July 11, 2023

Does Vinegar Kill Carpet Beetles? Follow this DIY Trick!

DIY pest control options are popular fixes to minor insect problems. Borax, boric acid, and diatomaceous earth are cheap and easy solutions to numerous pests that invade our homes yearly. 

Carpet beetles are notorious indoor pests. While adult beetles won’t bother our clothing, rugs, and furniture, their larva can wreak havoc on the items we hold dear. Many DIY solutions can work for these pests, but does vinegar kill carpet beetles too?

Have a tricky pest problem? Contact Zunex for comprehensive pest services! Keep reading to determine if vinegar is the right solution for your carpet beetle infestation.

Finding Carpet Beetles Inside

While primarily expected in the height of summer, carpet beetles can plague homeowners throughout different portions of the year. Adult carpet beetles usually enter homes accidentally, but some may crawl through small exterior cracks to lay eggs indoors. 

The adult beetles may turn up anywhere in your home, but they primarily congregate around windows and doors, searching for access to the outdoors. Otherwise, you could spot these pests around where they’ve laid eggs. 

Carpet beetles typically lay their eggs around unused objects like stored clothing and blankets, under rugs, or in the seams of furniture. These pests will also stick close to animal furs, feathers, or dander. 

Adult carpet beetles only consume plant materials like pollen and nectar and can’t cause any of the damage you see indoors. The developing young feed on clothing or linens in your home and cause superficial damage to your household items. 

Using Vinegar as a Pesticide

While a standard component of many household pantries, vinegar has various uses outside the kitchen. 

Vinegar is an excellent disinfectant for clothing, counters, and bathrooms. When you have a tough stain or smell on your clothes, blankets, or linens, add a dash of vinegar to your next load of laundry to neutralize the scent. 

Because of its acidic nature, vinegar can break down grime and dirt, leaving behind a squeaky clean finish. You can quickly wash and disinfect windows, floors, cabinets, and counters with diluted vinegar.

Its acidity also makes it a potent pest control agent, quickly eliminating many minor and annoying insect species. But does vinegar kill carpet beetles?

Ants and spiders are two pests you can wipe out with a quick spritz of a vinegar-based solution. Spraying this around your home may prevent them from sticking indoors and outside!

To make the perfect vinegar pest control spray, grab a bottle and fill it with one part vinegar and one part water. The acid can cause damage to structures and materials, so always dilute the vinegar with water and research what products work best for your counters and floors. 

After you’ve made your vinegar mixture, spray it around the exterior of your home and other places pests may enter. If you spot bugs roaming around indoors, you can directly spray them with your vinegar solution to eliminate them at once. 

Despite its strong acidity, vinegar is a natural pest control you can use in your home and around your pets and children. Vinegar is safe for humans to consume, so your little ones won’t get sick if they accidentally interact with it.

If your furry friends sneak a taste of the diluted vinegar spray, they may have an upset stomach, but they shouldn’t experience any lingering or long-lasting side effects. 

Remember that vinegar may not affect larger insects or remove the more extensive infestation in your home. Without direct action or more robust pest control methods, many pests can continue to invade your home unabated. 

Whenever you have a severe pest problem, give Zunex Pest Control a call! We can help you eliminate stubborn pests on your property and provide you with peace of mind again!

Does Vinegar Kill Carpet Beetles?

So, does vinegar kill carpet beetles like other insects?

Because of its high acidity, vinegar can eliminate carpet beetles that infest your home. While other pest control solutions are more effective, vinegar can work! Spraying it directly onto the carpet beetles can quickly neutralize and kill the pests.

However, it may not repel carpet beetles like other insects. If you’re looking for carpet beetle protection, consider addressing the areas where these pests enter your home, like crevices, doors, and windows. 

If you find the location of carpet beetle eggs or larvae, you can saturate the item or area with your diluted vinegar mixture. After the insects are eliminated and disposed of, remember to wash the affected items to remove the vinegar smell. 

Before utilizing this product, remember that vinegar attracts flies and insects. If you’re already battling flies in your home, the scent could bring these pests into your living spaces in droves. 

Apple cider vinegar secretes a sweet smell that attracts fruit flies and aphids. If you’re interested in trapping these bugs, you could always utilize the vinegar and a jar to create a quick and easy insect trap. 

Otherwise, we suggest you leave this at-home pest control option on your pantry shelf!

When deciding on pest control, consider all your options and assess what method best suits your needs. Significant infestations may require aid from a professional pest control agency, while at-home remedies may do the trick for some pests.  Check out this video for another pest control method to eliminate bed bugs!

If you have an ongoing insect infestation, give Zunex Pest Control a call! Serving areas within the Greater Puget Sound, we can eliminate many common Washington pests that plague homeowners across the region. 

From occasional invaders like carpet beetles to more significant problems like bed bugs and ants, our highly trained technicians can quickly remove the source of any pest infestation in your home. Contact us today through our online form, or call us to schedule a service!

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