Carpet beetles are pesky little insects that can cause serious damage to your carpets and furniture. They also create an unpleasant odor which makes it difficult to enjoy your home.
Luckily, there are some easy steps that you can take to prevent these pests from entering your home or damaging any of the items inside.
Does Steam Cleaning Kill Carpet Beetles?
Steam Cleaning is an eco-friendly and chemical-free way to kill carpet beetles. The hot steam vapors kill the larvae and eggs of these pests, as well as remove any stains that they might have left behind on your carpets or fabric furniture.
Steam Cleaning doesn’t use harsh chemicals which can be dangerous for you or anyone else in contact with them e.g., pets. Steam cleaning heats water to a high temperature which forms steam vapors (212°F).
The steam is then forced out through a nozzle or attachment of your choosing at high pressure that is used to clean deep down in your carpets and furniture, killing any carpet beetles that might be present.
Step by Step Steam Cleaning Guide
Steam cleaning is the most effective way to remove and prevent carpet beetles. Follow our professional step-by-step guide to removing carpet beetles.
Step 1: Preparing your home; remove all items from the flooring that are not being steam cleaned e.g., rugs. Vacuum the carpets and furniture to remove any dust, dirt, or visible carpet beetles.
Step 2: This is optional but recommended for best results. If you have pets in contact with carpet beetles then it’s a good idea to vacuum them or wash them off, removing any pests or eggs from their fur before they enter into areas where you’ll be steam cleaning.
Step 3: Prepare your steam cleaner, fill the water tank with cold water, turn the steam cleaner onto a “high” setting for best results and wait until it has heated.
Step 4: When you’re ready, start steam cleaning all carpeted areas in the room until they are dry (usually about 20 minutes). Remember, it’s important not to use excessive amounts of pressure. Let the steam cleaner do the work.
Step 5: Once done, re-vacuum up the remaining dead carpet beetles, larvae, and eggs.
If there was an excess amount of dirt, stains, or pests during the vacuuming, repeat the process steps again.
Check out this YouTube video that shows you how to steam clean a carpet.
How to Spot the Signs Early?
Carpet beetles can be hard to spot.
The best way to identify them is by looking for small, black oval-shaped insects. To many, they look like spots on your carpet.
These are usually in the shape of a “T” or an upside-down triangle and can be found near baseboards, corners/edges as well under furniture (especially where there’s fabric).
If you spot any signs, it may not mean that they’re already infested but if left untreated could lead to it.
Infested signs can be excess damage to fabric furniture, rips, tears, and even carpet stains. A suspicious number of dead insects in your home or even shed skin with light brown coloring.
Carpet Beetle’s Eggs and Nesting
Carpet beetles have been known to lay and nest their eggs in the home due to the availability of food and shelter.
They can lay their eggs on the carpet, furniture, or even clothing. The eggs hatch in about two weeks after being laid by the adult female carpet beetle; which can lay up to 300 eggs.
Carpet beetles are known to be attracted by certain types of fabric such as woolen carpets. They are most commonly found nesting in fabric couches where carpet beetles nest their eggs due to their warm and dark environment.
Carpet beetle’s eggs and larvae are white and black with a creamy texture. Their eggs have been known to be a food source for the larvae of other insects such as clothes moths.
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- CHEMICAL-FREE CLEANING - Naturally deep clean without the use of harsh chemicals using hot, pressured steam to eliminate grease, grime, and stains from a wide range of surfaces including ceramic tile, grout, granite, sealed wood flooring, laminate, appliances, grills, autos, and more
- LARGE CAPACITY TANK - The 48-ounce water tank heats up in under 8 minutes and provides up to 45 minutes of steam with optional lockable steam trigger for continuous steam cleaning
How to Prevent Carpet Beetles from Returning
Following Purely Steams step-by-step guide above is an effective way to prevent Carpet Beetles from returning. Following our guide and following our steps monthly can guarantee prevention.
You can prevent carpet beetles by regularly vacuuming your home, removing any clutter, using essential oils such as an aroma like peppermint oil, Peppermint oil has been vastly researched to repel many different insect breeds. Read more
Are Carpet Beetles Harmful?
Carpet beetles in small amounts are not harmful to humans, but in large groups or large nests, they can cause itchy rashes on sensitive skin.
Carpet beetles can also cause allergic reactions in people with asthma and allergies. When the larvae are present, they release histamines into the environment which causes an allergy attack.
Is your dog or cat scratching its coat obsessively? Carpet beetles feed off fur, meaning they can live and survive on their bodies. This can cause bald patches from over scratching, irritation, and sometimes infection.
Essential Oils that Prevent Carpet Beetles
3 essential oils can be used to repel and prevent carpet beetles: Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, and Clove Oil.
Peppermint essential oil is known to repel most insects and repel mosquitos. Peppermint is used in many insect repellents and is most commonly used on ants. Make your own Chemical-free homemade Peppermint oil repellent spray.
Lavender Oil is commonly used to repel bug pests in both cleaning products and beauty products.
People use Lavender oil on their skin to repel bugs. Using this oil can protect your furniture as it’s a natural oil that can be used on all surfaces. Try Purely Steams Homemade Lavender Oil Wax Polish on your furniture.
Eucalyptus Oil is fantastic because it smells good, it’s also an insecticide that repels flies as well. This oil can be used in a diffuser to emit the scent without having bugs fly around you or have them get into your home while trying at the same time.
Conclusion
Steam cleaning is a great chemical-free way to prevent and destroy carpet beetles in your home. An alternative chemical-free way can be vacuuming and essential oils like Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Lavender oil.
Following this guide and step-by-step help is a quick and effective away to solve your carpet beetle problem.
Carpet beetles are small black creatures and are a pest to all homes; so, try to spot the signs early. Infestation in large groups could be harmful not just to yourself but your family, furniture, and pets.
