They may be little, but they can cause big problems! Carpet beetles, though hard to spot most of the time, can damage fibers because they actually eat into the material of your carpet. If you start to notice the weaves coming apart in certain areas of your carpet, chance are you’ve got carpet beetles crawling around and feasting on the fibers!
To get rid of these pesky beetles, be prepared to spend a good amount of time and effort to clean your carpets; other nearby linens; and take measures to prevent them from returning. Read on for our simple instructions on how to go about doing all of this step by step.
1. Vacuum Like Never Before!
First off, you need to vacuum more thoroughly than you ever have. While there may be some obvious spots where beetles are hiding or even sightings of them, at this point, they could be anywhere in your carpet. Hence, you need to vacuum over the same spot at least twice, if not more than that. Be on the lookout for fecal pellets and larvae as they would suggest a more severe infestation in those areas. If you’re willing, you could also use a butter knife to gently run through the material to get a closer look between the fibers.
2. Clean Surrounding Upholstery
Between vacuuming and starting the next cleaning process for your carpets, you’ll need to clean your upholstery and other linens. Carpets beetles can easily make their way to nearby upholstery so we strongly advise you to wash surrounding linens and thoroughly vacuum upholstery furniture if you have any. This will ensure that you’ve got them all and prevent another carpet beetle problem in the near future. Be sure to vacuum nooks and crannies and underneath your sofas and couch. Carpet beetles enjoy exploring and hiding in crevices so you can never be too careful.
3. Use Bug Spray for Extra Precaution
It’s not always possible to vacuum up each and every beetle and larvae; hence, we prefer to go the extra mile and spray carpets and upholstery with bug spray. You can choose between insecticide (chemical based) and organic (eco-friendly) bug spray for this. If you’ve got kids and pets, we advise the latter. Be generous when spraying as some beetles can make their way deep into the weave where they will eventually multiply, leading to another infestation. It’s also advisable to use bug spray on your carpets and upholstery every month as preventative measures.
4. Seal Any Potential Entries
Beetles don’t literally walk into your home through the front door; there are plenty of entries for them to find their way to your carpets. These include vents/air ducts, the basement, attic and gaps between thresholds and baseboards. Consider installing a mess over vents and air ducts to keep carpet beetles (and other creepy crawlies) out, and seal other entries appropriately to prevent a future infestation.
Aside from doing the bug removal yourself, many professional cleaners utilize cleaning chemicals and equipment with bug-repellents to keep insects from returning to crevices and holes that they call home within your own home. You may also consider this if beetles are too rampant in your area.
