To Ask You How To Deal with Clothes Moths

[AnaViaSalamanca]

Posting for traffic, really desperate situation.

I have a full on moth attack in my house, and no idea where they are coming from. I always have those lavender hanger thingys in my wardrobe, and ironically the moths don't go to the wardrobes, but as soon as I leave any wool unattended for a couple of hours it gathers a few. And I can now count about 15 sitting on the wall.

Help me.

Poor you, they are vile. If you have woollen rugs, have a look at the underside - traces of the white cocoons are a giveaway - but the moths could be breeding anywhere undisturbed. I found one hatching out in a towel - urrgh. Your infestation sounds so bad, you might do best to get in professionals to do a complete spray; it does mean moving your furniture out from the walls and a bit of upheaval, but it is very effective. I use the sticky pheromone triangles and they're good for locating hot-spots - one under my bed was covered in hopeful males. (Moths, that is.) (And dead.)

Thanks!

Check the carpets - they can live in the carpets. Get pheromone traps. Stick anything with signs of moths in plastic bags in the freezer. Use all the moth-killing products Amazon has to offer at the same time in combination. Go for the professional sprayers if that doesn't work.

We moved into a house with moths.
I systematically worked through the rooms, removed all traces of dust and used a pet flea spray on carpets and skirtings, undersides of furniture.

All bedding bagged into sealable bags as soon as it was washed, same with towels and clothing. Coats sprayed with flea spray if they were not being bagged. Lavender things for wardrobes and drawers from Lakeland, they also have a spray called MothStop which is horrendous but effective. Do not inhale it or use t around pets of any kind, it has some really nasty side effects, so I would suggest Indorex or Acclaim.

I have bagged every fabric item in the cupboards and put all laundry into bags when clean.

You need to work out if they are clothes moths or carpet moths, carpet moths live in little tubes made of fabric from your carpets or furnishings, but they all destroy your fabrics. Check undersides of furniture, chairs, beds, carpets, rugs, in vents, corners and clean and dust everything. I pop the Lakeland refils into the base of the sofas.

I haven't done the freezing thing as there is never any room in the frezer but I know you need to keep on top of the cleaning and spraying and don't give them a chance to survive.

Go over your carpets with this stuff Several times

Vigorously! Little bastards. They're the only thing I kill on sight. You need to take every possible measure - moth killer sachets in drawers and boxes, hanging killer units in wardrobes and cupboards, sprays on all carpets round skirting boards floors etc, pheromone traps too (they only catch the males and they don't kill them which I find distressing so I also have to patrol the traps to squash anything stuck) Sealed garment bags etc for knitwear. Lakeland sell a really good range. You should go through all stored fabrics unfolding and shaking things looking for signs of infestation (often just the sight of a female scurrying for cover). You also need to hoover really thoroughly (every possible surface and crevice) then empty the hoover bag immediately because the eggs can survive and then spray everything and let it dry. If you have pets you need to keep them away while you're doing this because the insecticides can harm pets, particularly fish. And then you need to be ready to do the same thing every few weeks for a while and intermittently thereafter. You can do it though - we have previously had a big infestation which is now well under control - every few months one or two turn up on the traps, but that's all.