carpetinsectuk
We are about to move into our new home and it looks like the carpet had never been cleaned so we decided a new one would be best.
I took up the carpet yesterday, and today I have a few bug bites on my body, which I am assuming was caused by something on the carpet.
What can I do to check if there are insects still where the carpet was, and what can I do to make sure they don't just move into the new carpet?
I just recently finished my basement project. I spent a lot of time scouring the web and grilling friends and co-workers about their basements to gather information to try to make an informed decision on this very subject.
Here are the options I considered:
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UPDATED March 2019
The Platon underlayment I used years ago seems to be hard to find these days. Home Depot currently offers what appears to be a similar underlayment product called DMX 1-STEP, and others may be available from other manufacturers.
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I'd go ahead and pull it up and see what you've got. It sounds like it's in pretty poor shape so you're going to have to get rid of it either way.
Depending on how the carpet was installed you'll probably find tack strips that look something like like this:
You might also find staples -- I don't know if this is common but our installer used a staple gun in some troublesome spots. Most if not all of the staples will probably be pulled out when you rip out the carpet.
Before removing anything, take a look at the hardwood stair treads and make a preliminary decision about whether you think they're in good enough condition to leave exposed. If they're really rough and/or you want to recarpet, leave the tack strips in place and hammer in the staples.
If you do want to leave the stairs uncarpeted, you can just remove the tack strips, being careful not to damage the floor underneath. For minimal damage I'd recommend this type of prybar available at box stores for ~$14:
Use a hammer to tap the pointy claw end (like you would hammer a chisel) under the head of each nail holding the tack strip down, then pry up the nail enough that you can get your hammer's claw under it to pull it out. No tools ever need touch your stair tread.
Best Answer
The most common insect that readily makes it's our casa it's casa is the flea. Fleas find an ideal environment in our rugs. They can also go without food for many days. They can lay thousand of eggs in their life-cycle. Whats amazing is that the eggs, once deposited in the naps of a carpet will remain un-hatched until it senses vibration (from humans walking) signaling that dinner has arrived.
To verify that there is an infestation place a white bed sheet on the ground outside. Holding a section of the rug over it shake vigorously for a few seconds. You should now have a clear look at everything that resided in the carpet.
If you are certain the marks are not a skin re-action to a substance on the rug, but was caused by a blood-sucking insect, have a professional insect eradicator access the situation and prescribe a treatment. They are best at knowing what and how to remove the pest that may be residing in your home.