How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles in 4 Steps

Before getting rid of carpet beetles, you need first to make sure that you have carpet beetles. These small beetles come in a variety of shapes and colors, but they are often a blend of black and brown with a hard crust-like shell on their back. They are typically no longer than a quarter inch in size and they make their homes in animal fiber materials like wool and fur.

These bugs are typical in older homes, and they have a keen ability to find their way in through small cracks and openings in doors and windows.

Here are a few simple ways to rid yourself of these pests:

1. Do Not Keep Stained Clothing Around

Dirty clothing is a feast for carpet beetles. They are attracted to oil and food residue that is on clothing. If you store stained clothes in a closet for an extended period, the beetles become drawn to that closet, and it only escalates from there.

If you have stained clothing that needs to be kept somewhere, keep it in a latched clothes hamper or put it immediately into the washing machine.

2. Vacuum Often

One obvious way to prevent carpet beetles is to vacuum your carpets regularly. If there are food spills or residue on the carpet, this can attract the bugs to that area and become a breeding ground for an infestation.

Vacuum your home at least once a week and if you are currently battling an infestation vacuum your carpet daily and shampoo it whenever possible.

3. Locate the Source

Keep an eye out for where the bugs are coming from because the best way to get rid of carpet beetles is to find out where they are breeding and start there. Look out for a bunch of them in one place or fecal matter. Check dark locations with a lot of fabric like closets, crawl spaces, and attics.

Carpet beetles also like to make their homes in flowers. If you have an infestation, you may want to consider putting your fresh flowers outside.

4. Use Insect Repellent

Find repellent that is for carpet beetles and follow the instructions on the container. These cleaners are made especially for carpet beetles and are safe to apply to the fabrics in your home.

You can apply these repellents to sources of the beetles such as cracks and openings in doors and windows. If you use the repellent to small enclosed areas like closets be sure to let the area air out before entering.

Consider setting traps using glue around openings where the beetles are entering. This method will show you how bad of an infestation you have.

How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles – Going Forward

Using the previously mentioned steps, you should have been able to kill off the infestation. There are a few steps you can take to prevent the carpet beetles from ever coming back.

We’re going to cover a few of these steps here:

1. Store Clothing Properly

If you are storing animal fiber clothing like wool or leather, be sure to keep it inside tightly sealed plastic bags. The best way to do this is with airtight plastic containers. Carpet beetles are unable to penetrate the bag and get to your clothing. Using mothballs in your clothing storage rooms can also help keep them away.

2. Close Up Access Points

If you have windows or doors without screens, make sure you leave them closed whenever possible. These openings are an easy way for carpet beetles to find their way into your home.

Also, if you use window unit air conditioners, try to seal up the edges as much as possible to keep out any pests. These bugs can squeeze in through the smallest of holes.

3. Look at Flowers Thoroughly Before Keeping Them

Carpet beetles feed on flowers and bringing flowers indoors can be an easy way to run into another infestation. Check out the flowers carefully before bringing them into your home.

It’s difficult to banish bugs from your home altogether. They always seem to find their way into the house. Using these steps though, you can get rid of the carpet beetle problem you have and help prevent this issue from ever happening again.

Carpet beetles are not entirely harmful to humans or pets, but they are a nuisance and can become a problem if they get out of hand. Use these strategies to tackle this issue in your home.