Pests and Your Carpet

Along with outdoor activities comes the possibility of pests. An ant that hitches a ride on your picnic basket, a flea that jumps onto your playful pup, or another insect that makes its way through a hole in your window screen isn’t normally a problem. However, since pests multiply quickly, one creepy crawly can turn into an all-out pest problem, if the pests have the right circumstances.

While pests don’t typically come into your home strictly to roost in your rugs, under certain conditions, your carpets can look like massive welcome mats to these invaders. What can you do to minimize the risks of pest problems in your home’s carpets? Take a look at some of the easiest ways to reduce the likelihood that these critters and creatures will call your rugs home — but if your home’s infestation is already too difficult for you to handle, contact a pest control specialist right away.

Forget the Food

Most contemporary carpets are made from synthetic, or manmade, fibers. Synthetics aren’t attractive to insects and typically don’t make the best bug homes. But that doesn’t mean creepy crawlies will never make their way onto your rugs.

Why would an ant, or any other bug, roam onto your carpet? Even though several possibilities exist, stray food particles are a primary reason. If you or your family regularly eat in carpeted spaces, small particles and droplets that fall from your plate can attract insect invaders.

The easiest way to stop this from happening is to ban foods from carpeted rooms. If that’s not practical in your home, regular maintenance is the next step. Vacuum the carpet after dining to remove stray crumbs and other dry foods. Clean spills promptly, especially if they contain insect-attracting sugary ingredients (such as juice or soda).

Along with regular maintenance, routine professional deep cleaning can get out ground-in and stuck-on food messes and make the area less appealing to pests. If you take these steps, you’ll reduce the likelihood of an infestation right away.

Remove Debris

Food crumbs the only thing that insects and other pests are drawn to. All pests need to eat, but they don’t all eat the same things that we do, so you need to watch out for more than just stray bits of your snacks.

For example, dust mites feed on flakes of human skin. This means the dead skin that you shed becomes dinner for these mini-mites. While you might not notice flakes falling to the floor, the mites do — and they’ll stick around to feast on them.

Regular vacuuming can help to remove the flakes and other debris from carpeted areas. In some cases, though, this may not be enough to remove all of the debris. A professional cleaning can get deeper down into the fibers and keep your carpets cleaner than a simple DIY sweep will. If you suspect that you have pests living in your carpets, and you want to try to get rid of them, getting your carpets cleaned is a great first step.

Keep the Damp Away

Food and debris aren’t the only things that attracts pests to carpeted areas. Just like all pests need food, all pests need water in some form. Many pests, such as dust mites, thrive in humid or damp environments. These invaders enjoy temperatures that fall between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

A dehumidifier can help to remove some of the moisture from the indoor air. The less moisture in your home, the less dampness you’ll have in your carpets, which means that they’ll be less attractive to dust mites and similar pests.

Call an Expert

However, sometimes even deep cleaning your carpets won’t be enough. If pests have set up shop in your home, you may need a professional’s help to get rid of them and prevent them from returning.

If you’ve taken the steps above and still have pests in your carpet, call an expert. They’ll examine your home, figure out what pests you have, and come up with a plan for treatment. A professional will also give you tips for how to prevent new infestations after they’ve eradicated the old ones.

Do you need a professional pest control service? Contact A-Alert Exterminating Service, Inc., for more information. We’ll be happy to investigate your home to find the source and breadth of your problem, then provide you with treatment options to make you home feel like your own again. Call us today to get started.

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