6 Steps to Remove Carpet Beetles From Mattress

Do you have carpet beetles in your mattress? These small beetles can cause damage if left unattended, and quite often, it can be difficult to identify them in the first place. Below we will discuss how to properly identify carpet beetles, and what to do if you find them living in your mattress.

Identifying the carpet beetles can better teach you how to get rid of carpet beetles found in the mattress.

Nowadays, Carpet beetle manages to get overlooked, leaving them to cause critical damages to your mattress, bed furniture, and household.

There are three types of carpet beetles

  1. A Black Carpet Beetle –  has brownish-black wings (elytra) and measures up to 5 mm in length. Their heads are black and somewhat hidden.  A black carpet beetle larvae have an average life span of up to 600 days. The adults can live much longer! Their diet preference consists of leather, wool, feathers, silk, and hair.
  2. A Furniture Carpet Beetle – has solid brown hair that’s upright from the bodies and measures up to 5mm in length. A furniture carpet beetle prefers natural fibers and clothing as a part of their diet.
  3. A Varied Carpet Beetle –  is black with white, brown and mustard scales on its wings, you can find their nest on wool, bedding, carpets and rugs, and other materials once infestation incurs.

Example Illustrations of Carpet Beetles

Varied Carpet Beetle Furniture Carpet Beetle Black Carpet Beetle
varied carpet beetle carpet beetle in mattress furniture carpet beetle how to get rid of carpet beetles black carpet beetle how to identify carpet beetles
Credit: University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources

So, here’s a list of items and instructions that you will need in order to remove carpet beetles from your mattress.

Things you will need:

  1. A Spray Bottle
  2. Boric Acid
  3. Warm Water
  4. Vacuum

Instructions:

  1. Remove sheets from Bed.
  2. Wash sheets in hot, soapy water.
  3. Vacuum the mattress to remove any food sources.
  4. Pour warm water in the spray bottle.
  5. Drop boric acid in the warm water until it is dissolved. Shake Well.
  6. Spray mattress with the boric solution.

Using this method and dusting regularly will help to prevent a carpet beetle infestation. Carpet beetles have a wide diet and love to feast on hair, wool, fibers and other materials lurking around the household.