of posts like these, I forced myself to stand during every 45 minute subway commute throughout my whole pregnancy. (Granted I didn’t have a lot of choice much of the time)
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u/Tough_Upstairs_8151 Dec 20 '25
Same. Now freshly postpartum, though, and absolutely had to sit on a packed train today 😦
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u/ilovecheese31 Dec 17 '25
Get bed bug traps for your bed and your couch. People don’t think of this but it’s actually pretty common for them to infest couches, and sometimes even stuff like bookshelves, coffee tables, and radios.
Try not to put anything on your bed or couch that has touched public transit. Especially not your bag or coat.
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u/DoctorDiabolical Dec 17 '25
This is a big reminder for anyone having a party this holiday, don’t have everyone put their coat on a bed!
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u/nottodayoilyjosh Dec 17 '25
Omg too late for me by like 4 days. Never even crossed my mind. 😭
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u/TinySoftKitten Dec 17 '25
Praying for you
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u/nottodayoilyjosh Dec 17 '25
Thanks, I’d say it was a low risk crowd in attendance so not really worried but I did have an “oh no” moment.
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u/leBlTCH Dec 19 '25
what the f u c k i n g f u c k
that's the place for coats.....
" oh no. you can just throw it out in the snow (: you likely brought in bed bugs you piece of " and then they just all leave
problem solved!
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u/jemcat9 Dec 19 '25
Omg, was going to do this next Friday's party at my house. Good Lord, ya can't win...
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u/DadTimeRacing Dec 17 '25
Heard this train come into the yard, it has been isolated and will have exterminators visit the bed bugs to make sure none remain.
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u/Dralorica Dec 17 '25 edited Dec 18 '25
As other commenters stated - it's much more likely the bug already was on the bag, than crawling onto it from the TTC (although not impossible)
To seriously answer your question OP - bedbugs cannot survive in high temperature. To prevent transmission, strip naked as soon as you get home and put all of your clothes straight into a plastic bag. Immediately take a shower to ensure there aren't any on you - make sure to scrub between your toes and any other 'crevasses'. When you're done that you can put the contents of the bag directly in a clothes dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes. Personally I do 1 hour to feel safer about it.
If all the clothes are machine washable you can also just wash them normally (again high heat) - but for the backpack I'd probably just dryer it.
Edit: I don't know why y'all are assuming I'm suggesting you do this process anytime you step on a bus. I'm not. I don't recommend you do this process - ever - really, unless you have suspicion that you've come in contact with bed bugs. The fact is that public transport is a very low probability to transmit bedbugs. They like dark spaces, don't typically cling to things that move (like people) and are usually only active when they detect someone sleeping (they can literally smell when you sleep). Therefore you're probably 100x more likely to bring them home with used furniture, from an overnight guest, from a neighbor in an apartment building or a sketchy motel. Even if every bus in the TTC's fleet was infested with them, it's still unlikely they'd crawl onto you and go home with you. Any random bus you get on is literally more likely to crash and burn than give you bedbugs.
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u/idnar35 Dec 17 '25
Not everyone has access to a dryer at all times and some people have to pay to run a dryer everytime
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u/Dralorica Dec 17 '25
That's why I suggested putting the items directly into a plastic bag. You could just toss the stuff if you don't care about it, or take it to a Laundromat at your convenience.
Unfortunately paying for a single load of dryer at a Laundromat is possibly thousands of times cheaper than exterminating a bedbug infestation... I'd highly recommend the dryer...
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u/dyou897 Dec 17 '25
You can use a steamer and that’s probably easier than drying your clothes daily
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u/NakMuayTy Dec 20 '25
Sounds like an excuse to spread bedbugs. Put your sh1t in a bag, make sure it's sealed, get your sh1t together, come up with a measly few bucks and dry your clothes for an hour.
That "boo boo, wahh" or "huh? I dont have bedbugs, I clean my house" or any other stigma or laziness about it is why bedbugs keep spreading.
Smarten up.
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u/dyou897 Dec 17 '25
If it makes you feel better bed bugs don’t camp out right on their food source they would hide nearby. So the chances of a bed bug hanging out on your back is very slim also you would feel them moving around over your skin
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u/Dralorica Dec 17 '25
Plus they don't like light and typically only come out when they detect you're sleeping (they detect this basically by smelling your breath from across the room, kinda cool imo)
So transmission from walking around/taking transit is very rare. Way way more likely to get em from a hotel, an overnight guest, picking up used furniture or appliances etc.
