How to get maggots out of carpet

Maggots are repulsive creatures that generally do no harm to people or pets. Furthermore, medical practitioners have used maggots to remove dead flesh from wounds for centuries. Even with the knowledge that maggots generally do more good than harm, most people are still creeped out by the squirming rice-looking insects. Maggots crawling around on your carpet can be the larvae of flies, carpet beetles or moths feeding off the carpet fibres. No matter the type of maggot, you can remove them with a variety of methods.

Attach the upholstery attachment to a steam cleaner and run it over the carpet. The steam will cause the maggots to rise to the surface, making removal easier.

Spray the maggots with a product such as dog or lice shampoo. Permethrin in the shampoo will kill maggots. Scoop the dead maggots off the carpet and into a plastic bag. Seal the plastic bag shut and place in an outside garbage can.

Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of chlorine bleach and 2 cups of 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide. After it cools, pour the solution into a spray bottle and saturate the maggots to kill them. Use the upholstery attachment of your vacuum to suck up the dead maggots. Discard the contents of the vacuum canister into an outside dustbin.

Alternatively, pour boiling water into a bucket. Pick the maggots out of the carpet with tweezers and drop them into the hot water. After you have removed all maggots from the carpet, discard the contents of the bucket outside away from your home.

Set an iron on its hottest setting and turn on the steam option. Let the iron preheat for several minutes. Hold the iron a few inches above the carpet where the maggots are present and shoot steam on them. Repeat the process until the maggots are dead. Sweep up the maggots and discard in an outside dustbin.