How to Identify and Combat Moth Damage on Your Rug

How to Identify and Combat Moth Damage on Your Rug

As we dive into the warmer months, it's time to keep an eye out for  moths. Moths used to be a seasonal issue, but today they live and reproduce year round, so it's crucial to catch them early. If you've noticed strange webbing on your rug, don't brush it off – it could be the start of a full-blown moth invasion. Let’s walk you through spotting the signs of moth damage and share some strategies to mitigate or minimalize damage.

Understanding Moth Infestations:

It’s important to recognize the various stages

1.     Where to look!  Moths can appear in any area on a rug, but the most common are under the edge of any stationary furniture, under the edges of the rug on the back or undisturbed sections.

2.     Webbing: Moth larvae can be spotted in a few different ways depending upon what stage it is in. First you may see them as they hatch. They will appear roughly the size of a grain of rice, however they will be moving! Second, you may see something that looks like a cotton ball was rubbed on the rug. This means you have moths but they haven’t hatched yet! Third, there may be a sandy material in the rug or around the edges. Fourth, and probably the worst to find is when tufts of the rug are coming out.

3.    It’s critical to act immediately! Leaving them can increase damage dramatically in a week.

4.    Kaoud Rugs does have a process to mitigate the live moths and the unhatched larva. it takes 3-4 weeks in most cases.

     (We will explain below)

     MAKE SURE YOU DON’T USE YOUR HOME VACUUM ON THE RUG!!!! The larva can be sticky and catch on your beater bar or the underside of the vacuum and spread to other rugs in your home!!!

What to do: If you suspect a moth issue call us immediately. The most important step to minimalize damage is to deal with the problem right away. If you are lucky we can deal with them in the larva stages before they start eating the wool fibers. Mitigating moths is not something you can do in the home! Also, dispose and replace any padding.

While your rugs are being dealt with you should do the following. Clean your floors, steaming them will help eradicate in leftover larva that may be present.

Check your wool coats, sweaters drapery linings etc.…. There is no telling where the infestation came from.

Kaoud Rugs' Restoration Service:

Our Cleaning and Moth mitigation services are the best way to get rid of the moths and minimalize damage.

            1.     First we remove as much of the larva as we can the same day

                    we receive your rug.

2.     Beating or Vibrating: We will beat or vibrate your rug to get as much sand and sediment out of the foundation as possible.  This where a good amount of larva in it’s egg stage may reside.

3.     Washing:  With moths there will be a solution in the wash that will force and larva to hatch once it is treated with heat. Your rug may go through this process a few times depending on what appears in the heat stage.

4.    Washing Stage Two: We will then shampoo your rug and wash it as we do normally paying attention to any stains as well.

5.     Moth Deterrent Treatment: A deterrent is applied as a preventative measure to help make your rugs unattractive to moths in the future.

6.     Deodorizing: As the natural fibers have all be “opened” the rug may have a natural odor…Deodorizing will neutralize most odors.

7.     Reconditioning the wool: We use an all Green solution that adds moisture back into the fibers that is stripped out with age, wear etc. This also acts as a stain protection similar to the lanolin that is in the wool when the rug is new.

8.  Once the work is done we have Master Weavers that can reweave damaged areas of repair binding that may have been lost. We can review the options that are available and have your heirloom back in your home is good condition.

Finally: If you are unsure, we can help to identify what is going on with your rug as not everything is a moth issue!

Call us at 866-477-2864 to speak with one of our experts. We are happy to help!