The Undisturbed Rooms Carpet Moths Settle Into in Southwark
Rarely used spare rooms in Dulwich's villas
Dulwich's larger villas often have a spare room or landing that gets far less foot traffic than the rest of the house, and that gap in daily use — more than anything about the carpet itself — is what lets larvae feed undisturbed on wool fibres for weeks. A heavy piece of furniture left in one spot for years is usually where the damage first turns up.
Original curtains in older Victorian conversions
In some of Southwark's converted Victorian houses, original curtains have stayed hanging through several changes of tenant, and carpet moths take to those natural fibres just as readily as to a fitted floor. Damage tends to start along a fold, invisible until the fabric's actually handled.
Signs to Look For
- Irregular bare patches in wool carpets, rugs or upholstery, often under furniture
- Small cream larvae or silken tubes in carpet fibres or skirting edges
- Adult moths — small and golden-brown — seen low to the ground rather than near lights
- Damage concentrated in quiet, rarely disturbed rooms
Covering the Whole Affected Room
Once we've seen where damage is concentrated, treatment covers whatever natural fibres are involved in that room, not just the floor.
