Lift the rug and look at the back. That single action finds more moth damage in this part of Harrow than anything else we suggest.
Lift it, vacuum both faces, check the underside, then either freeze it, have it professionally cleaned, or have it treated in place.
Do not put household insecticide on a valuable rug. If it is antique, hand-knotted or Persian, tell us before anything is applied to it.
People discover a moth problem when they move house. The rug comes up, and there is a bald patch the size of a dinner plate.
£180 for the first room, £60 for each additional. Published, up to four rooms.
View Carpet Moth Control Pinner →| Rug | Best approach |
|---|---|
| Small washable wool rug | Freeze 72 hours, or wash if the label allows |
| Ordinary wool rug | Residual treatment in place, both faces |
| Antique, Persian or hand-knotted | Specialist rug cleaner. Tell us first |
| Silk rug | Specialist only. Do not treat or wash |
| Sheepskin | Freeze, or specialist clean |
| Synthetic rug | Usually unaffected — check the backing and any wool blend |
| Action | Why not |
|---|---|
| Household insecticide on an antique rug | Staining and dye damage. Can cost more than the moths |
| Moth balls loose on the floor | Only work in a sealed container; naphthalene odour persists in wool |
| Hot washing a wool rug | Felting and shrinkage |
| Steam cleaning after treatment | Removes the residual |
| Beating an antique rug | Damages the foundation |
| Cedar blocks alone | Pleasant. Not a treatment |
| Ignoring the underside | How every serious case gets missed |
Often yes, by a specialist reweaver. Worth pricing before you write a good rug off.
Applied correctly, no. On anything valuable we will discuss it before touching it.
No. The adults do not feed. Their larvae do the damage.
Wasps rather than moths? Nest treatment is £90 fixed in Pinner, guaranteed for 30 days.
Lift it, vacuum both faces, check the underside and the floor beneath, then either freeze it, have it professionally cleaned, or have it treated in place.
It is dark and never disturbed. Damage is usually well advanced there before anything shows on the top face.
Yes, if it fits. Seal it in a bag, freeze for at least 72 hours, let it warm in the bag, then vacuum both faces. Freezing kills all stages including eggs.
Tell us before anything is applied. Household insecticide can stain and damage dyes, and a specialist rug cleaner is often the right route.
Only inside a sealed container. Loose on a floor they do nothing, and the odour persists in wool.
Yes. Larvae live in the board gaps beneath the rug, so treating the rug alone leaves the reservoir in place.
Often, by a specialist reweaver. It is worth pricing before writing off a good rug.
No. Adults do not feed. Their larvae do the damage.
Lift it and photograph the underside. If it is antique or hand-knotted, tell us before anything is applied.
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