There was a reason our grandparents spent so much time cleaning around the house, a thorough cleaning helped prevent and rid the home of troublesome pests, including moths. Moths have found the homes of modern families a welcoming place where they can remain hidden and continue to breed. If you have noticed your clothes and carpets thinning, chances are you have moths.

Where Moths Live and Breed

Moths love dark and cool places, so when you have piles of clothing that rarely see the light of day you’re creating them the perfect feeding and breeding ground. Moth larva will feast in between the layers of your stored clothes. The longer they are left undisturbed, the safer and fuller the larva become. It is important that you do not allow your clothes to sit unworn and undisturbed as this is where moths will thrive. It is also possible moths will produce larva in the carpets especially under the furniture. A carpet cleaning service can loosen them and remove them with a good steam cleaning.

Free Food

Moth larva can wreak havoc on your home eating their way through everything that is made of fabric. Although they prefer natural fibres they are happy to eat any materials they can sink their teeth into. Once moths are in your home they can be a nightmare continuously producing larva in a never ending cycle.

Ridding Yourself of Moths

If you do have moths there are a number of steps you can take to rid yourself of the pests that love free room and board including:

• Take out stacks of clothing and shake them out in the backyard or on your balcony to loosen larva
• Avoid storing clothes in dark spaces for long periods of time
• Dispose of clothes you no longer wear to reduce the amount of food available to moths
• Shake drapes and area rugs outdoors
• Have a professional upholstery and carpet cleaning service come in and do a thorough steam cleaning
• Wash clothes in high temperatures
• Store clothes in the freezer for a few days to kill larva and then store in sealed bags
• Do a thorough cleaning of closets vacuuming the corners and brushing the rugs to loosen larva. Then hire a carpet cleaning service to complete the job

Moths can prove a challenge to remove from the home. However, taking these steps will help rid you of the hungry pests.