TreatmentLow risk
How Do I Get Rid of Carpet Moths?
Quick answer
Find and treat the source, then clean thoroughly and repeat. Wash affected items hot or dry-clean them as the care label allows, or seal them in a bag and freeze for at least a week. Vacuum carpets, edges and under furniture, and empty the vacuum outside. Keep vacuuming for several weeks, and use pheromone traps to check moths have stopped.
Why this happens
Eggs and larvae are hidden in fabric and dark corners, so spraying flying moths does little: the adults don’t do the damage, and new larvae keep hatching. Removing the larvae’s food and killing eggs and larvae where they live is what ends an infestation.
Heat and cold both kill all life stages. A hot wash or dry-clean works for items that can take it; freezing works for delicate items that can’t, as long as they stay frozen long enough for the cold to reach the middle.
What you can do
- Find the source: check rugs (including the underside), carpet under furniture, wardrobes, drawers and stored items.
- Throw out items too damaged to save, sealed in a bag.
- Wash affected clothes and blankets on the hottest setting the care label allows, or dry-clean them.
- For items that can’t be washed, seal them in a plastic bag and freeze for at least a week, then let them return to room temperature before opening the bag.
- Vacuum the whole area thoroughly, especially edges, skirting boards and under furniture, then empty the vacuum or bin the bag outside.
- Repeat vacuuming every few days for several weeks to catch larvae hatching from missed eggs.
- Put pheromone traps in affected rooms to monitor. They catch male webbing clothes moths and show whether the problem is continuing; they don’t solve it on their own.
- Store cleaned woollens in sealed containers. See how to protect clothes from moths.
What not to do
- Don’t rely on surface sprays or moth traps alone; they don’t reach eggs and larvae in fabric.
- Don’t use mothballs in open wardrobes or rooms. They are poisonous and only work in sealed containers, as their label directs.
- Don’t forget hidden sources such as felt in pianos, old cushions, feathers and rugs in storage.
If you use an insecticide or moth product, read the label first and follow it exactly; this is a legal requirement in Australia. Keep mothballs and moth products away from children and pets.
When professional help may be needed
Professional treatment is worth considering when wall-to-wall wool carpet is affected in several rooms, when valuable rugs or collections are at risk, or when damage continues after several weeks of thorough cleaning. A pest manager can treat carpet edges and other hiding places with products registered for the purpose.
Related pest
Species mentioned
Webbing Clothes Moth
Tineola bisselliella
The most common clothes and carpet moth in homes worldwide, including Australia. Its larvae eat wool, silk and fur under patches of silk webbing.
Case-bearing Clothes Moth
Tinea pellionella
A clothes moth whose larvae live inside a portable silk case made from the fibres they eat, so the case is often the same colour as the damaged fabric.
Related questions
Related guides
How to Pest-Proof Your Home
A practical, room-by-room approach to reducing pests without relying on chemicals: remove what attracts them, close the ways in, and make your property less comfortable for them.
GuidePest Prevention Checklist
A printable seasonal checklist of simple, low-cost tasks that reduce pests around Australian homes, with the reason behind each step and extra lists for renters, apartment residents, pet owners and Queenslander owners.
Local information
Still have a question?
Ask PestMan. We’ll show you any answers we already have — and if we don’t have one yet, your question helps decide what we answer next.
Sources & further reading
PestMan provides general information only and does not replace licensed pest-management, medical, veterinary or structural advice. Always read and follow product labels. Read our disclaimer.