Bald spots in your carpet? How to get rid of carpet moths and spot the signs

Heading into a warmer season is always welcomed in the UK. Sunshine, warm weather, and… insects?

Sadly the spring and summer may mean we enjoy better weather, but we also see a rise in the bugs both inside and outside of our homes.

And a particular nuisance to our homes, and carpets, are carpet moths. Known for their appetite, these moths will eat away at any natural fibres in the home including those in our carpets.

Most active from March to October, our team at Online Carpets have shared their insight on the signs of infestation, and how to get rid of carpet moths in your home. 

So, read on if you’ve noticed any bald spots in your carpet recently. 

What causes carpet moths?

Carpet moths naturally live outdoors, however, when they are tiny eggs they can be tracked into our homes from our pets, shoes, or second hand furniture and rugs. 

These moths love to feast on keratin, which can be found in natural materials such as wool, cashmere, silk and fur. However, it’s not only in fibres, keratin is also found in dust in our homes (from skin cells and hair), food spills and moisture. 

Once carpet moths are inside, they will look for a mate. And then, female moths will identify a dark, quiet place in your carpet to lay their eggs. 

After this, they hatch into carpet moth larvae, which will do the damage to any floor or clothing fibres. Larvae will form a cocoon to hide themselves in your carpet, eating away at your flooring in the meantime, leaving you with holes and bald spots in any material they can get to. 

In colder environments, carpet moth larvae can live for up to 3 years in your floors, while warm climates can speed this up, going from egg to adult in around a month. 

What are the signs of carpet moths?

You should act quickly if you spot any signs of carpet moths in your home. 

Carpet moths favour quiet spots, so look at low traffic areas of the home–underneath furniture that you don’t move, any dark corners, around radiators, and along skirting boards for any signs of the pest. 

For adult carpet moths, look for hopping and fluttering around these areas. Adult carpet moths are usually 5-8mm long, and are beige or brownish-grey, making them the perfect colour to blend into the majority of carpets. 

What do carpet moth eggs look like? They are usually laid in clusters and look like small creamy-white orbs. However, their eggs are tiny in size (as small as 0.5mm), so you likely won’t spot them at this stage. 

When the eggs hatch into the destructive larvae, this is when you should be most alert, as larvae are the ones that eat at your carpet. Carpet moth larvae are cream coloured with a brown head and around 3-6mm in size, similar to a grain of rice. 

The most obvious sign to look for are any areas of threadbare or bald spots on your carpet, especially in less hoovered areas, it would likely mean you have an infestation of carpet moths feeding on your carpet fibres. 

How to get rid of carpet moths

Prevention is the best cure. There are some key steps to take to keep your house clear of carpet moths, as well as insight on how to tackle them if you do spot the dreaded larvae in your carpet. 

1. Regularly move your furniture to hoover 

Carpet moths will look for quiet, dark areas of the home. So they will naturally be drawn to spots under heavy future, and around the very edges and corners of your rooms. 

Regular vacuuming, including under your furniture, will be a key way to prevent any carpet moths before they start thriving. Inspect areas of carpet closely when you are hoovering to spot any signs as early as you can. 

You should also be sure to hoover any wool throws or rugs as well as your carpets, as carpet moths will eat any of these natural fibres. You can also try taking your rugs outside and shaking them down to rid them of any bugs. 

If you’ve seen the signs of carpet moths in your home, you could consider steam cleaning your carpets to get rid of any eggs and larvae that are already in your carpet fibres. 

2. Don’t let dust build up

Dust around our homes contains hair and skin cells–ideal for carpet moths to thrive on. Dust builds up on any surface, particularly where items meet our carpets such as around furniture feet and skirting boards, so make sure to use your vacuum’s nozzle attachment to tackle these awkward areas. 

3. Clean spills straight away

As we know keratin can be found in any food spills or crumbs, it’s important that you tackle any mess promptly to get rid of food sources in your carpet. 

4. Empty your vacuum cleaner

As a last step when tackling any carpet moths, clear out your vacuum after every use. This will help you ensure that you’re fully removing any carpet moth eggs or larvae from your home, and nothing is hatching in your hoover. 

5. Carpet moth traps 

There are carpet moth traps and repellents you can get to deter any adult moths from your home, place these around low traffic areas for some extra peace of mind. 

If you have spotted the signs of any moths, there are spray and powder treatments available to kill any eggs and larvae in your home. 

The level of treatment needed will vary based on how serious and persistent the problem is. We’d recommend contacting local pest control companies for their insight on the best course of action for your home.

6. Choose synthetic carpet

If you have found your home is prone to carpet moths, reconsidering your flooring can be an effective solution.

As carpet moths look for natural fibres, 100% wool and even wool-blend carpets are at risk of being eaten. If the above steps haven’t had an impact at all, changing to hard flooring (opting for vinyl or laminate instead of carpet), or looking at synthetic only carpets such as polypropylene or 100% polyester can be a way of kicking carpet moths out of your home with maximum impact.