These 3 Insects can Live in Your Carpet (How to Clean)

carpet-cleaning

It can be annoyingly often that you have to vacuum and clean your carpet, but there are also some really good reasons for it, aside from looks.

You can call a professional pest control company to come to your home if you can’t get a handle on the pests, but information is crucial even if you go this route.

Table of Contents

Fleas

Whether you have pets or not, tiny fleas can be a giant nuisance in your home. They can live almost anywhere, but carpet provides a perfect place for them to live, breed, and lay their eggs. If you are a pet owner, you may wonder how your dog or cat got fleas (since you’ve always been careful). However, your neighbours may not have been so careful. Their pets may roam the neighbourhood, and it only takes fleas hitching a ride to your house to cause an infestation on your property.

Read more: Pet odors stink. How to clean cat urine smell from carpet?

The first step during a flea infestation is to make sure that all pet bedding/supplies are washed in hot water. Washing machine is fine. The next step is to do a deep clean of your home, especially where there are hiding places for these little critters, like in the carpet. You need to vacuum the floors every day for a week, not just around the furniture -everywhere!

You would think that this would kill the bed bugs, and it can, but it actually creates the correct stimulation to hatch the flea eggs sooner than normal, providing exposure to treatments that you’ve already used.

Bed Bugs

The name “Bed Bugs” denotes that you’ll only ever see them near a bed, but it’s a bit of a misnomer. They can and will hide anywhere out of site. Closets, discarded clothing, in the carpet, behind picture frames, and yes, in mattresses. Some people report seeing bed bugs, then not for a while afterward, so they think they’ve moved on. In all reality, bed bugs don’t need to feed that often, so they’ll suddenly feed again, and the cycle starts all over.

“Do it yourself” bed bug treatments can work, but only with the right products and methods. To give you an idea, there are chemical treatments and heat treatments that both work and can be found online if you are interested.

Mites

The most common mites that could be in your home are spider mites and dust mites. They look similar, and both can cause a major headache to get rid of. They cause air quality issues and are quite prolific once they get a grip on your home. They are very small, and look like tiny round spiders (they are arachnids, after all). These little critters usually are best seen on window sills, on desks and nightstands, and shelves.

They can be seen on a carpet as well, but blend in well. Use a washcloth with soap to wipe down all surfaces, along with regular vacuuming/carpet shampoo to rid yourself of mites.

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Conclusion

There are other carpet bugs that may live in your home, like carpet beetles, but the ones mentioned are the most common. When considering how to get rid of these pests, remember that cleanliness is next to Godliness in becoming pest-free. Around 80% of pest issues come from sanitation issues. If you have your home perfectly clean and still experience some of these pests, it may be time to seek professional help.

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Nicholas Carr

Nicholas Carr

CleanerConfessions.com is a blog meant for various domestic tips mainly but not limited to cleaning, washing and wiping dust, stains and dirt away from your home.