Carpet moths
Carpet Moths in a Long-Owned House
The adult moths are small, pale and weak fliers, and they do not feed. The damage is done by their larvae, which eat wool, feather, fur and hair in dark, still places. A house where the same wool carpet has been down for many years, with the furniture always in the same spot, gives them undisturbed ground. The signs of carpet moths explains what to look for.
The front room
In many estate houses the front room faces the street and is used less than the back room or kitchen. A wool carpet under a heavy settee or a display cabinet that never moves is the kind of patch larvae eat down to the backing, and nobody notices until the furniture is shifted. Why carpet moths are found under furniture explains the reason.
Wardrobes and the loft
Wool coats and jumpers at the back of a wardrobe, blankets in a chest on the landing and bags of clothes pushed into the loft can feed larvae for years. Once moths are flying in the bedrooms, check stored things as well as the carpet; carpet moths and clothes covers the damage they do.
Clearing a family house
When a house that has been lived in for a long time is sold, let or passed on, carpets come up and cupboards are emptied, and a hidden infestation often comes to light. Moving infested rugs or bags of clothes to another home takes the larvae with them, so check before anything goes. A loft left alone for years may also hold droppings from mice, which are worth knowing about before the clear-out starts.
Signs to Check
- Bald or thin patches along the carpet edge by the skirting
- Small cream larvae, silky tubes or webbing in the pile
- Worn patches under furniture that has not moved in years
- Small moths fluttering up when a cupboard or the loft hatch is opened
- Holes in wool clothes stored in wardrobes or bags
If the larvae are short, hairy and brown rather than cream, it may be carpet beetles in Burnt Oak instead, and carpet moths or clothes moths helps tell the moths apart.
Rugs laid over fitted carpet deserve a look underneath: turn one back and check both its underside and the carpet it has been covering. Where carpet moths hide lists the other quiet corners, from the back of the airing cupboard to the dark space under a bed that is never moved.
Before and After a Visit
When you book carpet moth treatment, tell us which rooms are affected; each one is counted, but halls, landings and stairs are not. Before the visit, vacuum thoroughly, including under furniture and along the edges, and empty the vacuum outside. Move what you can off the affected carpet and bag stored wool items. Preparing for carpet moth treatment has the full list. How long it takes to clear depends on the house and how established the moths are; if they are still flying after the period we give you, get in touch.
Keeping Moths Out of the Carpets
- Move heavy furniture now and then and vacuum underneath it
- Vacuum along the skirting edges, not just the middle of the room
- Store wool clothes and blankets clean, in sealed bags or boxes
- Look through the loft storage once a year
- Check second-hand rugs before they come into the house
Stopping carpet moths coming back has more, and Carpet Moth Control Barnet covers the borough.
