Help! Moths have chomped my clothes!!!

Gingernutmeg

You need a cypermethrin based spray. We've recently had a bit of a moth problem and I've been spraying like a demon, hoovering EVERYTHING really well and washing out the hoover, and I've been spending a good few hours cleaning out the wardrobes, bagging up anything precious and wiping the wardrobes out with pesticide too. I've sprayed and sprayed, concentrating on places like the crack at the bottom of the skirting board and the stairs. I think I've got on top of them, and I haven't seen a moth in ages. I just wish that the landlady had realised what the bald patches were caused by BEFORE we moved in ...

One tip, buy the most expensive spray you can afford. The cheap ones smell really bad and made us feel sick, but the dearer ones don't have much of a smell at all. This is definitely a case where it's worth spending a bit more. Failing that, get a pest control company in. I know that sprays etc aren't the most MSE/Eco-friendly way of dealing with the problem but having seen the damaage moths can do I don't think they're something you can mess about with.

absolutebounder

Get something like fortefog. (ebay has it) it is usually used for bed bugs but it kills all insects and is very easy to use

violetviolin

I'm in the middle of cleaning all of my clothes and my cupboards out because I just can't seem to shake off the moths in my room!

Problem is, my googling has now undermined my actions - google tells me that it's only clothes moths that'll live in my cupboards and ruin everything, but the moths in my room I've found outside of the cupboards and flying about.

Also, I found that an old style trick is to use lavender - but I got some bags of lavender, and found one moth actually on it!!

What should I do? The moths were here in my room when I moved house (I have a room in a shared house) and aren't in everyone else's rooms! Hope someone can help - I'm pretty scared of these little things!

Bongedone

They don't like cedar wood. Not sure if it will help when your already infested.

THIRZAH

Lakeland sell packs of cedar blocks.
DD2's room was infested in her last term of uni (just before finals) and she is terrified of moths.I was ready to pay for a hotel room for her last couple of weeks just so she could get through exams but told her to complain to the college housekeeper first. It turned out that the whole staircase was infested and they had to call pest control in.

She got some cedar blocks-just in case- and put one of those vapona things in her wardrobe. I washed and ironed all her clothes when she came home and left the cedar in her suitcases in case any were lurking in the seams etc.. It seemed to work as she had no more trouble. She met another student from her staircase about a year later and he was still finding the little horrors in his possessions!

violetviolin

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! thanks for the help everyone!

i'm washing and ironing everything, and hanging the lavender bags back up in the best places. Thankfully my wardrobe is quite new so I should be able to wipe it down fairly easily. Have hoovered everywhere...... hope it works!

greenbee

Are they definitely clothes moths?

If so, you can buy pheromone traps for them. However, you need to treat ALL textiles to make sure you kill the moths and their eggs. My parents had to replace carpets throughout the house in the end as the infestation got so bad.

Wash/dry clean all your clothes/towels/bedding and pack into plastic bags and boxes and store sealed somewhere while you deal with the room. Anything that can't be washed should be put in the freezer overnight. Hoover the carpet and mattress, and wipe down all solid furniture. Take down and wash curtains if possible - if not, air on the line, then fold and leave in the freezer overnight. If you don't mind chemicals, you can then spray the carpet and the rest of the room with moth killer and keep the room closed until it has taken effect. They air it thoroughly before moving back in.

Moths only live on natural fibres, so keep your precious clothes in plastic bags where they can't get to them. Camphor wood is more effective than cedar (and stronger smelling). Camphor wood chests were traditionally used to store cloths, and can still be bought. Make sure your clothes are clean too, as moths are attracted to dirty clothes. If you're going to wear something more than once, keep it out of the wardrobe so that it doesn't encourage moths back in there.

And good luck... I had this problem last year (the only bit of carpet upstairs was in the wardrobe, and it has been replaced by vinyl!), and spent a lot of time washing, drying and ironing, cleaning the bedroom and a lot of money getting my work suits dry cleaned!

loobyloo2

If anyone has noticed moths in their house, be aware, your rugs and carpets may well be in the process of being eaten:eek:
Moths will lay eggs, that hatch into small creamy coloured grubs, look rather like maggots.
They are very hard to notice, you must take them outside if you can, and give them good shake, you will see the grubs then.
A rather expensive silk rug was recently being lunched on, and a visit from pest control sorted it out, I hasten to add, it wasn't mine.
The lady in question lived in a beautiful U.S Embassy apartment in London, loads of rugs had been damaged, and she wanted them all to go........... well this one went, into my living room, after being beaten and teated with a spray.
Looks gorgeous.
But on a serious note, do consider calling out pest control, if you have expensive items that can be damaged, it is an easy treatment for moths, and if you have pets, they will not be affected by the spray.

Anglea

Hi all,

I empathise as I had a very bad infestation last year, you wouldn't believe where they ended up, not a square inch of the house was untouched by the little blighters!

After trying all sorts of products, including putting my clothes in the freezer, cedar oil sachets, lavender etc, nothing worked. I got desperate as I tried pest control and they didn't do moths and suggested gettting my clothes and rugs etc inside large bin bags and spraying them they fly killer.. I didn't fancy that.

Eventually someone recommended special flea spray from the vets that also kills larvae. It worked!

I've got another lot flying around this year but a heck of a lot less than before and as long as you spray regularly you can keep them in check.

Although I keep finding holes in my underwear :mad: .Not funny LOL

They got inside the piano and chewed the felt, back of the bed headboard, under the sofa, mattresses, on the tv.. Everywhere.

On reflection, I probably always had them but never realised what they were until last year's epidemic. The first signs were tiny pieces of tissues (or so I thought) on the carpet. I kept hoovering them up and they were re-appearing. Then came strange things on the ceilings which I thought was dust trapped in cobwebs, and I later discovered where cocoons. Then came all the flying moths. I spend most of last year spending hours hoovering them off the ceilings.

I've still got them but they are much easier to manage. Every few months I spray the house and keep squashing them if I find any. I'm using extra strong cedar oil in the clothes cupboards and drawers.

So for an big infestation, get the spray. Mine was about £20 although you can buy cheaper in pet shops.

Jedilibrarian

I'm living this nightmare at the moment too. It's been a year and I'm still fighting them!

I've got ceder wood blocks hung on all my coat hangers in the wardrobe plus the pheromone strip things. I find doing all your cleaning/washing of clothes and furniture etc then keeping doors and drawers closed firmly will keep them out. Lavender in bags did not work for me. I got insecticide spray which I've been using every few months combined with hoovering/mopping and it seems to put a dent in the population for a while but they always come back. It's turned into a battle of wills! I think you need to keep at it and do every single room in the house. Remember to wash your curtains, my moths love to rest on curtains. I find they disappear in the winter, possibly because it's so cold up here! But reappear when it heats up. I'm sure the eggs are under my floor boards (I have original wooden floors) so they are hard to get at.
Here is the website where I got my moth killing kit http://www.pestcontroldirect.co.uk/

I really feel for you, this whole moth problem is driving me demented!!:mad: Good luck