Moths in wool rugs

What eats the rug

Clothes moth larvae feed on keratin, the protein in wool, silk and other animal fibers. The small, pale adult moths do not eat at all. Their job is to lay eggs.

Carpet beetle larvae eat the same fibers and leave similar damage, so the steps below help with both.

Signs of moths

Look for thin or bare patches where the pile has been cut down to the knots, often in lines along the weave. On the back, the wool knots themselves may look nibbled.

Other signs are fine silky webbing or small tubes stuck to the pile, sandy grains of droppings, and small cream-colored larvae.

Damage almost always starts where the rug is dark and undisturbed: under a sofa or bed, beneath a chest, along a wall, or on a rug that has been rolled up for months.

What to do now

Take the rug outside, turn it over and vacuum the back well, then the front. Vacuum the floor and the pad where it lay, and empty the vacuum outdoors.

Have the rug washed by a cleaner who washes area rugs in a plant. A full wash removes eggs and larvae that a vacuum misses, and the cleaner can tell you whether any bare areas need repair.

Museums kill moths by freezing textiles at very low temperatures for days. A full-size rug rarely fits a home freezer, so for most rugs a professional wash is the practical answer.

Keeping moths away

Moths avoid light, traffic and movement. Rugs in daily use are rarely damaged. Vacuum under furniture and along the edges, and lift or flip the corners now and then.

Rotate the rug every six months or so, so no part stays hidden under the same piece of furniture for years.

Pheromone traps catch male moths. They show you that moths are present, but they do not end an infestation on their own.

Storing a wool rug

Wash the rug before storing it. Moths prefer wool that has food, sweat or skin flakes in it.

Roll it with the pile facing out, wrap it in breathable cloth or paper rather than sealed plastic, and keep it off the floor in a dry, cool room. Unroll and check it a few times a year.

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