In this article, I will be giving you tips on how to get rid of carpet beetles.

While carpet beetles do not sting or bite humans, they can be destructive to other properties that are made of natural fiber.

Worse still, carpet beetles produce offspring in large numbers so having a few of them unattended today could lead to the product of hundreds later.

Here is where carpet beetles come from.

Facts On Carpet Beetle Removal

Carpet beetles are usually multicolored. They are very tiny too. You can find them creeping along your carpet, couch, bed, and pillows. Especially the ones made with natural fiber.

Carpet Beetles pose no physical three to humans, as they do not sting or bite us. Their inconvenience lies in the damage they cause to fiber-made furniture and their overall unsightly nature.

How To Get Rid Of Carpet Beetles

There are many ways with which you can remove carpet beetles from your home, or kill them outrightly.

I will list out many of the methods you can employ below.

  • Give Your Home A Thorough Vacuum

If you find that there are carpet beetles on your rug, mattress, or pillows, then one of the first and easiest removal techniques you should employ is vacuuming.

How to Get Rid Of Carpet Beetles In Mattress

Grab your vacuum cleaner and clean all corners of your carpet and under the sofas and couches. If the vacuum can’t access the under part of the couch, then lift it or move it to the side so you can access that part of the rug.

Also do a thorough vacuum of the sofas, mattresses, and pillows. It is advised you go round the floors a second time, just to make sure you get them all.

If your sofa is overly infested, then it would be advisable to take it outside and do a quick pat down to shake the carpet beetles off. After the pat-down, do another vacuum around it. You can do the same to your mattress and pillows.

This will suck up as many carpet beetles as possible. The good thing about this method is that you will also suck up their eggs as well.

The only downside is that some of the carpet beetles may be hiding in the tightest corners where the vacuum cleaner cannot access. Remember, they are very tiny insects so it’ll be easy for them to hide.

Consider this method as a temporary solution to the problem.

  • Dry-Clean The Carpet

If there are too many of them around the carpet, then after doing a thorough vacuum clean, you can take the rug away from the living room and hand it to professional cleaners.

Doing a thorough wash with soap or mild detergent will not only remove what’s left of the beetles, but it will also kill them through drowning.

Unfortunately, you can’t do the same for your mattress. If the carpet beetles are too much on the mattress, then you should forget it and buy another one.

You should properly dispose of the infested mattress so the bugs don’t spread to other areas of your house. You can also hand the unwanted mattress to a recycling center. They’ll know what to do with it.

  • Use Boric Acid

Boric acid is one of the most effective means of killing carpet beetles. The substance is sold in basically every pest control store so you can just walk into the one closest to you and buy.

Target the areas where the carpet beetles have infested and sprinkle an adequate amount all around the area.

Boric acid will kill the carpet beetles in minutes.

Sprinkle some on and around your pillow and mattress as well. These insects are fond of hiding, so they may be right under your mattress. If you sprinkle boric acid only at the upward facing part of the mattress, then you may not get them all. Flip your mattress over and sprinkle some on that part too.

As a form of insurance, you can sprinkle the floor around the bed area. Do this just in case the carpet beetles try to escape from the mattress.

In their attempt to escape, they will run into the boric acid you have sprinkled on the floor and they will die.

  • Use A Garlic And Hot Pepper Mixture

This is one of the ways to get rid of carpet beetles naturally.

Garlic mixed with pepper in a solution is a deadly weapon against most insects, as these substances irritate them.

Get as many cloves of garlic as you will need, the same as the hot pepper. Throw them in a blender and grind them to a powdery form.

Next is to boil some water and pour the garlic/pepper into the container and mix. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and visit all the infested areas in your home.

Spray the surface of the carpet, your mattress, and your pillows. The carpet beetles will not be able to withstand the burning sensation of the mixture and it will chase them away or kill them.

If the batch has been exhausted and you still have areas that haven’t been covered, then you can simply make another batch.

After spraying your carpet and other cushioned surfaces, you should leave the solution to get to work. You can repeat the process the next day and try and target areas you may have missed the previous day.

After the spraying has been done and the carpet beetles are dead or gone, you will have to do a hot water wash on your carpet and pillows. Remember, garlic has a strong smell, so a thorough wash will remove the smell.

If you don’t want to soak your mattress with a wash (for obvious reasons), then you can just take it outside and use a brush-tipped with soapy water and scrub all around it to remove the smell. Leave it out to dry before bringing it back in.

Make sure you have several days of sunlight before you do this.

By the way, this is a non-toxic approach so it is very safe to use around the home, as it won’t harm pets or children.

  • Use Neem Oil

Neem oil is another non-toxic option you can try. It is known to kill and repel many types of bugs, carpet beetles inclusive.

If you can find neem tree seeds, then you can extract the oil yourself and apply it to the infested areas. However, you could simply go to a store and buy Insecticides made from neem oil.

As I mentioned earlier, neem oil is not toxic so it won’t be a hazard to those at home, children, and pets inclusive.

  • Hot Wash Your Clothes And Bed Sheets

Carpet Beetles will feast on fabric that is made from organic fiber, which means they can also be hidden in some of your bedsheets or clothes, especially the ones you haven’t worn for a long time.

Take all of them out, boil some water, and add a strong detergent to it. Dip the clothes and sheets into the container of water and leave it to soak for a few hours.

The soapy water will drown all the carpet beetles that cling on to your fabric. Remove them and rinse.

Hang them out to dry then bring them back in.

Once again, you should do this only when you expect a few days of sunshine.

Before you bring the clothes back into your closet, make sure you do another vacuum. There may be one or two smart carpet beetles that didn’t go with the clothes as you took them out to wash. A vacuum will scoop them up.

  • Use Vinegar

Does vinegar kill carpet beetles? Yes.

A white or apple cider vinegar solution can also help you get rid of these beetle species.

Get a clean piece of cloth and spray the vinegar on it, then use it to wipe off the surfaces of your cupboards, tables, shelves, and other wooden structures the carpet beetles may have attached themselves to.

Vinegar also irritates carpet beetles and they will not last long if they remain there.

  • Get A Professional Exterminator

If by any chance all the DIY solutions proposed here fail (though I seriously doubt they would), then you can call on a professional extermination service to handle the carpet beetle infestation.

They will do a thorough assessment of the situation and determine if you and your family need to leave the house for a few days while they treat the problem. Most exterminators use chemical-based pesticides to dis-infest, and it wouldn’t be ideal for you and your family to remain in the house when harsh substances are being applied.

This could be the case if the carpet beetles are in large numbers and are well distributed across different areas of your house. Here, hiring an exterminator would be the best, most effective option

This will also cost you a decent amount of money, so have a budget for it.

Conclusion

The tips listed above should help you remedy carpet beetle infestation.

I hope this article on how to get rid of carpet beetles has been of great help.

Take care!

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