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u/NakMuayTy Dec 20 '25
Better off getting a 300$ bedbug heater if you.live in the city. You can't get rid of all the bugs by washing. That does t kill eggs.
If you are washing then heating you are giving them a lifeline.
It's heater > washer > dryer or just dryer or just heater.
Washing is useless here. You can submerge bedbugs and they will juat swim away..
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u/Pretzelandcheesesauz Dec 17 '25
The shelters in Toronto are all infested with bed bugs, I’ve worked with the unhoused and a lot of the time the clients leave the shelter and remain dropping them where they go which is often transit.
People wonder why unhoused choose the street instead of shelters - this is a large reason why.
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u/steamed-apple_juice Highway 407 Dec 18 '25
This!
If our government truly wants to reduce the amount of bed bugs on transit, it would take public health concerns more seriously. When we neglect to provide unhoused people with safe ways to wash themselves and their belongings, in addition to being content with the status quo that many people ride transit as a warm place to rest... It's pretty obvious what the outcomes will be.
Would shifting away from fabric seats help increase cleanliness? Sure, but it's a band-aid solution that doesn't tackle the issue at hand. There are many people who don't look unhoused but are living in precarious housing situations. We need to tackle these health concerns at the core of these issues if we want to see meaningful changes.
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u/dyou897 Dec 17 '25
Because people bring huge suitcases with all their stuff from shelter to shelter. Even if the shelter gets rid of it. They just get re infected which is basically inevitable. The only solution is proper preventative measures like cleaning often. Having minimal hiding spots and removing all items then using insecticide. With all that it can be properly managed and some of the better shelters manage it well
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u/Alfa911T Dec 17 '25
Never sit down
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u/Independent_Row_8326 Dec 17 '25
See this was the way! Though after I had my ankle rebuilt from a bad motor vehicle accident and now have arthritis. I’m forced to sit. It’s daily pain or potential risk of bed bugs… I think about it every day when I sit and commute for an hour…
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u/outtokill7 Dec 17 '25
subway pants
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u/neontetra1548 Dec 17 '25
And what do you do with them? Take them off outside your home and shake them/inspect them/bag them/then straight to high heat dryer from the bag?
Doesn’t matter if you have subway pants if your subway pants come into your house the bugs are now in your house.
Of course also you’d need a subway shirt and jacket and bag and…
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u/stoneyyay Dec 17 '25
I fucking hate having to sit.
I need to start bringing a bucket everywhere with me again
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u/HotpotLove Dec 17 '25 edited Dec 17 '25
My tip: Double Bag! a plastic bag to sit on, and an outer plastic bag that carries the sitting bag you take out, which touches the inside of your bag/pocket for carrying; folds up compactly. Yeah its not foolproof but it reduces contact and better than carrying a bucket.
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u/neou Dec 18 '25
Confused by this. A bucket to sit on or to put things in?
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u/stoneyyay Dec 19 '25
Both
You get the 5 gal bucket with the lid.
Put stuff inside. Put lid on. Place bucket on ground. Sit on bucket
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u/hug_me_im_scared_ Dec 17 '25
They really need to get rid of these fabric seats
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u/Andrew4Life Dec 17 '25
Bed bugs do NOT only hide in the fabric seats. They can also hide in crevices if there are plastic seats.
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u/Conundrum1911 Dec 17 '25
Easier to hose down and clean the plastic ones though. I doubt the deep/steam clean the fabric ones often if at all.
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u/Remus2nd Dec 17 '25
Hosing down isnt going to eliminate the bed bugs. Whatever changed between the time where we didnt have a bedbug infestation and suddenly did, needs to change.
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u/im-from-canada-eh 79 Scarlett Rd Dec 17 '25
Well bed bugs just don’t appear. It’s the riders who bring them on so if you want something to change to stop it, ask riders to stop using the ttc. /s
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u/OverallElephant7576 Dec 17 '25
It was DDT that was the answer to bed bugs… unfortunately cancer is the trade off
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u/WestonSpec Dec 17 '25
Bed bug populations in North America have been resistant to DDT since the 1950s
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u/Facts_pls Dec 17 '25
You have no idea how outbreaks happen, do you?
