This Temperature Kills Carpet Beetles According To Experts

You can deal with carpet beetles in various ways even without getting in touch with a local pest control company. One of those is by exposing them to heat. However, it’s a must that the heat is hot enough. And now you might be wondering how hot it should be to ensure that larvae carpet beetles and the eggs, too, won’t survive.

Carpet beetles die at 120°F. This is why washing infested items in hot water for 30 minutes works. However, using a steamer is a more convenient solution. Most of today’s steam cleaners expose carpet beetles to 150°F to 300°F, which is more than enough to kill those pests upon contact with steam.

Keep on reading if you want to learn more about what temperature kills carpet beetles and other important matters.

Below you will come across just about everything you need to know about dealing with a carpet beetle by exposing them to high temperatures.

We will also talk about some steam cleaners perfect for the job.

How Steaming Can End an Infestation

What makes a steam cleaner an effective weapon against larvae carpet beetles is that it produces steam that is too hot for those hairy insects to stand.

As soon as they come into contact with it, they breathe their last.

As mentioned earlier, larvae carpet beetles die when exposed to at least 120°F.

The majority of steam cleaners that you can easily buy these days can generate steam whose temperature can range anywhere from 150°F to 300°F.

Getting your hands on a reliable unit can help ensure that you can expose those bugs to steam hot enough to kill them.

Paying for a commercial steamer that pest control experts use is unnecessary.

That’s because they can generate steam that can go as hot as almost 400°F, which is just too much.

However, it’s important to note that steam cleaning alone will not put an end to the infestation.

It’s a good idea to opt for a multimodal DIY approach to carpet beetle extermination. In other words, you should try to eliminate those hairy pests by means of coupling the use of a steam cleaner with other steps.

But don’t just take any steps — make sure that you take those that are proven effective against carpet beetles.

Pair steam cleaning with one or more of the following, and you’re golden:

• Regular vacuuming. This helps suck larvae carpet beetles and the eggs out of hiding places. It also helps remove lint, food bits, loose human hair, pet shedding, and dead insects that those pesky pests eat.

• Vinegar application. Vinegar’s acidity can kill larvae carpet beetles on contact. It can also destroy carpet beetle eggs before they hatch and introduce a new batch of larvae carpet beetles into your home.

• Essential oil spraying. Many essential oils can serve as carpet beetle insecticide. Some scientifically proven effective ones include clove, cedarwood, peppermint, lavender, neem, and cinnamon essential oils.

• Hot-water washing. Infested items that are launderable and can fit in the washing machine may be washed in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Similarly, they may be tumble dried for the same amount of time.

• Switching to synthetics. Last but not least, consider getting rid of as many items out of natural fibers or with animal matter. Replace them with those out of synthetic materials that larvae carpet beetles don’t eat.

These are some of the best home remedies for a carpet beetle infestation.

Coupling one or more of them with steam cleaning can increase your DIY extermination success rate!

Some of the Best Steamers in the Market

Especially if you live where it’s quite common for households to encounter carpet beetles, it’s a good idea to invest in a high-quality steamer.

Again, as mentioned above, it’s enough that you opt for a unit that’s intended for home use. Shelling out money for a commercial steam cleaner is unnecessary. It will also leave a gigantic hole in your pocket.

Besides, it’s not just for dealing with larvae carpet beetles that a steamer is good for. A steamer can also deal with many other household pests, such as bed bugs and dust mites.

When shopping for a steam cleaner, it’s important to make sure that it can give off steam that’s hot enough to kill carpet beetles. It’s also a good idea to settle with one boasting of a large water tank.

Especially if the carpet beetle infestation is massive, being able to eliminate those pests with steam non-stop is advantageous.

The larger the water tank, the longer that you can steam clean larvae carpet beetles at once.

Unfortunately, this can pose a problem.

Because of the water tank’s large capacity, it may take a while for its content to be heated. This is why you should check that the unit can heat water in the tank as quickly as possible.

For steaming larvae carpet beetles, the best unit for the job is something that is compact and lightweight. This is essential for trouble-free maneuvering.

Larvae carpet beetles tend to hide in hard-to-reach places where they are less likely to be disturbed. It’s due to this why a small steamer can yield the best results.

So, in other words, it’s a wonderful idea to pay for a handheld steam cleaner.

If you prefer a bigger one which offers more versatility, just make sure that it comes with an extension hose that’s long enough and various nozzles, too.

Here are some steamers highly suited for carpet beetle elimination the DIY way.

Rowenta DR8180 Handheld Steamer

• Type: Handheld
• Water tank size: 5.40 ounces
• Heat up time: 40 seconds
• Weight: 4.81 pounds

If the carpet beetle infestation is mild to moderate, arming yourself with a handheld steamer is usually more than enough to manage it.

This is especially true if the unit is capable of producing plenty of steam for a long time.

