Carpet beetles can cause extensive damage to furniture, rugs, and even clothing. They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of once they infest your home.

Preventing Carpet Beetles

Carpet beetle

Prevention is the best way to ensure that your home remains beetle-free this summer. Frequent and thorough cleaning will eliminate adult and larval carpet beetles. Vacuum weekly, paying close attention to hidden areas such as those under furniture or in dark corners. Carpet beetles prefer dark spaces where their eggs are unlikely to be disturbed.

If you have pets in your home, consider vacuuming more frequently. Carpet beetles feed on animal hair. During the hot summer months, dogs and cats tend to shed more, providing more for carpet beetles to eat. Eliminating their food supply is the best way to prevent carpet beetles from infesting your home.

How to Tell if You Have a Carpet Beetle Infestation

It can be difficult to tell the difference between damage done by carpet beetles and that done by moths. Carpet beetles tend to destroy a large portion of one area of a rug or other item, while moths often leave many smaller holes throughout the item. Carpet beetles also leave a brown, shell-like skin when they molt.

How to Eliminate Carpet Beetles From Your Home

If you have a carpet beetle problem, first try to isolate the infested items so the beetles do not spread to the rest of your home. Freezing the item for two weeks at a temperature below 18 degrees Fahrenheit or heating them above 120 degrees for thirty minutes will kill carpet beetles at all stages of their development. Only use temperature management if extreme temperatures will not damage the item further.

If carpet beetles have infested your wall-to-wall carpets, call a professional carpet cleaning service. They will remove all of the furniture from the affected room and use a carpet cleaning solution designed to eliminate scents that attract carpet beetles, such as perspiration and animal odors.

While the carpets are being cleaned, inspect the furniture for signs of carpet beetles. Vacuum the upholstery carefully to eliminate any larve or eggs that may have been laid inside the furniture.

Ask your carpet cleaning team about applying a chemical repellant to your carpets to prevent a repeat infestation. They will be able to advise you on the best products for your situation.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.