So, looking at multi-colored beetles is always fun, right? Well, you will be shocked to learn that there are a lot more complications that come with these pesky beetles. Take the carpet beetles, for example. As beautiful as they are with their patterns and overall design, they can wreak havoc in your home in a short period. They don’t necessarily carry any disease with them, but they can create many complications in your home, given that they spread like wildfire.
Besides that, carpet beetles are also fast and non-picky eaters, which means they will eat away at your crumbs, sometimes even your carpet and furniture. Any kind of natural fibers, including carpets, clothing, curtains and they will create an issue in your home.
However, if you are wondering how to get rid of carpet beetles from your home, you have come to the right place. Not only do we have a list of tips, but we also have a long list of information that you’d need to know about carpet beetles.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Groundhogs?
Table of Contents
Carpet Beetles: Everything You Need to Know
When talking about insects and pests in your home, carpet beetles are hands down the worst kind you’d encounter. They have a combination of yellow, black, and tan color on the body and tend to grow up to ¼ inch in length, which isn’t a lot but enough to destroy everything with natural fiber in your home.
Many people have the misconception thinking that they are found only in the carpets. That isn’t the case, though. Generally, these are found around the house, especially in the crooks and folds of your darker areas around the home.
As for the primary food sources of this insect, it relies on natural fibers like cotton, wool, linen, and silk. So, not just your carpets, you need to protect your curtains and even your clothes if the infestation has gone out of control.
The worst part of the carpet beetles is that they reproduce like it’s nobody’s business. This means that not only do you have to worry about their spread, but you also have to stop them from reproducing at a rapid rate. This is why finding their infestation early is crucial. Even the larvae of a carpet beetle can sustain for days without eating, which is reason enough why you need to act quickly and kill them before it’s too late.
List of Ways to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles
Simply knowing about carpet beetles isn’t going to help you. Instead, you need to know about the different ways to get rid of these for good if you don’t want to regret things later. We have sorted out some of the best ways of getting rid of carpet beetles, and we thought we’d share them with you.
1. Start by Vacuuming
Your safest and likely the easiest way to get rid of the carpet beetles is by vacuuming your entire home. And, by entire home, we mean the ENTIRE home. From the carpet to the curtains, you need to keep an eye out for the same. Since the carpet beetles tend to hide away under the carpets, curtains, and other kinds of natural fiber items in your home, you need to be thorough with the vacuuming part. This is to ensure that no part around the house is missed out.
Also, make sure that when you vacuum the area around your house with a vacuum, you must use the finer nozzle to reach out into the nooks and corners of the house.
2. Try Insecticide
If you have inquisitive kids or pets who generally get into things, you must skip out on this trip altogether because it puts them at heightened risks of accidents. However, if that isn’t the case and you want to get rid of the carpet beetles for good from your home, we’d recommend trying out some form of insecticide that is meant for indoor use. There are several options available in the market that you can look into.
Some of the primary types of chemicals you should look for in the insecticide include bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, etc. These are heavily reactive and toxic compounds that can effectively help get rid of the infestation for good.
3. Try Out Deep Cleaning Methods
If the carpet beetles are deeply rooted in your home, the chances are that simply vacuuming won’t do the deal. In that case, you’d generally need to watch out for the other types of deep cleaning methods, including steam cleaning, if you want to get every single one of them. Besides the adult beetles, it is the larvae that you need to be aware of because those small pesky ones are the ones that do the maximum damage.
If you want to get the deep cleaning done and dusted, we’d recommend getting around the moisture-filled and damp areas around the house. Besides that, try to declutter your space because even that contributes to consistent damage.
4. Throw Away the Infested Clothing
Another important factor that you need to do if you are looking for ways to get rid of carpet beetles is to immediately throw away the infested clothing and the different fabrics around the house. More often than not, you will want to salvage the items that you have around your house. However, that is exactly what you shouldn’t be doing.
Even two beetles left behind in the cloth or the washer will end up reproducing in abundance and bring everything back to square one. So, make sure that you either throw them somewhere far, or you can burn them down to be completely sure that they don’t make a return again.
5. Use Boric Acid
If you don’t want to use a highly toxic chemical or insecticide, boric acid is an amazing alternative that you can consider looking into. Besides fleas, boric acid is equally effective in getting rid of the beetles, provided that you are using them the right way. So, if you have kids or pets around and nothing seems to be working, and you want something stronger, boric acid is comparatively a safer option in comparison.
Besides the safety, the use of boric acid also doesn’t leave behind stains or other kinds of bad odor on the surface you are spraying it on, which is another reason why it is considered a superior option for you to look into. Also, suppose you don’t want to apply the boric acid directly on the different fabrics or carpets around the house. In that case, you can make a diluted solution with water and spray it around for similar results.
6. Try Vinegar
Besides boric acid, even vinegar has similar effects in getting rid of the carpet beetles. However, you will have to bear the strong acidic stench of the vinegar where you have sprayed them. Also, you have to wash them thoroughly before you can reuse the carpets or curtains that have been infested. If the white vinegar is too strong for you in terms of smell, apple cider vinegar is a pretty good alternative that you can consider looking into.
Besides that, for application, you need to dilute the solution to an extent. Try adding some water to the apple cider vinegar and transfer it into a spray bottle. From there, you can spray it around the infested areas, especially around the window sills, curtains, carpets, etc.
7. Use Hormone-Based Glue Traps
If nothing seems to be working, another effective way you can use is with hormone-based glue traps. These are suggested in extreme infestations, especially if you can’t get rid of them using steam cleaning or vacuuming. However, putting these traps is not as easy as it seems. You need to first scope out the entire house and find the spots that are the most infested. It can include spaces like doors, windows, and crevices around the house.
Once you find the ideal spaces around, you can then move on to the other confined spaces to eventually eliminate the carpet beetles. It will take a few days before you can get rid of them all. So, you need to be a little patient with the same.
8. Opt For A Fogger
Not many users know about this, but fogger is another way to effectively get rid of the carpet beetles. Even these are a type of insecticide, which you can use to get rid of the carpet beetles without much effort. They are found in a spray bottle, so the application is a lot easier for you to manage.
Still confused about how to get rid of carpet beetles? We hope that you have a proper guide to home remedies and effective removal methods. However, you need to understand that sometimes the infestation is beyond your control. This means that you need to get help from a professional. So, make sure that you don’t hesitate to get the help if nothing else works out.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Termites?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is It Hard to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles by Yourself?
It depends on the extent of the infestation. If the spread is under control, you wouldn’t have a very hard time tackling it. However, if the infestation is out of control, getting pest control is best.
Which Scents Repel Carpet Beetles?
Peppermint and clove oil are two of the strongest smells that carpet beetles hate. So, if you are trying to get rid of them, these two essential oils can work magic.
Does Every House Have Carpet Beetles?
Yes, more or less, every house has carpet beetles in the residence. Sometimes, the spread becomes out of control, resulting in an infestation.