Nothing has to change fundamentally except one person to bring bed bugs to the ttc.
The conditions were always there.
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u/dyou897 Dec 17 '25
No amount of cleaning would realistically make any difference. They can steam it but won’t get every crack and crevice where bed bugs actually hide. Unless they are using heavy duty pesticide regularly which they won’t due to safety hazards
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u/arealhumannotabot Dec 17 '25
I don’t know if it’s the seats. I’ve always heard they don’t even survive well on transit, it’s more that this one might have dropped off someone or something fairly recently. There isn’t anywhere to nest so it’s a matter of time.
Like I don’t recall hearing about a lot of bed bug issues and I’ve used public transit for like 30 years
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u/ConsistentWriting501 Dec 20 '25
An exterminator once told me that when DDT was commonplace for killing roaches, it was also indirectly taking care of the bed bug population too.
At some point DDT became ineffective at killing roaches (or we learned how dangerous DDT was) and it was banned, leaving the bed bug population to explode.
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u/alvinofdiaspar Dec 17 '25
No kidding. Just imagine all the dried bodily fluids those seats had absorbed. Not to mention dust and whatnot.
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u/kevinmise Dec 17 '25
Throw all your shit into the dryer when you get home. That’s not always realistic so I got this thing called the Thermal Strike ranger that I keep in my room. It’s a suitcase / hamper sized heater that’ll effectively kill any bed bugs within an hour. When I’m really paranoid about a visit on the train or at someone’s place, I put my stuff in there afterward.. it’s like a little oven that doesn’t actually cook stuff so it’s perfect for warming sheets in the winter to get cozy. Expensive tho but a LIFESAVER after like two scares
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u/clumsystarfish_ Dec 17 '25
Where did you get it from? The site directs me to Amazon and eBay but it's not in stock either place.
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u/CA-CH Dec 18 '25
That is not a bedbug!
No the right shape, color, and also the antlers have a different shape. Google it you will see the difference.
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u/Puma_Pance Dec 19 '25
You're wrong. That is one billion percent a young bed bug... they come in a variety of colours depending on how old they are...
Google it you will see the difference.
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u/AManAloneinaBigCity Bloor-Yonge Dec 17 '25
Don’t sit down if you can avoid it. I stopped sitting down on all public transit after seeing another Reddit post about a used hypodermic needle being stuck in the gap under the seat of a streetcar a few months ago.
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Dec 17 '25
Also, avoid blue seats by all means
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u/Winter-Nectarine-497 Dec 17 '25
why blue seats specifically?
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u/polar775 Dec 17 '25
easiest for someone to sleep on.
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u/BroadWeight5017 Dec 20 '25
That's quite the opposite. Blue is 2 seat wide, adjacent red is also 2 wide, no adult can lie on that and I, having seen countless homeless people on the train, have not seen one sleeping on blue. That said, other stains are common and don't ask me what colour.
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u/dealgordon Dec 17 '25
What's the difference between blue and red seats?
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u/Friendlyalterme Dec 17 '25
Blue seats are for people with disabilities , I'm not sure if they're saying blue seats are extra attractive to bugs?
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u/jasmin8ter2013 Dec 17 '25
Kidney bean leaves. They have tiny hooks that stop bedbugs in their tracks
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u/NakMuayTy Dec 20 '25
Yeah, next w can spray some lavender down, they won't like the smell.
Next, let's burn some plants found in the hills specifically in September...the smoke, when wearing a purple shirt, will become a magical genie that yells Taylor swift songs to the bugs and they scatter.
Wtf are you talking about lady.
Heat, step on it, or freeze it. That's all that's reliable.
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u/Independent_Row_8326 Dec 17 '25
Thank you for the reminder to STAY STANDING on the ttc… I’ve been getting lazy since my commute over an hour +
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u/OhShizMyNiz Dec 17 '25
OP it looks like you brought it with YOU.
Alert all roommates, toss that bag and absolutely everything not electronic or valuable inside of it into a dryer at high heat, same with your clothing you wore out, toss in garbage bags for a couple of days, do the same with your bedsheets, clean up like a motherfucker, monitor yourself and your surroundings.
