6 Tips on How to Get Rid of Carpet Moths

You must take immediate action if you have a carpet moth infestation. In this article, we go present all you need to know about carpet moths, and 6 tips on how to get rid of carpet moths!

Table of Contents

• What Are Carpet Moths?
• Where Do Carpet Moths Come From?
• Identifying Carpet Moths
• Carpet Moths Infestation
• How to Get Rid Of Carpet Moths: Our Top 6 Tips
  • 1. Identify the Carpet Moths
  • 2. Assess the Carpet Moth Infestation
  • 3. Cleaning Out Carpet Moth Habitats
  • 4. Reduce Carpet Moth Breeding
  • 5. Eradicating Carpet Moth Larvae & Eggs
  • 6. Ongoing Regime
• Effective Treatments for Carpet Moths
  • Moth Killer Kits
  • Moth Traps
• FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What Are Carpet Moths?

Typically, clothes moths (Tineolabisselliella), which mostly target clothing made of wool or silk, are the moths found in carpets. Once they have taken over your house, carpet moths are a nuisance.

When left to their own devices, these naughty little creatures are infamous for their enormous numbers. Until you beam a light into their dens, they will feed, procreate, and hide in the deepest recesses of your house. In the US, these moths are widespread, particularly in hotter areas with central heating.

Where Do Carpet Moths Come From?

Moths typically infiltrate our homes through used carpets, furniture, or clothing. However, the issue is with the larvae and not the actual moths. They mostly consume the protein keratin, which is present in human and animal hair, feathers, and horn fragments. In the wild, nests of birds and other animals provide plenty of food for carpet moths.

However, because moths are nocturnal, light-attracted insects, our homes are highly alluring to them. Additionally, our homes offer them the best living conditions possible, free from predators and temperature changes brought on by central heating. Therefore, a carpet moth infestation might happen without our fault.

Identifying Carpet Moths

It’s critical to take immediate action if you notice moths flying around in your home to prevent further harm. A carpet moth’s lurching flight, lustrous, ciliated wings, and dark brown to yellow color make them very easy to recognize.

Additional indications of a carpet moth infestation consist of:

• There are small black specks on the carpet that are likely moth poop.
• Larvae of the carpet moth are white-yellow and range in size from one millimeter to one centimeter, depending on how old they are.
• Larval shells because they progressively shed their skin before pupating
• Carpet stains or holes with threadbare patches

Visit our guide on House Moth Identification to learn more!

Carpet Moths Infestation

Sadly, carpet moth populations have increased dramatically over the past ten years all throughout the USA, invading homes and your personal items. This raises the possibility of long-term harm to valuable items you use every day, such your carpets, rugs, and clothing, necessitating replacement.

Some of these objects may have been passed down through families to a number of you or purchased as unique pieces, making them wholly irreplaceable. It is better to launch an attack at the first sign of damage rather than waiting for a potential infestation.

Because carpet moths can be bothersome household pests, we strongly suggest a continual prevention plan. Because of the warmer temperatures and central heating in homes, carpet moth infestations are becoming a year-round problem.

If you wait and suspect an infestation, clothing and carpet moths may move between carpets and closets in search of natural animal fibers like wool, cashmere, and silk that contain the protein keratin, their natural food supply.

Adult carpet moths do not feed and have a relatively limited lifespan; instead, their main objective is to reproduce as soon as they can to preserve their species. Damage is caused by the larvae that develop from carpet moth larvae. To get rid of them, we advise using pheromone traps for clothes moths. The larvae continue to eat wool and other natural fibers all year long, harming the fabric.

Since these spaces are less crowded and darker, carpet moth larvae frequently hide beneath couches, along skirting boards, and under bookcases. It will be less enticing for carpet moths to nest in these areas by moving furniture, opening curtains, and consistently vacuuming these areas. This will help to prevent more expensive damage from occurring.

If you believe your home may have a clothing moth infestation, taking quick action should be your first priority. You might be astonished by how quickly clothes moths spread due to their short lifespan and strong rate of reproduction. We advise placing clothes moth traps as soon as possible.

How to Get Rid Of Carpet Moths: Our Top 6 Tips

1. Identify the Carpet Moths

The most common carpet moth in the US is the webbing clothes moth, also known as the common clothes moth, which is followed in abundance by the case-bearing clothes moth, which preys on both carpets and clothing. Although less frequent, brown house moths and white-shouldered moths could be just as harmful to your carpets and rugs.

Case-bearing moths in the pupal stage may be visible; they frequently cling to walls in dimly lit locations, close to their food source—your natural carpets! They can be discovered in carpeted closets, behind TV stands, beneath couches, under bedroom furniture, and numerous other places.

The larvae of the carpet moth are 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, cream in color, with a darker head. Eggs laid by carpet moths, which are often white or cream in color and fall into the carpet’s weave or pile, are difficult to see.

Pantry moths and carpet moths naturally must be distinguished from one another since they are drawn to extremely different pheromones and moth traps. Pantry moths are unlikely to be found in bedrooms, but they may be present in living spaces, especially if they are close to kitchen spaces where dried food is kept.

Although they won’t devour your carpets and oriental rugs, pantry moth larvae may be spotted searching.

2. Assess the Carpet Moth Infestation

Unlike many other types of moths, carpet moths live in dark, undisturbed places (under couches, near baseboards, and in corners of your living room), so use carpet moth traps to determine the extent of your problem.

When inspecting carpets or thinner textiles, look for diminished pile or odd holes. The carpet may be threadbare in a severe case that has gone unnoticed for a while.

