Best carpets if you've had moths...

[TodgyCat]

Are there any nice, non-wool carpets? Or any moth-proof wool carpets. Which carpets do you love? (with names of maker and range, please!)

I want to go synthetic but then I look at them and yearn for 80-20 wool... I've read all the carpet threads on Mumsnet -- most threads quite old so I'm re-starting the discussion, and perhaps this will help others too.

Now we've treated the whole house for moths, old carpets in 4 rooms need to be replaced (about 70sq m). But what with? Can you tell me which carpets you love? Thoughts so far:

• I love 80-20 wool-nylon but so do moths - even the moth-proofed ones
• Polyprop gets squashed in a couple of years and maybe looks naff
• Nylon is harder wearing / less squashable, maybe looks naff
• Corn-based carpets have some awful reviews and cost 70psm locally
• Westex wool mix carpets are NOT moth-proof - they have told me their website was inaccurate on moth-proofing and they will be updating it! Off-putting (as are reviews -not the solution I thought it was)
• Or there's wool plus pay someone to help clean it regularly + spray once a year. (I've been calculating how many hours of a cleaner I could buy for the extra cost of Westex or Mohawk)
• the National Trust has concluded the parasitic wasps don't help much with moths, compared with pheromones alone :-(

I know the sensible choice is man-made but I struggle to like any of the options. Plus all carpet this year seems to be dreary grey/beige colours (I'm looking for pale green/sage).

Not much to ask - man-made carpet that looks like wool, lasts 10+ years without showing any wear (like wool) and doesn't appeal to moths ...

As OP -- I didn't really find a solution. I just hated all the artificial carpets, so I've developed some new habits. For various reasons (house construction) we ruled out wood. I have a freezer through which I rotate clothes if they have been placed 'at risk' (ie left out). I have binned most of my clothes. We're better at hoovering but not great eg under bed. I ripped the carpet off the stairs and we now just have the old underlay (keep meaning to do something...) I've cut round the footprint of my huge bookcase so there is no longer carpet under it (since it was never going to get hoovered under the bookcase - this is real life). Clothes live in zipped bags (which also spend time in the freezer) and suit bags for hanging. So - I've changed my lifestyle but am living with my very old carpet, complete with moth damage and cat damage - because at least I won't get upset when it gets more damage. We have relatively few moths but probably one every night gets hoovered - the hand-held Dyson lives in the bedroom (where we had most moths). I also feel cheated because neither cats (which love to catch flies and wasps) nor spiders seem to do anything to help with moths.

I've just replaced a 11 year old poly corner carpet in my lounge for another. It was a really thick carpet and still looked in very good condition when we took it up.
victoria carpets do polly and are high rated. Say away from invictus as they flatten.

Modern synthetic carpets are worlds away from the shiny nylon sculptures things that our grandparents had! Many are very hard to tell from wool, and they are so easy to clean.

@inappropriateraspberry - which would you recommend? I really want to like an artificial carpet, but I haven't been able to find any that are indistinguishable from wool and have a range of colours and good durability. I'm looking for pale sage / sea green. The wear-guarantees I've seen are at best only about 10 years (which might be enough), whereas I've had several wool carpets over 30 years myself, and my parents ones lasted 60+, no moths because probably they were soaked in formaldehyde! One nylon carpet I was reading about yesterday requires weekly cleaning because it attracts dirt electrostatically - If I was good at hoovering my wool carpets weekly I probably wouldn't have moths ...

Oo, tell me more! I’ve found this thread oddly affirming as we’re infested. I’ve ripped up carpets, put Jussie’s in the freezer and now we’re surveying the creaky floorboards and wondering what to put down before winter.

What range of colours are you looking for? Browns/beige/cream or actual colours like red and blue?

There are "moth proof" carpets. Moths are a problem in my area so all the local carpet shops know about it and have particular recommendations.

@inappropriateraspberry greenish blue. Seems to be a rare colour!
@AmandaHoldensLips check out the manufacturers' caveats - moth-proof guarantees seem very unlikely to be of use. If I hoovered under all my furniture weekly I doubt I'd have much moth problem.

Someone I know has a massively heavy Victorian rocking horse - It is impossible for one person to move- When it was finally moved, the wool rug it was on was completely shredded to the warp threads only

I was sent a pic of it- the moths has chomped away under the central platform of the horse, where it is dark and undisturbed.

Moths are an increasing problem.
National Trust houses have an ongoing battle with the bronze winged pests-

Although it’s their larvae that do the damage.

Fellow moth sufferers. I have just discovered moths in DD's wardrobe. Ironically we went in there looking for a large escaped spider!

I have two completely bare patches of carpet which were under some shoes, the bottoms of which were covered in webbing 🤢 and had to be hoovered.

The source was a sheepskin rug, brought back from uni, and popped in the top shelf.....it was buzzing with moth. So that's obviously gone out.

Hoovered extensively, everything out of the cupboard, so much stuff, and wiped down. Sprayed a Rentokil moth killer first, it was all I could get, and hung Tentokil moth cassettes up. Got hold of some Acana moth killer, sprayed that around on the carpet as that kills eggs and larve. Also hung further Acana cassettes on the rails.

Washed, ironed, steamed or dry cleaned and returned all clothing to the cupboard.

Next step is using a steamer on the carpet, but I think I need to wait a couple of weeks for the treatment to work. I will then spray again.....

Any other advice, or am I doomed?

Found a couple of other moth in two other wardrobes. Have hung up cassettes in those too. But no munching.

Really, really want wood down everywhere now. Most of downstairs is already wood. The lounge carpet needs changing anyway, as all the carpets have been down 20 years (with no issues), with this experience I would really like to change the upstairs too.....

Once i washed all of my clothes I kept them in plastic clothes bags so that they were not reinfected! We waited for the spray to be effective and then steamed every 3 weeks, or hoovered every 3 weeks for months. I threw out anything I no longer wanted to save washing it and stop the chance of them harbouring eggs. I had pest control out and they could "see" eggs I could not! Take care throwing htings out if carrying over non infected carpets - we were advised to put stuff out of the window rather than carry through the house. I would keep the wardrobe empty for a while!

I don't like synthetic either but made mistake of putting 100% wool berber through two sets of stairs and one son's bedroom and been battling them ever since..........Two hand held hoovers on standby on each floor. I've had some success with the sticky pheromone papers this year judging by the number stuck to them so hoping next year will be better as they are suppose to attract the males and stop them reproducing🙏 funnily enough they leave the other son's carpet alone despite that being 50% wool nor do they seem to attack the pure jute rug downstairs or our clothes although mostly cotton. The rest of floors are tiles and stripped wood. If it carries on was considering ripping it up and painting or staining the stairs perhaps with a jute runner if they don't eat that and son will have to have synthetic🤷‍♀️ it's sooooo annoying and neighbours must wonder why they hear the hoover at all times of day and night but I can't stand letting one get away!

It's still war to the death in our house. For some reason they like an old (well washed) fleece dressing gown which hangs on our bedroom door. It's totally synthetic but they gather there. Perhaps it's the texture or colour. DH goes in and exterminates them every night before bed but there are some every time...just 4 or 5 at most. I would love to bin the old dressing gown but it is acting as a lure!

Like PP I have clothes washed and kept in plastic bags but our bedroom carpets are 80% wool.

can Anyone suggest a place to get nice synthetic carpet in the end? Thanks

Polypropylene is ok as long as it’s low pile.

Just went to carpet right - and, this spring, far reduced moth count….