Got Carpet Beetles? You’re Not Alone
Discovering mysterious new holes in the furniture and carpet? Your home may also be home to one of three species of carpet beetles that are common pests here in Arizona. Those carpet beetles include the varied carpet beetle, the furniture carpet beetle, and the black carpet beetle. The larval stage of a carpet beetle is the most destructive phase of life, and it can cost Arizona homeowners thousands of dollars in damaged clothes, furniture, and carpet.
These pests feed on organic materials — like your carpet fibers, clothing, pet hair, and even human foods like flour and cornmeal! Carpet beetles may lay their eggs in carpets, and a simple pass with a vacuum cleaner won’t get them all. However, if you call on carpet cleaning specialists who know how to get your carpets clean from the roots, you might just find that your carpet beetle problem gets smaller.
Does Carpet Cleaning Get Rid of Carpet Beetles?
Carpet cleaning can help get rid of the carpet beetle larvae damaging your home. However, you can’t only clean the carpet if you want to get rid of carpet beetles, you need to clean the entire house.
How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles
There are a few ways to get rid of a carpet beetle infestation in your home. Those methods include thorough home cleaning, pesticides, and then prevention of future outbreaks.
Thoroughly Clean the House
The first step to ridding your home of carpet beetles and their destructive larvae is to clean your home thoroughly.
1. Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaner
One of the first steps to ridding your home of carpet beetles and their larvae is to hire a professional steam cleaner to clean the carpets, such as the professional carpet cleaners at Magic Touch Carpet Repair And Cleaning.
Using steam cleaning equipment, you can remove all sorts of stains and allergens. This cleaning method gets right to the root of the carpet fibers and removes even the most stubborn stains with ease. This method of cleaning results in deep-cleaned carpets — and spells the end for your beetle infestation. However, this isn’t the end of the process; there are still a few more steps to take to ensure that they don’t make their home somewhere else.
2. Clean All Furniture
Getting rid of a carpet beetle infestation is a time-consuming process. In addition to deep cleaning your carpet, you need to clean all of your furniture. Carpet cleaning companies such as Magic Touch Carpet Repair And Cleaning also perform upholstery cleaning services, so it may be a wise investment to have both services completed at the same time. Carpet beetle larvae can cause tons of damage to your furniture if left unattended.
3. Wash All Clothing and Bedding
We mean all of your clothing and bedding. Hot water and soap can kill carpet beetles and their larvae. Make sure that you wash every article of clothing in the house with warm water and detergent. Carpet beetles are notoriously resilient (they can survive for weeks or months without eating!) so be sure to dry clean any piece of clothing that can’t go through the wash.
Use Pesticides or Insecticides
For all of the areas of your home that you can’t clean or disinfect, you may need to use pesticides or insecticides to ensure the removal of a carpet beetle infestation.
1. Spray Insecticides
For the areas that cannot be cleaned or washed, spray an insecticide that lists carpet beetles on its label. Make sure to follow all manufacturer guidelines and only apply it to surfaces you cannot clean any other way. Insecticides should only be used as spot treatments.
Do not spray clothing or bedding with insecticides. Instead, focus on areas that collect lint, such as the edges of carpets, the corners of closets, and any shelving where fabrics are stored (linen closets). Make sure to apply insecticides to any cracks or crevices. Make sure the area is well-ventilated, and ensure that all people and animals leave the room while the insecticides disperse into the air. Wash your hands after using pesticides.
2. Use Boric Acid
Boric acid can be useful for areas that are harder to reach with insecticides or impossible to clean. If you notice that you have an infested attic or wall void, it may be useful to sprinkle boric acid on them in an even layer. Make sure that you don’t use boric acid on any dark materials or fabrics, as it has a bleaching effect.
3. Use Hormone-Based Glue Traps
For infestations that won’t go away, it may be time to use hormone-based glue traps. These traps are specific to the species of carpet beetle in your home. However, you can also use sticky traps without any hormones to catch beetles. Place the traps around entry points. Check the traps at least twice a week, and make sure to wash your hands after contact.
Prevent Future Infestations
Once you’ve cleared out your current carpet beetle infestation, do the following to prevent a future infestation and protect your furniture, carpet, and clothing!
1. Remove Outdoor Nests
Check outside for any carpet beetle nests and remove them. Check all of your screens, doors, and windows for holes. Throw away old spider webs or any other nests made by other animals (carpet beetles love to hide in those).
2. Investigate Your Plants
Make sure that you check any plants you bring inside for signs of carpet beetles or their larvae. It may be best to leave plants outside.
3. As a Last Resort, Use Insecticide Outside
For infestations that won’t go away, you may need to spray insecticide around your home’s foundation and any entry areas. However, this should be a last resort, as insecticides will also kill harmless bugs.
How Can Magic Touch Carpet Repair And Cleaning Help You?
The Magic Touch Carpet Repair and Cleaning team has years of experience carpet and upholstery cleaning. Having a professional carpet cleaning service handle your carpet cleaning is the best way to kill any existing pests lurking in the fibers. With our carpet cleaning process, you can rest assured that your carpet is as clean as can be — we can also handle all types of stains, from pet stains to food stains.
Our wide range of services doesn’t stop at carpet cleaning, either. We can also provide carpet repair and replacement services, including stretching and patching. On top of that, we also handle grout and tile cleaning. So if your floor looks a little dingy or you’re dealing with troublesome stains, count on our quality service. Give us a call to get started!