If your home is decorated with carpets and upholstery, you are automatically at risk for a variety of pests that love residing indoors. Many people are aware of bed bugs, one of the most invasive pests to inhabit a home, and one of the most difficult to completely exterminate. However, carpet beetles are another little pest that can be just as problematic as bed bugs, but many people are not aware of the risks associated with a carpet beetle infestation. Not to worry though, cleaning your carpets and duct cleaning can help!
A carpet beetle looks like a fuzzy worm, but is very small in size (approximately 1/8th to 3/16th of an inch). If you find fecal pellets or the beetle’s larvae, this is a strong indicator that you are experiencing a full-blown infestation. Because these bugs feed on food, skin cells and other debris that can easily get trapped in your carpet, regular cleaning can dramatically slow the reproduction and spread of these pests.
Carpet beetles can be brought into your home the same way as many bugs and pests, like external materials from laundromats, garage sales or hotel rooms, or they can come in on outdoor pets. However, carpet beetles are also able to fly, so open doors or windows are an additional entry way, making carpet beetles even more difficult to eliminate. They may also come in on flowers or plants that you are bringing in from the outside.
Living up to their name, carpet beetles love to settle down in carpet fibers. This is their favourite place to lay their eggs – and if this happens in your home, you will want to call upon a professional carpet and duct cleaner.
The best way to remove carpet beetles does not require the use of pesticides or other toxic materials, but instead involves the use of heat treatment combined with steam cleaning. For a full blown infestation you might want to consider heat remediation, which consists of heating the entire home up to 130 degrees for as long as four hours, killing any insects that are in the home. The second step is steam cleaning your carpets and other upholstery. This ensures all areas have been treated. Although it is easy to be missed, duct cleaning is also important, as carpet beetles can hide in these places and lay their eggs. If you are treating your entire home, do not forget to clean out the ducts at the same time.
If you are noticing a few carpet beetles, a steam cleaning and duct cleaning will do the trick and the sooner you can act on a carpet beetle infestation the better, because just one carpet beetle can lay over 50 eggs. What starts as a minor problem can become a house-wide infestation in the matter of weeks or even days. Aside killing the carpet beetles, steam cleaning will clear out all the food carpet beetles live off, making your carpets clean and unappealing to carpet beetles. Being proactive about carpet beetles and other infestations is the most effective way to avoid any outbreaks. If you are purchasing or inheriting any second hand furniture, Kleen Rite offers upholstery cleaning to ensure that carpet beetles don’t sneak into your home. Furthermore, a professional carpet cleaning annually will help ensure that there are not any critters nesting in your home.
Kleen Rite thoroughly cleans carpets, furniture and your ducts. If you have a carpet beetle problem, trust Kleen Rite to help you eliminate this pest naturally and without the use of chemicals. We offer our services throughout the Southern Ontario area, including Hamilton, Waterloo, Burlington and Niagara Falls.
