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Original poster

Moths - how to get rid of them?

29 replies

smilesandsun · 30/04/2011 21:08

Hello,

I've just moved house and have found that my new place has moths :(. They are little cream coloured ones about 1cm in length. They just seem to be everywhere and in big numbers, I've never had this problem before.

Really in need of some advice on this one quickly before all my clothes are ruined!

Thanks :)

OP posts:
Original poster
smilesandsun · 01/05/2011 06:45

bumping, i really need some advice. Don't want to waist time and money on non effective solutions.

thx

OP posts:
JenniL1977 · 01/05/2011 06:51

Hi Smiles, they're clothes moths. I had them in my last house- fortunately managed to contain them.
If they're everywhere you're going to need to get a professional company in, asap. Sorry :( they're little fuckers and seem to breed so quickly.
They will only live on natural fibres - ours seemed to like wool the best - so get some mothballs to protect anything you don't want eaten v quickly.
Sorry it's not better news. Get some advice.

Artichokes · 01/05/2011 07:37

Stip out carpets. They often live in them.

Keep clothes in as light an airy a place as possible. Get anti moth satchets to put with your clothes. Get lavender bags too and line your draws with them. Hoover everything all the time.

They are v v hard to get rid of and in recentyears they seem to have a population explosion. It's a nightmare. Especially for woolen clothes.

JenniL1977 · 01/05/2011 07:55

Are you in a rented house? If so, kick off with your landlord/agent. And claim for anything that gets damaged by them. Don't have any experience of owning my own house though so I don't know if there's any compensation you can get from your vendors, or if this should have been picked up on your surveys.

2BoysTooLoud · 01/05/2011 08:28

New carpets more or less solved our problem. [Still have sticky traps around and see occasional little bugger.] I wear acrylic jumpers now!

2BoysTooLoud · 01/05/2011 08:44

If it is your carpets, avoid wool replacements. We got nice cheap man made fibres that no self respecting moth would eat!

ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls · 01/05/2011 16:07

Argh, we have them and of course the little fuckers have only eaten my stuff and nothing else. gutted. they were living in the carpets and literally chunks of carpet were coming up when I hoovered!

I recommend getting pest control in as I have no doubt spent as much on moth balls as I would have getting rid of the little pests.

Since changing the carpets and hoovering the floor madly they have diminished but they haven't gone completely.

2BoysTooLoud · 01/05/2011 16:20

Did you go for electric shock inducing replacement carpets ThePricessRoyalFiggyrolls? Being a Princess you may not have done I guess!!
I just couldn't have wool again as had moth nightmares. I love my cheap carpets!

ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls · 01/05/2011 16:29

Of course being a princess I only go for the best [cwink], didn't go for all wool or all shock inducing (only because we got rid of the shock inducing carpet in one room because it literally sparked [cshock] which being a princess is not what one wants).

I did go for moth proof underlay too!

(cos I is a princess after all!)

minimammoth · 01/05/2011 16:34

I had a mega prob with moths last year they ate huge holes in my carpet and clothes. So.... The best moth killer is one that Lakeland make. spray it around the edges and into all the dark corners they like the dark. buy moth repellent balls papers etc for your wardrobes. But the lakeland stuff did the job for us. Not seen any this year. I had to move furniture and spary underneath etc. spray the undersides of carpets and rugs. Hope this helps good lick

Original poster
smilesandsun · 02/05/2011 06:37

thanks everyone.

I'm in a rented place and only have carpets in two rooms, I can't see any damage on the carpets though so have no idea of where they are coming from or living.

So I have gone out and bought the moth repellant papers and put into all clothes / linen draws. I've also bought lavender oil and have that burning in the evenings to deter them coming into rooms with storage etc.

I'm going to look into the Lakeland spray too. About professional advice is there anyone in particular that you think is good? And can we stay in the apartment the day they take action against the moths?

thx!

OP posts:
minimammoth · 02/05/2011 09:49

I imagine that a company like renotkil might do the job but it would be expensive and you would have to leave the flat for a good chunk of time. Look on the underside of carpets. They sort of tunnel, as it's the larvae that do the damage, also look for pupa cases, they are about the size of a grain of rice and can attach to walls, backs of furniture etc. I found many on the ceiling Confused. My local hardware also sold me a powder that would kill grubs etc and that helped a bit. I did a double hit with the powder 'Doff woodlice killer' (kills crawling things)and the Lakeland Moth Proofer (not cheap but worth it).
Good hunting. Might be a good idea to report to landlord though.

Original poster
smilesandsun · 02/05/2011 17:18

thanks will look into the powder too.

With the moth proofer do you have to spray it over the whole carpet?

OP posts:
minimammoth · 02/05/2011 17:58

Only on the infested areas. Usually around skirting, under or next to furniture ( mine focused around bookshelving) and anywhere dark. The little blighters disappear into nooks and crannies.

Original poster
smilesandsun · 03/05/2011 11:45

thanks so much i'm getting onto them! Can't wait to be moth free!

OP posts:
jackies4 · 03/05/2011 22:09

Clothes moths hide in dark, undistrubed areas such as under heavy objects (sofa, sideboard, bookcase etc...) so vaccum under these reguarly to get rid of moths eggs. It is the emerging larvae that damage fabrics. Clothes moths are attracted to natural fibres (wool, silk, cotton etc...) especially if they are dirty or soiled by sweat. Ensure clothes that are to be stored for any period of time are cleaned & sealed in plastic or put in suitcases.

hester · 04/05/2011 21:13

Agreeing with Jackie - double-check your carpets in all the darkest places: ours were worst under the bed and wardrobe.

You will have to clean all your clothes, probably more than once. Also check soft toys, cushions, hats etc.

They are real buggers to get rid of. In our last flat, we only finally achieved victory when we ripped out all the carpets and had hard flooring instead. We now live in a carpeted house, and last week I saw one solitary moth. My heart is in my mouth as I wait to find out if he was a lone traveller...

2BoysTooLoud · 04/05/2011 21:34

God I know that feeling hester. I slap walls wildly if I think I see something flutter.. Smudgey marks if it is one.. aghhh. Ripping out carpets improved things for us. [Manmade fibre carpets give peace of mind].

minimammoth · 05/05/2011 13:39

Apparently the moths you see flying are male, it's the female ones that crawl into crevices and do their evil work. Good luck, smile and sun, may the Force be with youGrin

silkenladder · 05/05/2011 17:34

Reading this has brought the nightmares back!!!

Freezing kills moth eggs in clothing you can't wash (put in plastic bag and leave in freezer for one to two weeks). Dry cleaning also effective.

If they are in the carpets, then get the landlord to deal with the problem quickly using professionals. I spent months battling our moths, eventually successfully, but live in a flat with wooden floors.

2BoysTooLoud · 05/05/2011 21:21

Silkenladder - hope you have got your silky stuff safe from those pesky moths!!

silkenladder · 06/05/2011 06:39
Grin
2BoysTooLoud · 09/05/2011 21:01

Moths everywhere it seems. Another thread just started..argghhhhhh.........
[Looking round wildly in case I see one. Emotionally traumatised by my moth experiences]...

ducati · 10/05/2011 15:01

oops sorry. that was me starting the new thread. didn't see this one. will check out this lakeland spray thing and hoover a bit more under bed and see where that gets me

2BoysTooLoud · 10/05/2011 16:36

Good luck ducati!!

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