Clothes moths! Advice please.

[BrimfulOfBaba]

I've noticed a couple of holes in some clothes and now the bathroom seems to have a couple of brown moths every time I visit. I've realised an infestation is in progress.

I've got some Acana lavender moth killers/repellers in the wardrobe, but I want to spend today cleaning them out. Here's my plan to tackle it today - how does it sound?:

• empty out the wardrobe and get rid of anything old
• put all clothes into a hot wash/the freezer (inside a plastic bag)
• vacuum wardrobes and drawers thoroughly
• clean wardrobe and drawers with a vinegar/water solution
• final spray with antibacterial spray
• vacuum every inch of carpet that I possibly can

Also planning to order some hormone traps for male moths.

How does this sound?

I am pretty phobic of insects but determined to nip this before it gets worse.

Also has anyone ever successfully tracked the source of these moths? I read they enter the house via nests in lofts - and I know DP mentioned seeing a nest in our loft!

Oh go on, can't resist a moth thread! If you look back, you'll find a few old threads. I'm in Year 3 - first year, I was like you. Notices the bastardy little fuckers and did what I could to protect clothes and vacuumed throughout.

Have to admit that I kind of forgot about them until the next spring when I noticed a bald patch of carpet. And more when I pulled out really heavy furniture that was rarely moved. Last summer I went to war and vacuumed thoroughly every day, had sticky traps, the lot.

This year, they're back. Last year, I had more time to tackle them. This year, it's been more difficult, and while I'm not giving up, I'm almost at the point where I think I'll just replace all the carpets next year.

They can fly in through windows, but a nest in the loft could well be a source. Once you have them breeding in your house, though, getting rid of the nest will be the least of your worries!

Once you have them breeding in your house, though, getting rid of the nest will be the least of your worries!

Oh dear Lord! I think we may have moths and your post is far from reassuring @Cynderella

What's the best thing to put with our clothes? I think the little soda have been in my knocker drawer!

Well, I don't have a knocker drawer so that's one thing I don't have to worry about! The only thing that's working for me is to have a very limited wardrobe at risk - most of what I don't wear often is in zip up bags (as is bed linen and towels). I'm very much one of those only wearing 20% of what I own 80% of the time. Have gradually got rid of a lot and working from home means I tend to wear the same stuff day after day. So, even if THEY do lay eggs on something, I'm going to be wearing and washing it soon.

I'm sorry to be voice of gloom and doom, but there was an article in the Guardian (I think) a while back about spending £££ on getting rid of moths - for a year. A year later, they were back. Lots of the comments from readers suggested it's not an uncommon experience.

I also read something where a celebrity recommended putting a raggedy cashmere sweater out as bait for them. I think that's what we've done with our wool carpets .

I've bought some traps. Seems to be carpets rather than clothes.

Lavender bags as well

Sorry meant knicker drawer, I never did have big knockers, I wonder if there's a bigger set waiting for me in a drawer somewhere...

And for someone not wanting to be the voice of doom and gloom, you're not doing an awful lot to reassure me Cynder

Get rid of wool carpets. ..
Wash any wool clothes and store them sealed in plastic bags.
Clean out wardrobes and drawers and spray with anti moth cupboard spray it’s about £4 on Amazon. Kills them is they try and get in the joins of furniture.
Spray wardrobes and drawers once a year. Quarantine anything wool, feather silk etc that comes into the house.
Any items with evidence of moths stick is plastic bag and put in the freezer for 3 weeks.
I found once the wool carpets were gone the moth this moth issue was just about solved. I still see the little blighters at this time of year but I think they’ve flown in

Well, I could tell you not to worry because they only stay a week? Nah, not going to be able to spin that one!

I have the sticky traps everywhere - costing a small fortune - but apparently they are only good for telling you where the bastards are. They will only catch a small percentage of the population. We have lavender bags, cedar blocks - the lot. Last year, I found it all very depressing. Lately, I've been looking the other way - I really need to get a grip - off to search Amazon for refills for traps.

You need proper anti moth spray. Open all your drawers and cupboards. Close windows. Spray moth killer into room as per instructions on can. Leavd for an hour or so.
Then open windows, start sorting and washing clothes and bedding wipe the insides of drawers and cupboards with surface spray.
Pack out of season clothes in vaccuum bags with moth balls.
Don't put clothes you have worn back in drawers/ wardrobes.
Spray curtains and carpets with surface and fabric spray regularly.
Vaccuum regularly.
Once you have them, it is an ongoing battle.
If you have a piano, you need to put moth repellant sachets in there too.
Good luck.

@*Cynderella you mentioned the carpet being affected at your home - do make sure you clean really well under all your furniture too, apparently their wee nests can be hanging off the base of desks & drawers next to the legs.
When we moved into this current house, carpet beetles had decimated the carpet in lots of places & we ended up removing it all & bug-bombing the whole house. Wasn't part of that house buy budget!

I dont know if carpet beetles are related to clothes moths cos we have these clothes ones now in our wardrobe space & I'm forever using sticky traps & clearing out the hangers. Too many clothes 😂
Good luck, I'll follow this post for ideas too

And, yes, I think the wool carpets are my problem too.

If you have a piano, you need to put moth repellant sachets in there too. well that's one blessing, no piano here

It sounds silly, but if you are a musician and your piano is destroyed it is incredibly upsetting and very expensive. It happened to a friend and she was heartbroken.

It sounds silly, but if you are a musician and your piano is destroyed it is incredibly upsetting and very expensive. It happened to a friend and she was heartbroken. Your poor DF, that does sound truly awful

It's both comforting to know this is a common issue and disheartening that it seems like a never ending battle! That.ia horrible about the piano :(

I've put out lots of traps but nothing has been caught in them yet. Will get moth spray and clothes bags and vacuum the heck out of all the carpets - luckily I think they're synthetic.

I'm getting married in a month and have chucked some lavender tabs into my wedding dress garment bag. It's definitely not fancy enough material for the flying demons but I'm not taking any chances!

I'm getting married in a month. Oh how exciting Brimful!

I've being dreaming about Monstrous Moths all night but at least now I have a plan of action

We had them when the house was mostly empty for a year. We used spray on the obvious areas where they had eaten the carpet (under the bed and inside a walk in cupboard). Then we bombed the worst affected rooms. You can get a kit on Amazon with spray and bombs. The traps just tell you you have them. I’m not a fan of fly spray etc normally but chemical warfare seemed to be the only hope of stopping them. We do seem to have been successful in getting rid. Now I’m learning to darn cashmere for that shabby chic look and the cat has the most expensive blanket ever from a destroyed jumper.

Thanks @BunnyRuddington!

I'm going to pick up a mothkiller spray tonight and am spending the week blitzing things. @Chemenger I will definitely look into some bombs!

I have also heard about parasitic wasps. They are absolutely tiny, so tiny you can barely see them. I think they eat the moth eggs and so will eventually die off when there is no longer a food source for them.

We had them and managed to get rid of them after years of spraying, bombing, hoovering and sticky traps. In the end I ripped up the carpet in 5 rooms in the house and put down hard flooring. They were living/hatching under the carpet and I would have had to saturate them with pesticides to have made any dent in the numbers. One of the things that helped was putting worn socks in dark corners and under furniture, this attracted the larval stage and I could pick them off and squash them ( I was disgusted at first but got quite blasé in the end). When I started I could get six off each sock every day, alongside the sticky traps everywhere it put a dent in their reproductive cycle. DH was staying in hotels on a weekly basis and my guess is that’s where they originally came from, and where we got regular top ups. One thing that lock down has been good for, at least. I think we would still have them if I didn’t remove the carpet though.