Will this make my moth problem better or worse?

[ThatNimblePeer]

Would love some advice from the wise people of MN. Very frustratingly, I keep getting moth holes in both wool and cotton clothes. I have thrown away the worst affected things, hoovered in wardrobe and chest of drawers, and bought some of the Zero In Clothes Moth Killer hanging units with transfluthrin, which a relative said had worked for her. However, I’m still getting holes, and I’ve also seen a single moth once or twice in the bedroom (if there is a nest I can’t find it).

I was wondering why the transfluthrin hadn’t worked, and it occurred to me that the issue likely is the fact that my wardrobe door doesn’t close fully, it’s quite old and the wood has warped so it can’t be made to close flush or stay closed, it just sits on a security latch to stop it swinging open fully, but it is always open a couple of inches. I realise this is probably stopping the transfluthrin working properly as the fumes need to build up within a closed space. So, it would seem like the next step should probably be a new wardrobe.

However, on the flip side, everything I’ve read about moths seems to suggest that what they like is the dark and not being disturbed. So in some ways it seems like a partially open wardrobe door that lets some light in might be better than one that shuts fully. (Although given I still have a moth problem it seems fair to say the semi-open door is not working very well).

It will be expensive and a pain to get a new wardrobe, but I would definitely do it if I thought it would get rid of the moths. Just wondering what mumsnetters think?

YABU - don’t get a new wardrobe with a fully closed door, it will just mean the moths have somewhere extra dark to hide and it won’t solve the problem

YANBU - order that new wardrobe today, nothing is guaranteed but it makes it much more likely the transfluthrin will work

It's frass, aka their shit. I've attached a photo of the sort of things I was picking up

@Quebeccles I looked into sisal carpet as it's marketed as naturally moth resistant, but from my research it seems it's still not ideal because they trap dust, skin cells, food debris, fur if you have a pet etc which they can feed on, and the weave is a good place for them to hide. So it can keep the cycle going even if they don't visibly damage it, is my understanding.

I'm trying to find some rugs to put down on the hard flooring once it's fitted but I'm struggling to find anything synthetic that looks nice. I considered something like this https://www.kukoonrugs.com/products/natural-jute-border-rug-choose-your-colour because it's tightly woven but it feels too risky.

That is gross but also helpful - thank you! Will be looking for a lint roller.

I had this and eventually found what I would term a “nest”. A hessian bag in the dark under stairs cupboard. Was crawling with moth grubs. I chucked the bag out, emptied the cupboard, scrubbed it and remaining contents. Kept up with the sticky moth traps which I’d already set up and the problem went.

there likely is to be a focus of them where they’re hatching, somewhere dark. You need to move furniture like beds, wardrobes, sofas and look under.

And as for squeezing under a wardrobe, yes they could. I worked out my source was in the under stairs cupboard when I saw a moth appear inbetween the planks of wood of the door. The planks (to me) don’t even look like there is a gap between them, this moth just kind of slowly appeared bit by bit through what almost looked like a solid bit of wood!

Clothes moths are tiny and the larvae are tinier. When we moved house, some time after a very heavy infestation that we had eventually got rid of, we were horrified to find that the carpet under our very heavy large bookcases was completely bald, just the backing material left, so yes they will live under very big furniture. We had got on top of the infestation though by using parasitic wasps. It requires buying them every 2 weeks (I think) and using them for a while after you stop seeing moths because the larvae (which is what the wasps target) will obviously linger a bit longer than the last few moths that laid the eggs. We probably used them for about 3 months in all because you have to catch all of them at the right time during their life cycle. But it did work and our infestation was horrendous. We got the wasps from Dragonfli because that was the only place selling them then but I believe more companies sell them now. They're microscopic so you don't ever see them. Good luck.

@Floatlikeafeather2 Good to know about the wasps. DH and I were considering this and we’re going for it, I think. Can you use them any time - now, for instance? Theres no particular season you ought to buy them in?

We took this seriously and sprayed the whole house in Indorex, kills moths and longer term stays present in carpets, corners, in furniture, beds, in floorboards etc when new larvae emerge, to kill them. The problem isn't moths getting in from outside, its an infestation in the home.

