A home comes with many benefits, mainly decorating and designing the space you love. However, one of the most disgusting things is the infestation of unwanted pests. These creatives pave their path into your beloved abode. During warmer months, you’ll likely see fruit flies, ants, house spiders, and carpet beetles.
A carpet battle is one of the most common house pets that can cause much damage. Hence, it is essential to know the ways to eradicate such insects from around your home. The question arises, how to get rid of carpet beetles? Pest control experts have suggested ways to handle carpet beetle infestation and keep them away for good.
Signs and Symptoms to Identify Carpet Beetle Infestations
Before knowing How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles, it is important to check out the signs. The carpet beetle eggs are tiny and hardly visible, which is why people fail to notice them until damage starts forming. Especially, on carpet fabrics and other items. The following are some warning signs and symptoms.
- Smaller holes in the clothing or the fabric of the furniture or any other bare spots on rugs
- Irregular open spaces or shorter carpet nap onto the weave
- Bigger holes indicate where carpet beetles have caused notable damage
Noticing clear signs of beetle infestation in carpets will help you take proactive steps to eradicate such issues. The following sections will explore some of the best strategies for removing carpet beetles.
How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles?
After you have inspected your home and located the source of carpet beetles, the next move is to know easy ways to get rid of carpet beetles. If you discover an infestation, here are some methods that will help you safely exterminate these pests.
Use Boric Acid
Boric acid is a poison that operates on the metabolism of insects. It is dangerous for humans when inhaled or ingested in huge quantities. You can find it in the form of powder in pharmaceutical stores or the laundry aisle of supermarkets. Furthermore, sprinkle it evenly and lightly on the carpet, using a brush to distribute it to the fibres. Just wait for a couple of hours and follow with thorough vacuuming.
You can make a larvae-killing spray by dissolving a tablespoon of boric acid in 2 cups of hot water. Now, fill the plastic spray bottle with the solution, mist curtains, baseboards, upholstery, dark nooks, and notches.
Use Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is another natural product that you can find across various online retailers and agricultural feed stores. It also forms the desiccant, killing quickly through the dehydrated larvae. Follow these steps, we mentioned for boric acid use and sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the baseboards, cabinets as well as closets. So, ensure select food-safe diatomaceous earth. Remember to wear gloves and a mask or respirator for safety.
Apple Vinegar
Do you know, that white vinegar and apple cider vinegar effectively eradicate carpet beetles? Therefore, pour vinegar into the empty spray bottle and mist it across the carpets, furniture, and clothing. You may often locate the signs of carpet beetle infestation in the dresser drawers or the closet. Here, you can wash the clothes in a solution made from water and vinegar. It also helps to kill the larvae or the beetle eggs.
Vacuuming and Steam Cleaning
If you detect any signs of carpet beetle infestation, ensure vacuuming each room in your home. This is mainly for rooms with carpet flooring. Vacuuming enables you to ward off carpet beetles, their molt, and eggs. This is the main reason behind carpet beetle dermatitis.
Remember to use a vacuum under the bed and other furniture. The damp, dark, and cooler places are the main areas where the carpet beetles lay their eggs. Therefore, it is important to ensure that every corner and inch of your property is cleaned. Regular vacuuming helps remove common pests, such as ants and carpet mites.
Application of Insecticide
When you are looking for ways to get rid of carpet beetles, you can treat the carpets and other upholsteries with insecticide. Likewise, choose the insecticides that consist of tetramethrin, deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, or bifenthrin. Before you treat the whole carpet, must test on some other areas.
It will ensure that the product will not cause staining. Furthermore, using insecticide should be your last resort since it is hazardous. Numerous products should be used cautiously around pets and other people. Therefore, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
Fogger
The adult carpet beetles fly around the home and can start laying eggs, restarting the whole process. As a last resort, you can use an insect fogger to address adult carpet beetles. Several precautions follow with foggers, mainly with infants and kids. Therefore, ensure to use them wisely.
5 Effective Strategies to Prevent Carpet Beetle Infestations
Prevention is often the best method for stopping the spread of insects like these. After you remove the carpet beetles from your home, you only need to make some moves to prevent them from returning.
- Try hanging the sticky flypaper strips near your windows to prevent adult carpet beetles from entering your space.
- Install the pheromone-type traps in the closets and the windowsills to prevent the beetles from laying eggs on the carpet.
- Store the dry food like flour or noodles in airtight containers.
- Follow a weekly routine of dusting, vacuuming, and sweeping to prevent beetles from breeding in your carpet.
- The beetles feed on soiled fabrics, so clean clothing of perspiration, spills, and other elements before storing it.
It is the best time to take the necessary measures to safeguard your home from the nuisance spread by carpet beetles by identifying the behavior and taking the right measures.
Conclusion
When you need to know how to get rid of carpet beetles, this post is here to help. Carpet beetles are sneaky bugs that can cause a lot of damage when left unaddressed. Potential insecticides and repellents are common household items and are not harmful to pets or humans.
The ideal way to get rid of carpet beetles is by regularly cleaning. So, you can now try one of the ways we have mentioned above to remove the carpet beetles from your home. Hope, this article provides you with an informative solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Permanently Get Rid of Carpet Beetles?
A couple of insects do not die when they come in contact with boric acid. Luckily, carpet beetles are prone to this insect-apocalypse-causing product.
Does Vinegar Kill Carpet Beetles?
Due to its high acidity, vinegar often removes carpet beetles infesting your home. “However, there are other pest control solutions that are more effective than using vinegar
What Is the Best Trap for Carpet Beetles?
The potential traps are the ones baited with carpet beetle pheromones. Sure, here is the revised text:
You can create sticky traps using double-sided cardboard and tape. Lay these traps onto the windowsills, near the furniture as well as in the closets.
What Can Be Mistaken for Carpet Beetles?
Carpet beetles are sometimes confused with bed bugs; however, there are a few clear distinctive features between these pests.
Am I Allergic to Carpet Beetles?
The symptoms of an allergic reaction to carpet beetles may include itchy, red, and watery eyes, a runny nose, and itchy skin.