One look and it’s plain to see that the Rowenta DR8180 is primarily designed for removing creases and wrinkles from clothes.

However, it shouldn’t stop you from using it as a weapon against carpet beetles.

The product is just as good, if not better, than other handheld steam cleaners designed for various purposes, including exterminating pests.

You will be happy to learn that it only takes 40 seconds for the water in the 5.40-ounce tank to get hot enough to turn to steam.

This means that you can spring into action without much delay from the time that you plug it in.

Because it’s a handheld steamer, you can expect to take frequent breaks to refill the water tank.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with attachments or nozzles that will allow you to target larvae carpet beetles and carpet beetle eggs nestled in tight corners, cracks and crevices.

Its 1,600-watt power, however, helps in the production of lots of steam, and it may be enough to kill hidden carpet beetles and destroy eggs by pointing it in the right direction.

Still, the product is very good for steaming carpets, rugs, upholstered pieces of furniture, mattresses, pillows, curtains, and drapes. All of these things serve as larvae carpet beetle foods.

This is especially true if they are completely or partially out of natural fibers that those creepy crawlers find delectable to eat.

The Rowenta DR8180 is not the smallest or lightest handheld steamer available on the internet these days. However, the top-notch features such as a sizable water tank and speedy heat up time make up for that.

When the handheld steamer is not being used, by the way, it doesn’t cause clutter. That’s because the lengthy power cord retracts into the unit’s base.

And speaking of which, its long power cord is one of the reasons why using the product for dealing with a carpet beetle infestation need not be a cumbersome and stressful experience.

PurSteam 10-in-1 Steam Mop Cleaner

• Type: Mop
• Water tank size: 11.50 ounces
• Heat up time: 30 seconds
• Weight: 2.2 pounds

Carpet beetles usually hang out in carpets to devour the fibers.

Especially if you want to keep your carpets out of harm’s way because they do not come cheap, consider investing in the PurSteam 10-in-1 steam mop cleaner.

The design makes it easy to rid your carpets of larvae carpet beetles before they cause bald spots to appear.

And once you are through steaming carpeted areas of your home, you can proceed with steam cleaning hardwood floors, marble floors, ceramic tiles, and vinyl tiles with the unit.

Refrain from assuming that the product is going to be a pain in the neck when steaming nooks and crannies.

What’s really nice about it is that it can be used either as a steam mop or a handheld steam cleaner. The component with the water tank and heating element can be detached and used separately.

Due to this, you can steam a number of potential carpet beetle hiding places. It’s important that you kill larvae carpet beetles that are hidden from view if you want nothing but successful DIY extermination.

The same is true with the eggs. Failure to destroy the eggs with steam will only introduce a fresh batch of baby carpet beetles into your home in just a matter of days.

According to pest control experts, carpet beetle eggs hatch in about 20 days from the time that a female adult carpet beetle lays them in strategic areas in your home.

Just like what the name suggests, the PurSteam 10-in-1 steam mop cleaner can be used in many other ways.

Such is made possible by means of the numerous accessories that the maker has included in the packaging.

One of the best things about this steam cleaner is that it only takes half a minute for the water in the 11.50-ounce tank to be heated up.

Needless to say, it allows you to kill larvae carpet beetles and destroy the eggs, too, without the need to wait for a long time.

Because the water tank is generously sized, frequent refilling should be the least of your worries.

Carpet Beetles Also Die at Low Temperatures

Other than heat, larvae carpet beetles and the eggs cannot tolerate very well the cold, too.

This is why you can do the complete opposite if you are trying to rid your home of carpet beetles via the DIY approach. Instead of pointing a steamer to infested items, you may stash them in the freezer.

Larvae carpet beetles die and carpet beetle eggs get damaged when exposed to 0°F for at least a week. This means that they should remain in your freezer for not less than seven days if you want to see results.

Do you have access to a commercial freezer that can reach -20°F?

Then you will just have to wait for 72 hours before infested items are completely free from living larvae carpet beetles and viable carpet beetle eggs.

But because not everyone can afford to have a freezer that’s large or powerful enough, steaming is a more practical option.

Conclusion

There are many home remedies for carpet beetles that you may opt for in your DIY attempt to get rid of those pests. One solution that can provide instant results is exposing them to high temperatures.

While washing infested items in hot water for at least 30 minutes works, it’s not the most practical approach.

That’s because not everything in your home that larvae carpet beetles love to devour can fit in the washing machine.

Fortunately, there are steam cleaners that can effectively kill carpet beetles without much trouble on your part.

This does not mean, however, that you can go for just about any steam cleaner that you can find online.

Especially if your home is prone to a carpet beetle infestation or you are planning on cleaning and sanitizing your various belongings, make sure that you opt for a top-notch unit with high ratings and lots of positive feedback.

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