We had a very bad infestation a few years ago. It started small but got to a point where I needed professional help. We cleared out all our storage cupboards/loft space into a storage unit, emptied all clothing into bin bags in the shed and then had the whole house treated by a professional. Clothing/textiles only came back in once washed/dry cleaned/frozen. It was a LOT of work as we are a big family with a lot of stuff, but it did get on top of the problem. We see an occasional one which we kill on sight, and monitor with pheromone traps. Blooming nightmare.

No, clothes moths just go on reproducing all year round if they're in a nice warm house. Something I didn't mention is that places like the V&A and Chatsworth use these wasps now.

They don't have nests, they lay the eggs directly on the fabric.

They can't eat cotton but they will sometimes chew through it to get to the stuff they can eat (wool, silk, fur, feathers, taxidermy, anything with animal proteins).

Wardrobe open or shut won't make much difference either way; they can get in the tiniest gaps.

Attack on all fronts: clothes in the freezer for a few days, vac in and under wardrobe and other furniture, get spray, get sticky traps. And the wasps, which are brilliant.

Last month our boiler was condemned and we shivered for three weeks. During that time I was swathed in many layers like a Russian doll. Our bedroom was 8° most nights. You'd think the bastard moths would have gone to sleep or something.
I have just tidied away a cashmere shawl and some leg warmers I recycled out of jumpers years ago (frugal!) Admittedly I should not have left them draped over a bedroom chair so totally my fault for being untidy. Anyway, now we have a new boiler and the temperature is up, there is a 5p sized hole in the legwarmers and a teeny little dot of web on the shawl. Into the freezer with Sooty and Sweep they go!
Years ago people used to send their furs for cold storage. I wonder if there's an idea for a similar service for woollens?

Thanks - do you remember where you got the lavender oil, and how much oil to how much water you used for the solution? Presumably you washed it over the wardrobe inner walls and left it there, rather than washing it off?

I’ve got an old wooden wardrobe, wondering if there’s a risk it might make the wood rot? I’ve wondered this also recently soap and water wash downs which some people seem to recommend for moths, though I’m not totally clear why (is the thought that washing will remove tiny moth eggs you can’t see on the walls? But wouldn’t they be in the clothes?)

Also, I think I’m going to try a clothing declutter as a PP recommended. Do you think it’s ok to take some clothes to the charity shop if I’ve checked them carefully and am not seeing any holes? Or, given I know there’s a risk, should I just put them all in the recycling? God knows I don’t want to inflict moths on anyone else, but it does feel like an awful waste to just get rid of intact clothes.

If you freeze them for 3 days it's ok to take them to the charity shop. Checking for holes doesn't really prove anything about whether that garment is still infested - you probably won't spot the eggs. But freezing will kill them.

As well as freezing things I have started to bake woollens to kill any hidden moth eggs.. I put them on a large oven tray covered in foil for 30 minutes. Apparently it needs to be minimum 50° C which is enough to kill moths. Good for things you can't wash like tweed caps etc.

I read an article that said modern wash temperatures are not high enough to kill moth eggs. I'm not sure I would risk my jumpers in a hot wash anyway, so I wash in lukewarm water, then dry naturally, then bake them, then put in a ziplock bag. I have only recently started this routine, so the jury is still out on effectiveness. I know knitters do this with their skeins of wool.

Speaking of using heat to kill moth eggs, does anyone have a steam setting on their washing machine? Maybe that would work, if it didn't shrink the wool.

@TeaAndStrumpets when summer comes you can put stuff in the car on a sunny day, the inside temperature reaches >50C after 60 minutes on a 24C day, or lower if left for longer according to my obsessive research

I've no idea if this is applicable to you OP but just a general FYI for anyone dealing with this, essential oils are very toxic to cats. Also, the insecticide used in moth killing products is permethrin/pyrethroids which can be fatal to cats, so look up guidance on how to use them safely around pets.

Diatomaceous earth is often cited as a human and pet safe treatment for moths but it can be harmful to both humans and animals when inhaled, plus it will fuck up your vacuum cleaner.

This reminds me for months I put lavender in my washer in an attempt to deter them. I don't know if it worked.

Only chemicals and throwing out got rid of them really.

That is a good idea! My last moth panic was in winter but there is an excellent case to be made for doing this routinely every summer, using a car.

