Persistent clothes moth unusual ideas welcome

[House2025]

We have really persistent clothes moths which we first noticed in spring 2024 in most rooms of our new to us Victorian house, and I've tried EVERYTHING to get rid of them!

I'm looking for any slightly less heard of solutions or new ideas from people please.

So far we have done the following.

In 2024
-removed all carpets in the whole house (currently have had bare floorboards for 18months)
-tried parasitic wasps
-moth pheramone traps
-fumigation bombs
-lots of cleaning and hoovering

After more natural treatments failed in
2025
-did a full diy chemical spray (march)
-called in professional pest control and had a full heat treatment and chemical spray of whole house and loft (done twice as first failed)
-used various fumigation bombs
Washed all clothes at 60 degrees twice
-thrown out anything wool/natural even if no damage (not had any damaged clothes, only damaged carpets which we removed).
-clean and hoover the house regularly

• did a full search and emptied every cupboard etc and there is no obvious source left. The carpets were the only sources we found last year and they are long gone, but the moths aren't!

-this weekend we are removing all the loft insulation or recommendation of the pst company, just in case. It's not wool, but we have no other ideas where the are coming from.

Has anyone tried so much and still failed like us? Has anyone dealt with them in the walls or under the floorboards? I feel like these are the only places left after we rip out the loft insulation.

Our numbers have massively reduced since last year, but I still find 1 or 2 every day and so many more will no doubt be around. I want them gone so much and short of moving and taking nothing with us, I have no ideas

I have made a spray with the following essential oils which seems to keep them at bay: lavender, eucalyptus and cedarwood. When I vacuum behind furniture, I give everything a good spray. I would also hang the traps up every spring and summer to get a feel of where they are and investigate further to do more elimination. They never seem to go completely.

If you're only finding 1 or 2 a day and eliminating them then I wouldn't worry anymore. Life is too short, surely?

Also they live in bird's nests so you might have some coming from the chimney or eaves

Sofa? They can live in upholstery. Do you have a chimney- when was it last swept as they can breed in birds nests (they eat feathers)

Which room(s) are you finding them in?

I had problems for years. Tried all anti moth products.
Nothing worked.

Indorex flea spray all around the edges of every carpet got rid of the little buggers with one application.

I couldn’t believe it.

Now been moth free for four years.

Oh wow. This gives me hope! Will give it a go. Thanks

I wish I could just switch off from it, but given I've seen how quickly 1 or 2 can escalate to an extreme infestation I can't ignore them

Thanks @SummerFeverVenice.
Our chimney isn't connected anymore, just a log burner flue. But it is open in the loft and goes down to 3 of the rooms that we had an issue.
Rooms we have them include the lounge, 2 bedrooms, upstairs and downstairs hall, bathroom and loft. Only the kitchen and 1 bedroom have been free of them the whole time.
More recently after the pest control treatment 3 weeks ago, the ones I've found have been in the upstairs hall and bathroom. I haven't checked the loft everyday so could be there too. I don't know if they are coming from these rooms or flying from others as there is nothing in them

Thanks @Begby6789 ill give this a go and explore the eaves too

What damage are they actually doing right now?
Are you seeing damage to upholstery or clothing now?

Log burner flues need to be swept annually too.

Are you sure these are still moths? Drain flies can look very similar to clothes moths if your squashing them quickly on sight.

Definitely try the Indorex. Also, do you have lights on and windows open? I find it draws them in, so if the lights are on in the house then I always shut the windows. It was a bit miserable during the heatwaves recently, but I will not open the windows again until all the lights have been put out. My husband thinks I’m mad, but I have battled moth infestation before and it is awful!

It might be a coincidence linked to us trying everything you mentioned but we also got plug in insect and mouse repellents (which we had got originally for mice in DDs student house) and we are one year moth free.

Nothing obvious. But I'm living with no finished flooring and minimal furnishings as I don't want them to destroy anything new. So I guess more than current damage they are causing, it more preventing me from being able to move on as those 1 or 2 a day (I'm sure there are lots more) will likely munch the new carpet I put down, or the new blankets I buy etc

Cedar wood rings!

I used these and they catch them and stop the multiplying!!
https://manchestermothmen.co.uk/products/manchester-mothmen-clothes-moth-traps-for-wardrobe

also second the lights off/windows closed suggestion above 👆🏻

Thanks. I'll definitely look into this. So pleased you are a year free. Gives me hope too that it might happen

100% still clothes moths sadly.
The flue was only installed last year so will look to sweep this winter- thanks

Right, I only ask because I live in a very, very old house, I’ll likely never rid myself of both the clothes beetles and the carpet beetles, woolly bears etc. But they all congregate on warm south facing window ledges, in particular, and I just pick them up and chuck them out. I hoover religiously and clean up dusty window ledges etc, but do nothing in particular to eradicate them. And certainly nothing chemical. And I just don’t see any actual damage. I’ve got drawers full of cashmere, I pretty much only ever wear natural fabrics, and all of my towels and bed clothes are all linens and cottons. So not like they don’t have enough to munch on. But it just doesn’t seem to happen because I clean clothes often, hoover drawers, move stuff around, use cedar blocks blah blah
I mean I could have a conniption at the amount of beetles and pay someone an inordinate amount of money to get rid of them, but honestly, they’re not really doing any damage. I’d keep doing normal amounts of cleaning, squishing beetles you
find (or chucking them out of the window) and see how it pans out.

Have you replaced all your pillows, duvets, blankets? You can also freeze them overnight which kills them.

I feel for you, my mum had them and they skeeve me out, she got quite obsessed
Luckily for her the professional stuff (which in the end I arranged for her) worked, but she had to throw away a lot of coats and bedding.

Well, you must be lucky then - they ate inches of my mum's carpet, and ate a hole the size of a saucer into a skirt of hers, plus tons of other stuff, and holes in all her clothes.

We threw out all the bedding last year and 1 of the mattresses when we first discovered the problem. But maybe it's time to throw out again as it's been another 18 months since and they could definitely be a source again.
Thanks for the question as I'd sort of dismissed the duvets and pillows this year

Thanks for sharing, but I can't just coexist with them. Our wool carpets were completely destroyed last year and I want to move on and put new flooring down without fear of it all happening again. I also want to relax in bed without them flying into my face. Our issue is clothes moth, not beatles

All You Need Is Love.....

Are you in a terrace house? Worked for a housing company and we dealt with infestations of all sorts, but if there's a route from another property and they have issues they've failed to deal with, then they just keep popping up.