Nothing could ruin a good evening like carpet moths. The sight of them fluttering about in your living room or over your carpets is completely unsettling!
While the odd moth or two shouldn’t raise any alarms, catching more of these nasty insects flying near your clean rugs is frustrating. This calls for immediate action.
Luckily, a carpet moth infestation is easy to handle. This guide will help you identify the signs and know how to get rid of carpet moths in great detail.
Understanding Carpet Moths
They are small insects with multi-coloured wings and a white head.
Known also as tapestry moths, these insects are small with dark grey wings and white tips. They have small round bodies and a round posterior.
You must know what moths look like through their life cycle to identify a moth infestation. Here are some pointers:
- These 0.5 mm long eggs are hard to detect, but you can easily get rid of them by vacuuming your carpet.
- These spring out 4 to 10 days after eggs hatch. By default, they’re white with darker heads, but their colour will change depending on the rug material they eat away at.
- Larvae develop into Pupa after 6 months. They spin a cocoon around their small bodies until it develops into a complete adult moth.
This can take 8 to 10 days. Note that these cocoons are easy to spot with the naked eye, which means you can easily catch an infestation at this stage.
- Adult moth. At this stage, they won’t cause harm to your carpet, but they’ll search for a mate and will lay up to 200 eggs at a time.
A quick way to know how to get rid of moths in carpets is to know their preferred places of infestation. Carpet moths prefer warm and dark places. Damp carpets are generally a hub for moth larvae.
You’ll also find telltale signs, such as small white eggs within your carpet and white larvae that sometimes look like maggots. Pupae cocoons will also be visible in carpet fabric.
Additionally, carpet and clothes moth larvae feed off natural fibres. Lastly, you’ll find holes in your carpet or furnishings.
Identifying and Assessing the Infestation
Knowing the signs and severity of the infestation is no easy feat without these simple steps.
Inspection Tips
To get rid of carpet moths effectively, you’ll need an efficient inspection process. Carpet moths prefer dark or shaded spots and, sometimes, skirting boards.
So, try to look at hidden areas of your carpets, such as near the wall or under furniture.
Look for the signs mentioned in the previous section, such as eggs within your carpet material or maggot-like larvae crawling through your carpet. Also, search for larvae that have a colour similar to your carpet’s.
Rugs and carpets with natural fibres are mostly the best inspection sites for moth infestations because natural fibre is the larvae’s primary feeding source.
Determining the Extent of the Problem
To know exactly what to do, you need to understand the gravity of the situation. Spotting only carpet moths means that you have a minor infestation.
If you see more signs, like moths, larvae, and cocoons, it means that this infestation has gone through several cycles.
At this point, you’ll also notice holes in your carpets and other materials with natural fibre.
You can easily determine how severe an infestation is by laying out traps for carpet moths. They contain female pheromones, which attract and eliminate male moths.
Because these traps kill male carpet moths, it’ll curtail the breeding cycle. Moreover, the amount of trapped moths will give you an idea of how severe the infestation is.
Preventive Measures
Sometimes, it’s better to handle a small-scale infestation with preventive measures that are easy to apply without specialised pest control equipment.
The precautions listed below will help you get rid of carpet moths easier.
Regular Cleaning and Maintenance
Vacuuming is key in removing all eggs and larvae in just one step.
It’s not easy to identify how many life cycles moths are going through in your home. So, it’s best to constantly vacuum your carpets and floors to stop them effectively.
Remember to vacuum around every corner of the room and under all furniture for optimal results.
Sometimes, doing a thorough vacuuming job is a hassle, so the best option here is to get a carpet cleaning professional to do this job. They also use other techniques to clean your carpets and prevent infestations.
Proper Storage Solutions
If you’re wondering how to get rid of carpet moths via storage practices, here is what you can do.
Using protective storage bags for your clothes will minimise the infestation areas.
You can also declutter infested areas, particularly materials that larvae can feed on, and store them safely in clean places to limit the area of infestation.
Use of Natural Repellents
You can use natural repellents if you want to kill carpet moths without chemicals.
Some natural scents, such as lavender and cedar, repel adult carpet moths. If these aren’t available, you can use rosemary, cloves, or thyme. Bay leaves are also an effective option.
Unfortunately, these natural repellents won’t have any effect on the larvae, so always use the previous methods for effective elimination.
Treatment Methods
If you’re still wondering how to get rid of moths in a carpet after applying the previous steps, you can try following these methods instead.
DIY Treatments
You can go about treatments in two different ways: make DIY natural remedies or use chemical solutions.
Baking soda and vinegar is the best DIY treatment. Sprinkle baking soda over the carpet surface, and then use vinegar mixed with water as a carpet shampoo to create a foam reaction.
You can also use diatomaceous earth in a steam cleaner and apply it all over the infected carpet.
Lastly, you can use extra fine salt to make strong salt solutions, which can kill carpet moths effectively.
This is how to get rid of carpet moths naturally, but you can also use chemical cleaners.
Some people prefer using pesticides, which you can find in the nearest local store.
All you’ll need is a chemical solution containing pyrethroid, spray bottle, and mask.
Next, close all doors and windows and follow these steps:
- Clean the room, empty all the wardrobes, and clean them;
- Spray the chemical solution on all rugs and furnishings. Pay attention to hidden areas and corners;
- Spray the solution at the back of the room, and stop at the room door;
- Leave the room and leave it for a couple of hours before opening the door and windows.
Professional Pest Control
A pest control expert will know how to deal with moth larvae in carpets if the previous solutions don’t yield the desired result.
They’ll be able to clean the infected area methodically using specialised vacuum cleaners and chemical treatments that target infected areas.
Said expert should also schedule visits to ensure that all moths and larvae are eliminated.
Post-Treatment Care
Now that you’ve learned about handling carpet moths, the following steps will help you prevent them from coming back.
Monitoring and Prevention
Try to make a habit out of periodic vacuuming to get rid of any moth eggs. You can also use DIY treatments consisting of baking soda and vinegar for maintenance.
As a precaution, inspect your carpets and clothes for any signs of infestation.
Cleaning and Proper Storage
Deep cleaning is vital in preventing carpet moths from entering your house in the first place. Always clean your house on a weekly or monthly basis to ensure maximum cleanliness.
When it comes to storage, ensure that you’re using specialised storage bags. You can also clean these bags every once in a while to prevent carpet moth infestations.
Conclusion About How to Get Rid of Carpet Moths
Carpet moths are a nuisance to deal with. It doesn’t always have to be, particularly if you follow the correct cleaning and treatment procedures.
Once you spot the first signs of infestation, act fast, apply DIY treatments, and always remember to clean your carpets regularly to keep your home free of moths!