That would certainly encourage us all to de clutter clothing!

When we started using a dehumidifier to dry washing, I also noticed a reduction in the number of moths. Apparently they prefer damp places, so perhaps that would explain it.

Yes, freezing clothes for a few days will kill them.

Agree with @TheFatCatsWhiskers1 that essential oils are toxic to cats and some are toxic to dogs too.

I've used flea spray in the past, rather than using other insecticides, as at least most flea sprays are supposed to be ok for pets to be around. The flea spray did a good job at getting rid of the moths.

Move every single piece of furniture, check behind with a torch and check edges of the carpet. Do this every single day for a couple of weeks at least. Hoover up any dust and squish anything that looks like rice.

And use this stuff
amzn.eu/d/eUk4ief

My carpet is going next week and I can't wait to see the back of it. I used Scotch blue to tape up the gaps between the skirting board and the carpet edge after I saw moths scuttling down there, and when I took some of the tape off today there were larvae on it. So that might be another thing to consider in the midst of an infestation.

Move every single piece of furniture, check behind with a torch and check edges of the carpet.

At the peak of my insanity I was lying on the floor each night with a pocket microscope. I feel like I could write a thesis on the little bastards at this point.

@TheFatCatsWhiskers1 have you decided on a replacement carpet yet? We are going to have bare boards upstairs and engineered wood downstairs (UFH). I've got my eye on some good synthetic rugs for bedsides etc. However, I am really struggling with finding a nice stair runner. You can get a faux sisal but I imagine the moths could live in it even if they don't eat it.

Another question if anybody knows the answer. I'd like to buy new beds for our new house. They will be bedframes to allow the robot hoover underneath. I have been looking at mattresses and the really nice pocket sprung ones have a wool layer. Is this a risk?

I'm having LVT put down everywhere. It's expensive but I managed to find some nice local people to do it off the recommendation of a neighbour who quoted a lot less than some of the quotes I was getting. I'm probably going to get a couple of these https://www.dunelm.com/product/faroe-wool-look-washable-faux-fur-rug-1000248620?defaultSkuId=30938678&colour=Ivory to start with but I'll need a couple more, one for my office and another for the hall which I haven't decided on yet.

I would think the faux sisal would be ok for a stair runner? Maybe get a herringbone one so that it's a really tight weave. I'm considering a faux sisal border rug for the hall, I think it's Unnatural Flooring I was looking at. I've just had a look at my bookmarks and other rug places I've looked at are Kukoon (although a lot of those have jute backing which frightens me), Benuta, Love Rugs, La Redoute, Rugvista, Scandi Home and Rugs and More. There's also rugs.co.uk but I'm wary of them as they're based in the US.

The bed I got is the Tatiana frame from Habitat as there's not much to it, so it's easy to clean. There's lots of clearance underneath for the hoover to get under. I have a wool mattress from Warren Evans which I've inspected and is so far moth free, touch wood. I also have a wool duvet and can't find any evidence of them on that either. You can buy mattress encasements off ebay or amazon, but most of them are waterproof which puts me off because of the crinkling. Instead I've put a fitted sheet on the underside, a mattress protector over the top side and then a fitted sheet on the right way round, so it's effectively encased.

I'm really scared that once the carpets are gone they're all going to flock to my wool jumpers, but most have been frozen in zip lock bags then stored in a plastic airtight box, and the rest will get washed and frozen before the new flooring is down. I need to find a way of storing my wool coat that doesn't involve folding it up and creasing it.

If you want to be extra safe with the mattress, you could dust a very small amount of this into the seams https://www.amazon.co.uk/ROCKWELL-CXID032-CimeXa-Insecticide-Rockwell/dp/B0085HRWI8/ref=sr15 it does the same job as diatomaceous earth (desiccates them and cuts them to shreds) but it's produced in a lab so it's safer. I should put some on my mattress but it's a lot of money when I only want to use a tiny amount.

Edited to add: the flooring people are moving my fitted wardrobes which were fitted over carpet. I'm quite nervous about what's going to be underneath.

We store all our natural fibre clothes (except cotton which moths don’t seem to like) in plastic protective zip up bags. Haven’t had a single moth hole since I started doing this.