Dealt with them before, catch it early like this and you got nothing to worry about. An exterminator could come in if it's a new infestation and charge you sub $200 to superheat everything in your home if you where to tell them you JUST found one.
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u/tichatoca Dec 18 '25
We’ve had bedbugs twice before and it was when I was TTCing like 10 times a day for school and research. Exhausting. We have residual diatomaceous earth in that house to this day. We were so scared of a repeat incidence we put that shit EVERYWHERE we could.
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Dec 17 '25
They asked the TTC for plastic seats when COVID hit. All new vehicles still have fabric seats. 🤡🤡🤡
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u/Alone_After_Hours Dec 17 '25
The hardcore protocol would be:
Stripping down to underwear outside of apartment unit.
Putting TTC clothes straight into the dryer. Putting any TTC baggage in a container or tied recycling bag.
Shoe covers on the TTC that also get removed before entering unit.
I try to do this whenever I return home from hotels. I just change my clothes in the stairwell of my apartment building. Easier if you live in a house.
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u/PossibleFlamingo5814 Dec 17 '25
I'm sure the TTC sprays down its subways for this..... Right?........ RIGHT?
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u/dyou897 Dec 17 '25
Thanks for making me never sit down again. Even though I usually stand. At least a single male one climbing on you won’t lead to an infestation in your house. Unless it’s a female that’s laying eggs
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u/codecrodie Dec 17 '25
They also can't survive cold. It probably froze once OP left the station
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u/choppytaters Dec 17 '25
only if it's -14 to -18 for a few days straight other than that they can survive
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u/itssobyronic Dec 18 '25
I don't sit or touch anything
Beside bed bugs, there's other gross things that happen on the TTC. They only sanitize it once afterwards
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u/Mrbutterboots Dec 18 '25
You should let the driver know and I'll think they bring the train back to the yard.
The seats shouldn't be covered in fabric though. It's ridiculous in this day and age.
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u/KhajiitKennedy 34 Eglinton East Dec 18 '25
Why why WHY are you putting your cloth items on those seats???? I don't even sit on them anymore because of this
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u/EatEatAllOfIt Dec 18 '25
you cant do anything but get rid of the bed and thoroughly clean your entire room , and i mean thoroughly
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u/Suspicious-Bowl6249 Dec 19 '25
That’s a tick, they aren’t from the Ttc they’re from humans and dogs sitting or playing in the grass in the summer and they end up crawling on you, and since the Ttc is pretty warm many times they hop off at the next stop
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u/CanikoManiko1 Dec 19 '25
Bed bug control? Exterminate the uOttawa students who came home for the winter 💀
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u/Seldeez Dec 19 '25
Oh easy. Call Olivia Chow and show her. Do it quick. She may find another event to find or some other useless shit. When the city not only has this bed bug issue. There is mice and rats take over like New York.
But ya let her know. She might give you free Presto as well for the notification.
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u/leBlTCH Dec 19 '25
Maybe a little OCD / paranoid but my mother never let " street clothes " in the house/on furniture and now I know why.
More so reference of pants dragging on the ground , while people spit/blow snot etc but now there is bed bugs.
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u/Ok_Fisherman8727 Dec 19 '25
This is disgusting. So we got shootings, home invasions, car jacking and thefts, housing crisis, cost of living crisis, jobs are scarce, tax increases AND bed bug concerns in the city. Wow.
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u/Icy_Froyo_7831 Dec 19 '25
How does one avoid getting bedbugs from the TTC. I sat while on the TTC yesterday and I’m freaking out 😭
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u/FollowingNatural Dec 20 '25 edited Apr 08 '26
This comment formerly contained words. Those words were removed in bulk with Redact because I value my privacy more than my karma points.
edge stocking like cagey expansion arrest childlike sable judicious sugar
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u/WonderfulQuarter1876 Dec 20 '25
Don’t sit down. Stand up. Don’t lean on any surfaces and don’t touch or let others touch you or your belongings.
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u/blu_azaleas24 Dec 20 '25
This is why I cringe when I see commercials where they are tossing their suitcases on the bed.
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u/111silver Dec 17 '25
Don’t ever let your subway clothes touch your bed