How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles

Summary: Carpet beetles are sneaky pests that don’t usually reveal themselves until after they start causing damage. This blog details 8 easy ways to eliminate carpet beetles from the home. It also explains the signs of a carpet beetle invasion, as well as the best prevention methods. Green Pest Services delivers targeted treatments for every pest problem.

We’ll be honest: we don’t think much about our carpeting. We vacuum it, keep dirty laundry off of it, and sweep up endless amounts of dog or cat hair from it. But we don’t usually put a lot of thought into the actual flooring. However, that changes when we notice carpet beetles making their home in our carpets.

This is when it’s time to take action against these fabric-eating pests. The good news is that carpet beetles are one of the easiest pests to eliminate. They won’t put up much of a fight when you come at them with the right tactics.

Let’s find out how carpet beetles invade a home, then learn how to eliminate the pests once they’re inside!

How (and Why) Did Carpet Beetles Get Inside?

If these beetles like carpeting so much, how can they live outside at all? Well, adult carpet beetles don’t need carpet nearly as much as their larvae do. The adults just use carpeting or fabric as an egg-laying site so that their offspring has an immediate food source. They lay about 50 eggs at once, so there needs to be enough food for the hungry pests.

Carpet beetle larvae eat holes in organic or mixed fabrics, not synthetic. Their favorites include carpeting, rugs, leather, silk, feathers, and wool. These young beetles prefer to stay hidden in a quiet, dark space, like a closet. They look like fuzzy worms, thanks to the fine hairs covering their bodies. These hairs can actually give us a mild rash if we’re in close proximity for a while.

Once they become adults, carpet beetles love the light and are usually seen on windows as they try to get back outside. They eat pollen, so they need flowers and plants for sustenance. The adults invade in one of two ways. They either fly and crawl in through an entry point, or they hitchhike on rugs, furniture, clothing, or plants.

The signs of a carpet beetle invasion include:

• New holes in clothing, fabric, or furniture

• Bare spots in rugs or carpeting

• Shed skins

• Pepper-like droppings

• Any live or dead carpet beetles

• A “random” rash on your body (remember the larvae’s hairs?)

If you see adult carpet beetles in your home, you likely have an infestation on your hands. They don’t waste time laying eggs once they’re indoors. The sooner that you can eliminate these pests, the better.

There are a lot of recommended methods for treating carpet beetles, but these are the 8 ways that prove to be the most effective.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming is the easiest and most effective way to remove carpet beetles, so it’s a win-win! You can remove the beetles and some of their food sources (hair, dead skin, etc.) by vacuuming the active areas.

Using the attachments, concentrate your vacuum under furniture, near windows and doors, and in corners of the room. Make sure to empty the vacuum container or bag outside — you don’t want the beetles crawling back inside! We recommend vacuuming your home regularly to prevent future infestations.

It’s also a good idea to vacuum the floor mats and seats in your vehicle because (unfortunately) carpet beetles can also live in there. The more often your car and home are vacuumed, the less hospitable they will be for carpet beetles.

Steam Cleaning

This is the next step up from vacuuming. Steam cleaning is effective because of the combination of heat and moisture. The heat kills carpet beetle eggs and larvae immediately. It also helps to prevent future invasions since this process is such a deep cleaning.

It’s safe for most fabrics and furniture, but make sure to research first if you’re unsure about a certain material. We also suggest steam cleaning drapes, rugs, and upholstery in the active areas. Trust us, you don’t want to miss the forest (every fabric-based item) for the trees (carpeting) when you’re targeting carpet beetles.

Boric Acid

This one requires a little more care than the others. Pets and young children shouldn’t get near boric acid, so if you have either, you may want to skip this one. But if you’re interested, boric acid is available in many pharmacies and the laundry aisle of most grocery stores.

Carefully sprinkle the powder in cracks and crevices where the carpet beetles live, and use a cleaning brush to spread it around the area. This targets every carpet beetle life stage. Allow the boric acid to sit for several hours, then vacuum it up. Make sure you get all of it so there isn’t any leftover powder.

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol kills adult beetles and their larvae, so it’s great for targeting every part of an infestation. It’s also useful for preventing future invasions because adults won’t lay eggs near an alcohol-coated surface.

All you have to do is apply rubbing alcohol where you see carpet beetles. Use a spray bottle to spritz surfaces with the alcohol and let dry. Counters, windowsills, shelves, and drawers are especially good for this since they’re hard surfaces.

Essential Oils

Any time you use essential oils to prevent or kill pests, keep in mind that it’s not always the most effective. In the case of carpet beetles, it’s a great way to repel them from specific areas. You can use them after one of the more direct methods, like vacuuming.

Peppermint oil and clove oil are the two essential oils that are most recommended against carpet beetles. Sprinkle several drops of both into a spray bottle with distilled water, and spray the mixture in desired areas. Certain oils can stain fabrics, so don’t get too close to furniture and clothing with this concoction.

Freezing Items

If your carpet beetle problem is isolated to a few clothing items, it’s time to look towards your freezer. That’s right: placing infested items in the freezer for a few days is actually effective against carpet beetles! We suggest placing them in a plastic bag first in order to really contain the issue.

When carpet beetles are left in the freezer for a few days, they will die from shock. This makes it easy to save your infested clothes without having to pick off the bugs one by one. After you take the items out and check them for beetles, wash the clothes and dry on high heat to seal the deal.

Vinegar

Vinegar has many uses, and eliminating carpet beetles happens to be one of them. White vinegar and apple cider vinegar are both recommended for this purpose. No matter which you choose, vinegar can be diluted in water or used on its own to target the invasive beetles.

Carpet beetles hate the smell of vinegar. By using it in active areas, you can effectively break their breeding cycle. Spray the vinegar on carpeting and furniture that are affected by the beetles. For the most effective process, try vacuuming the spots before applying the vinegar.

As a side note, you can also use vinegar on infested clothes to really make sure they’re beetle-free. Add it to the fabric softener compartment of the washing machine to pair it with your detergent of choice.

Sealing Entry Points

No matter what method you try, we highly recommend doing this task in conjunction with any treatment. Sealing up entry points that were used by carpet beetles is the most effective way to prevent future infestations. It also helps keep other pests out of your home, which is always a plus!

Try to find the source of the infestation by checking your house for cracks, gaps, and holes in the exterior. Seal any that you find with waterproof caulk. Also, inspect your window and door screens for openings. Repair or replace torn screens to be sure that the mesh will keep pests out.

Finally, trim back plants and tree branches at least one foot from the house. Adult carpet beetles are often found on plants, so you don’t want any greenery acting as pest freeways into your home.

Green Gets the Job Done Every Time

No pest problem is too big or too small for Green Pest Services to handle! Our licensed technicians don’t waste time with surface-level treatments. Instead, we target the root of each issue with our advanced, environmentally-friendly treatment methods. Our goal during each service is to eliminate current pests and prevent future invaders.

Pest activity increases every summer, so get ahead of the curve by scheduling regular pest control services with our dedicated team. Contact us for a free quote today!

Citations

Carpet beetle facts & information. (n.d.). Orkin. Retrieved May 15, 2025, from https://www.orkin.com/pests/beetles/carpet-beetles

Gould, W.R. (2025, March 2). How to get rid of carpet beetles, according to professional exterminators. Real Simple. Available at https://www.realsimple.com/how-to-get-rid-of-carpet-beetles-8424446 (Accessed on May 15, 2025).

How to get rid of carpet beetles. (2025, May 1). The Home Depot. Retrieved May 15, 2025, from https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-get-rid-of-carpet-beetles/9ba683603be9fa5395fab901cc10eadb