Additionally, moth traps only capture adult active male moths by luring them in with the scent of female moths. By assisting in the removal of the male moths from the breeding cycle, they aid in limiting the development in numbers of carpet moths in your home.

Examine likely sites for potential carpet damage. There are several possible “hotspots” for carpet moth activity, including the edges of rooms and along baseboards, beneath and behind furniture, in corners, and behind floor-length draperies.

In addition to damage to other natural furniture and curtain materials, keep an eye out for damaged or (in extreme circumstances) threadbare carpets. Be mindful of any potential interactions between carpets and bedroom furnishings like dressers and closets.

In heavy traffic regions of your carpets, such as the center of rooms, or locations where you frequently vacuum, carpet moths won’t lay eggs. In order to give the larvae a bountiful source of food and increase their chances of surviving the transition from egg to larva to adult carpet moth, they will seek out darker, uninhabited, and dusty areas to deposit their eggs.

3. Cleaning Out Carpet Moth Habitats

Dust attracts carpet moths and clothes moths because it contains a lot of keratin-containing skin cells as well as pet and human hair. Do you routinely vacuum behind doors, closely along baseboards, and under furniture?

Do you regularly dust and clean your furniture? Do you ever shake and air your throw rugs and other floor coverings?

A comprehensive cleaning schedule helps reduce the likelihood of a carpet moth larvae infestation. For extended periods of time, carpet moths can grow covertly and the larvae obviously wreak harm before you have spotted them. A carpet moth killer kit would be useful if moths were harming your carpet.

To eliminate the possibility of any carpet moth eggs or larvae staying in the house, empty your vacuum cleaner outdoors into a bag that is then knotted tightly and thrown in the garbage.

4. Reduce Carpet Moth Breeding

Use carpet moth traps to control population growth; if you choose the appropriate ones and act quickly, you may be able to prevent them from laying eggs on your carpet. You will, at the very least, be able to control the issue and lessen the amount of harm that is done to your clothing, carpets, and other household items.

Remember that adult flying clothes moths do not feed, but if they are able to mate, the females will lay hundreds of eggs in the brief lifetime of the species. It is the carpet moth larvae that emerge from the eggs that cause damage to your clothing. Larvae emerge from the eggs, and then they pupate into carpet moths.

When living in colder climes, carpet moth larvae can survive for up to almost three years while consuming the fabrics in your home. In a little over a month, they can develop from egg to adult in warmer climates.

In either case, if carpet moth larvae are found in your home, your carpets will NOT be safe because the larvae are what cause the damage.

5. Eradicating Carpet Moth Larvae & Eggs

Although the eggs are small and difficult to view, you could observe some larvae before they pupate and become adult moths. For further details, see our carpet moth identification guide. Additionally, carpets may contain some extremely little sticky webbing.

The best guarantee you can have for effectively dealing with the infestation and eliminating carpet moth eggs and larvae comes after cleaning. Spray and powder used together will have an immediate effect and provide effective residual protection for two weeks.

It could be necessary to repeat the application in the event of a serious and chronic infestation. If you intend to use our natural carpet moth killer kit, we strongly advise repeating the application and include enough in each size package to do so.

6. Ongoing Regime

Moths will be drawn to your carpets by human and pet hair, dust, sweat, and food stains; therefore, routine cleaning is necessary. Deep cleaning of carpets and curtains should be done on occasion since dust can accumulate throughout the year, even if it is not immediately apparent.

If you have kids or dogs in the house, remove the sofa cushions and clean below – you could be shocked at what else you find there!

Before moving on to the following stage, any removable coverings, curtains, and other loose things should be brought outside and shaken. Additionally, this frees up room for you to completely vacuum, dust, and, if required, use specialized treatments on the high-risk locations mentioned above.

Effective Treatments for Carpet Moths

Moth Killer Kits

Everything you need to quickly and effectively eliminate carpet moths using natural remedies is included in an efficient carpet moth killer kit. The kit’s components are all natural, of the highest quality, and have been shown to kill carpet moth larvae and eggs.

The reason these treatment items together are so efficient at getting rid of carpet moths is because they perform better together than they would individually.

After using any carpet moth-killing remedies, carefully wash your hands and any exposed skin. Use the mask and gloves included in our kit, as recommended. Before starting treatment, it goes without saying that you should take out any dogs and children from the room. You should also avoid using the area near where food is prepared.

Even while cleaning could seem like a lot of work, any “cut corners” provide room for another carpet moth invasion. Given their tiny size and high level of persistence, only meticulous procedures like those described above will guarantee the complete eradication of carpet moths.

When compared to hiring professional pest controllers, who will make one visit and not perform future treatments without additional expenses, doing it yourself will also save you a considerable amount of money by reducing damage to your home.

Be vigilant – prevention is better than a cure!

Moth Traps

Many of the traps on the market make use of a weak Chinese pheromone that is more efficient against pantry moths. The less time you give yourself to find the correct clothes moth traps that actually work, the more time the clothing moths in your home have to multiply. If you buy from Amazon, beware of bogus product reviews on many of the less popular companies and make sure you do comprehensive research before buying.

The last thing to keep in mind is that moths can move from your carpets to your closets in search of soft, natural animal fibers to lay their eggs on. If you have experienced a problem with carpet moths, it is especially important to carefully check your closets and dressers for signs of moth damage. If so, you may learn more about preventing clothing moths.

If you have experienced damage, you may want to check their possible existence by keeping carpet and tapestry moth traps in situ from March to November. Carpet moths are frequently a year-round issue in the warmer Southern States, ranging from Florida through Texas and up to California.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)