How to Protect your Rugs from Moth and Bug Damage
Moth damage is a rug owners nightmare! However, protecting your rugs from destructive pests such as moths is easier than you think if you remember a few key points. The first thing you want to do is, don’t give the bugs a free place to live in your home. Bugs like dark undisturbed places, these are places where they can grow and live their lives without being disturbed or noticed. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect place for a bug than underneath a rug, especially when that rug is underneath furniture. or rolled up in a dark cupboard.
Five tips to help bugs move out of your rugs:
- 1. Vacuum your rugs regularly, especially under furniture and on the back. This disturbs these areas and makes it far less likely for a bug infestation to get started.
- 2. Be sure to regularly flip the corners back and look for tell-tale signs that bugs and moths leave behind.
- 3. If you can, put your rug out in the sunlight for a few hours several times a year. Bugs that eat rugs don’t like direct sunlight. This may not be possible for larger rugs, so regular washing can help eliminate pests from your rug.
- 4. Use a good quality underlay or rug pad under your rug. This eliminates air pockets in places where bugs can live and breed.
- 5. Remove the bugs food source – bugs like rugs because they eat them, a wool rug is a giant meal for certain bugs. When they see that much food in one place, they multiply and before you know it, you’ve got a big problem.
Thankfully, we can clean your rug for you and treat your rugs for moths. If your rug isn’t a food source, the bugs will move on and leave your rug alone. If you’re storing a rug for any length of time we strongly recommend washing and treating the rug prior to storage. Remember, bugs don’t like to be disturbed so a rug that’s in storage is an ideal target for them.
Finally, you want to remove as many of the eggs from your rug as you can, bugs can lay eggs in your rug and they can lie dormant for years. Eggs can also be transferred from your rugs to other rugs and textiles, when conditions are right these eggs hatch and then you’ve got a big problem. These eggs are microscopic and although vacuuming helps a lot, there’s no way it can remove all of the eggs, especially from the inner foundation of the rug.
Nothing removes the eggs from the inner parts of a rug like emersion washing, which is another reason we recommend that you have your rugs washed every 6 months to a year. But even after washing, if your rug sits undisturbed for long enough it’s very possible that you’ll have a problem. Bugs can find their way into your house without you knowing about it, and it doesn’t take long for an infestation to begin. The best thing you can do is to know what to look for and have your rugs vacuumed and washed regularly.
If you have any questions about moth damage, or any other questions about your rugs, give us a call on 01269 842497 or send us an email to hello@theruglaundry.co.uk.
