Synthetic carpets to outwit moths

S

suzywong

Registered User
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Hi all,

I have had a problem with carpet moths for several years and have come up with what I think is a strategy to get rid of them once and for all. I plan to remove all wool carpets in the bedrooms and replace them with synthetic versions that I am informed are not to the moths liking. (An awful prospect, I know, but I have to beat these little creatures) I have set aside about 2k for the job of lifting / removing the old carpets and refitting new carpets.

My first questions is: is this likely to work? (i.e., get rid of them).

The second question is should I pay twice as much for synthetic carpets that are canvas backed, or just do with foam backing? Are there any really good sythetic carpets out there? Some claim to be super stain resistant and to bounce back rather than flatten. I just haven't a clue whether expensive synthetic is better than cheap synthetic! If anyone could recommend a brand I would be delighted. :confused:

Thanks guys.
 
Hmmm. I posted a reply to this earlier and it seems to have disappeared. Essentially I was saying that having battled with moths for a few months now I have done a good bit of reading on the topic and have read that although they do prefer natural fibres like wool and silk, they will also eat dust, hair and synthetic fibres. Any chance your floorboards are good enough that after taking the carpets up and removing them, you could wait a while before getting new ones laid? That gives you a chance to really thoroughly scrub every bit of it and also to make sure they're as gone as possible. Highly recommend that no matter what you get some of those sticky pheromone yokes (make sure to get them for the right type of moths, clothes as opposed to food ones). They attract and capture the male moths so the chances of the female ones mating and reproducing are reduced.
 
Hi Janet, and thanks. Earlier post was removed because I referred to the moths in a disparaging way, and in a way in which a moderator found offensive. :rolleyes:

Thanks for your reply. I was not aware that they would eat synthetic fibres - I will look into that further. Our house is very old (built in 1706) and the rooms that the moths are in are carpeted to hide the poor boards! So that's not really an option. I have tried the sticky things and deterrents in the wardrobes, but the real problem is in the wool carpets.
 
The age of the house will be a haven for all sorts of mites/moths/etc.

As the floor boards are in rag order perhaps consider the following:

lift the carpets and treat the floors and all crevices with what ever is good for nuking them.
Then put down some cheaper laminate flooring and seal the the floor wall junction with either a flexible silicone sealer or a durable airtight tape.

This would, in miltary parlance mean the perim is secure in each room.

Then you could leave it for a while to see if they come back and if not then get either nice rugs or el cheepo carpet on top of laminate.
The all in cost of the package would be less than the expensive synthetic and give u a sub-base to work of that is moth proof.

In passing, a good laminate fitter will lash through a few rooms while the earl gray is infusing ( or whatever it does)
 
Thanks hastalavista,

AFAIK, there is nothing that will nuke them! My other half wouldnt have laminate in the house, so that's not on. Lifting the old carpets and a thorough cleaning before having new ones laid a few days later might do it. The rooms are very big as bedrooms go (approx 17 foot square each), so this job aint gonna be easy, and will have to be done in stages.

I wouldn't wish moths on my worst enemy.
 
The laminate is not the final solution: the idea was to put a moth proof layer on the floor... It also reduces the amount of dust that is created in bedrooms, especially under beds/furniture etc

In passing give me moths any day over termites which I have in the Castel Gandolfo:)

are there any electro 'sonic' type moth busters like for ants, mice, mosquitos....

Keep well.
 
the mice ones do work well with one caveat, the coverage area claimed is about twice actual so 2 required for a semi d
 
hastalavista said:
the mice ones do work well with one caveat, the coverage area claimed is about twice actual so 2 required for a semi d
Click to expand...

Can you provide a link to some evidence? Any credible study has been unable to demonstrate any effect.
 
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