Carpets form an important asset in households. Not only do they protect the floors from getting dusty, but also add value to the overall aesthetics of the interior decors. Thus, you can find the people being over-enthusiastic when it comes to carpet care. However, imagine that despite your proper care of the carpet, you find holes in it. The same also spread to a part of the furniture in the vicinity of the carpet.

In this guide, you will know about:

• What cause carpet beetles
• Where carpet beetles come from
• Natural Ways to get rid of carpet beetles naturally
• And More

This might be caused by carpet beetles. There are various causes of such culprits, and you need to understand them properly to prepare the plan of action. Read on to find more about what causes carpet beetles.

What Causes Carpet Beetles?

The primary cause for any carpet beetle to appear on the fabric is that it finds the requisite food for its larvae. They feed on all kinds of animal products, like skin, wool, hair, silk, and many more. Once they grow up, they keep multiplying and repeating the tradition. There are various causes to it, starting from poor cleaning to mishandling of animal products. 

Lack of light

Carpet beetles love damp and dark space. Thus, if the carpets are not exposed to sufficient light during the entire day, then they turn out to be suitable homes for these creatures. They start laying their eggs on the fabric, and the propagation intensifies with the dark conditions. Hence, it is always advised to allow exposure of maximum amount of sunlight on the carpet during day time. 

In the night time, you can switch on the lights and ensure that sufficient illumination reaches, as per your feasibility.

Inappropriate storage of animal-based products 

Animal-based products are highly sensitive to environmental conditions. They need proper care and maintenance for ensuring zero growth of unwanted elements. One of the mandatory conditions is to conserve these in air-tight containers. If you expose them to highly aerobic conditions, then the carpet beetles would start popping up.

Thus, regular cycles of dry cleaning and washing with hot water act as preventive measures against the growth of these creatures.

Poor cleaning

Carpet beetles are huge fans of poor sanitary conditions. Dust and lint on the carpet act as catalysts for their growth. There might be high chances that the vents in your house are not cleaned for a long time, and thus the dust starts falling off from these. Also, if you have not used any vacuum cleaner on the fabric for a long time, then lint would start appearing. 

Therefore, it is also advised to allow proper cleaning of the carpet and prevent such nuisances from coming out.

Stained fabrics

One of the primary reasons for which the carpet beetles infest the fabric is the stains. Stains are formed by traces of oil and food particles that get stuck on the fabric. Once the beetles detect their presence, they simply come up to nibble on the small pieces. Thus, you should get away with the idea of dropping crumbles on the carpet or leaving any oil stains on the furniture. 

Where do carpet beetles come from?

The next part of what causes carpet beetles comes down to the source from where these little creatures come. The following points clarify this aspect:

• The adult carpet beetles are found abundantly on the flowering plants. They feed on the nectar and sap from these and can grow even better on home-grown plants.
• The adult ones also cling to the animal hair and fur. Thus, if you have any pet in the house, ensure that it is groomed properly and such creatures are avoided from the picture altogether. 
• The carpet beetles also jump out of windows, doors, or any small spaces within the household. In other terms, there must not be any unnecessary opening within the house. Such can turn out to be potential attracting spots for the creatures, and you would never be able to notice or know properly. 
• Improperly kept carpet can turn out to be the potential spot for female beetles to lay their eggs. The females lay down the eggs on the stains and spots which have food sources, and the larvae released from these feed on the crumbs. 
• The larvae are very small in size and do not get noticed easily. Thus, they spread fastly and the owners get to know of their presence pretty late.

How do carpet beetles spread?

The carpet beetles spread rapidly in the following manner:

• The female beetles lay 35 to 100 eggs in a go, once they gain access to the interiors of the house. Within a small time, these eggs hatch to form the larvae, and then they start feeding on the stuff to proliferate into other regions. The lifespan of such larvae lasts from 9 months to 3 years.
• Carpet beetles also spread from the furniture, due to their ability to digest keratin. They can make the interior of the furniture hollow, and you would realize that pretty late.
• The carpet beetles also grow near the food storage areas. They have the habit of munching out dry grains, and eventually, turn out to be pests within the house.

All of these reasons culminate towards one major solution- removal of the nuisance once and for all. 

How to Eliminate carpet beetles naturally?

The root cause of removing the carpet beetles is by ensuring that the minute larvae and eggs get eliminated in the first place. Thus, you can go for either of these:

• Vacuuming
• Steam cleaning by applying a suitable amount of heat and moisture.
• Using hot water and detergent for clearing the rugs.
• Using natural chemicals like vinegar and boric acid.
• Spraying specialized insecticides against the carpet beetles.

How to prevent the carpet beetles from getting into your carpet?

Prevention is better than cure. Similarly, you can also take up certain steps to prevent reaching the end moment:

Spraying the insecticide on the perimeter of the house at regular intervals. 

• The potential spots include vents, doorways, pipes, and windows. 
• Closing the open spaces within the house.
• Trimming the home plants regularly to prevent such creatures from making these as their habitats.

Therefore, take proper care of the carpets, and you would stay aloof of these beetles.