Invasion of the clothes eaters: As moths wreck Britain's homes like never before, what you can do to stop them

By FLIC EVERETT FOR MAILONLINE
Updated: 05:11 EST, 2 June 2011

Pulling back the bed in her five-year-old son’s neat and cheerful bedroom to search for a lost toy, Lizzie Woolley was horrified by what she saw. The expensive pure wool carpet that had been laid just months before was in tatters, littered with holes and clumps of half-eaten wool.

It got worse when she inspected the wardrobes in her own bedroom. Lizzie’s clothes — including two £450 Alexander McQueen designer dresses — were riddled with holes, too. Even her T-shirts had great chunks missing.

Her shock soon turned to revulsion. For alongside the holes, Lizzie found what she describes as ‘tiny, wormy things wriggling around’.

Moths are wrecking Britain's homes as never before

These, she later learned, were larvae — evidence of a major clothes moth infestation that over the next few months would cost her £5,000, and a great deal of frustration, in a doomed bid to eradicate.

‘When we first moved into our Edwardian London home three years earlier, I’d seen a couple of tiny moths in the bedrooms,’ Lizzie, a 35-year-old company director, admits.

‘I didn’t really know what they were, or why they were there, and assumed they’d just fly off.’

They didn’t. Instead, they were busy breeding for what would soon turn into a moth epidemic that has thus far proved immune to every attempted solution.

‘I’ve tried everything,’ Lizzie sighs. ‘I replaced all the carpets, at a cost of £700 in each room. I put down lavender sachets which the moths are meant to hate, and even stored our clothes away in sealed bags. But nothing works.’

The only option left is for her to call in a pest control firm — something Lizzie is loathe to do.

‘Expert firms are quoting £150-a-room to fumigate our house — that works out as another £1,500 on top of everything we’ve already tried, and you have to move out while they do it,’ she explains.  ‘Plus, I’m simply too scared of the chemicals they use — and how they might affect my children — to go ahead. But without fumigating our home, I have no idea what to do.’

Nutritionist Marisa Peer, 50, also knows the heartache of watching helplessly as moths wreak havoc on your home. She recently returned from a week away to find a tea-towel-sized patch of carpet missing. 

‘I called in moth experts three times and they fumigated the entire house,’ says Marisa from Fulham, West London. ‘But even then, the moths persisted, eating tramlines in my best MaxMara and Joseph coats, and destroying my cashmere pashminas.

‘At our wits’ end, we tried these ultraviolet plug-in lights that are supposed to catch the moths and electrocute them, but they just kept us awake all night, and didn’t catch one. So on top of our clothes and home being eaten away, we couldn’t even sleep.’

Now Marisa is fighting back as best she can. ‘I use lavender mothballs, moth strips and horrible-smelling mothballs,’ she says. ‘All my expensive wool is now in anti-moth bags — but I leave a few old sweaters out, as I’ve found that if wool is around, they don’t eat silk. At least that means my wedding dress might make it.’

Lizzie and Marisa are not alone. Britain is being terrorised by a plague of common clothes moths whose tiny larvae are causing misery up and down the country. Even the Department for the Environment had to be fumigated recently when an infestation of moths was discovered in its London HQ.

Destroyer: Clothes moths are thriving because of our improved living conditions

Unlike other species, clothes moths, otherwise known as Tineola biselliella, don’t fly towards light. Instead, they will quite happily spend months concealed in dark wardrobes where they can breed in peace and let their progeny feast on your favourite clothes.

The adult female, which is around a centimetre long and an easily-camouflaged silvery-brown, will lay her eggs, which resemble rice grains, on clothing fibres.

Females lay around 40 eggs over a three–week period, then die, although males can mate throughout their full life cycle.

It takes only a few days for eggs to hatch, then they remain as larvae for up to two years, munching away at whatever natural fibres they can find.

So just why is Britain being invaded now? The answer, it turns out, owes a lot to our pampered modern lifestyles.

The first problem is that our homes are warm throughout the year, thanks to the widespread use of central heating.

According to the National Trust — which regularly moth-proofs antique textiles and garments in Britain’s stately homes — this has meant clothes moths are now able to breed in far greater numbers than before. 

Ian Miller, director of pest control service Cleankill, has certainly seen a sharp rise in the number of call-outs to treat moth-ridden homes in recent years. ‘There’s usually an increase due to warmer weather, but in the old days they’d have died off in the winter. Now, because of central heating, moths breed all year round.’

But that’s by no means the only factor. Dr Zoe Randle, of the Butterfly Conservation charity, confirms that we are seeing a natural spike in the moth population, but blames a mixture of poor hygiene rather than warm temperatures.

‘Some years, particular species will breed well, for no discernable reason. But we certainly aren’t helping by stockpiling unworn and unwashed clothes, rarely opening windows, and not cleaning our houses properly.’

She also says the rise of cheap fashion has provided moths with far more to feast on.

‘Clothes moths only feed on natural fibres, and these days, clothes are mass-produced cheaply in what would once have been very expensive fabric.’

Moths, it seems, have excellent taste, with silk, cashmere, sheepskin, feathers and pure wool particular favourites. And as the average British woman now has four times as many clothes in the wardrobe as she did in 1980 — and buys half her own bodyweight in clothes per year — that’s an awful lot of fabric for moths to nestle into, undisturbed.

‘Once, we each owned just a few items made from natural fibres and would have looked after them properly,’ says Dr Randle. 

Not any more. She adds: ‘Moths prefer dirty clothes, and love sweat residue, so if you put your clothes away unwashed, or put off taking stained coats and suits to be dry cleaned, it’s very much like leaving crumbs out and attracting mice.’

The problem is particularly acute for those in older houses, where moths can find plenty of nooks and crannies to breed in and which are often decorated with antique furnishings. 

Even if you move out to a more modern home, the problem can transfer with you, as Edinburgh-based Caroline McIntosh, 32, discovered.

‘After living in a beautiful, rented Georgian flat, I accidentally took the moths with me to the flat I now share with my husband,’ says Caroline, who lost three much-loved cashmere jumpers before she spotted the root of the problem.

‘The moths had been feasting and the jumpers were unsalvageable,’ she says. ‘They seem to love clothes that aren’t often moved — and here in Scotland, summer clothes can sit for months before being worn!’

So how on earth can you get rid of the little critters or, better still, protect your home from an infestation in the first place? 

First and foremost, it requires a return to the thorough cleaning routines that were once a part of every housewife’s lot.

‘Moths breed in dark, undisturbed places and a quick run-round with the hoover won’t shift eggs from those places, or wool carpets that are under furniture,’ explains pest expert Ian Miller. ‘You need to vacuum every nook and cranny, including inside wardrobes, and then follow it up with insecticide.’

It also means decluttering wardrobes of any clothes you don’t wear regularly. ‘If garments are pressed tightly together, it allows moths to cross-infest different fabrics,’ warns Miller.

A stack of washed jumpers on an open shelf, or coats hanging on hooks, are far less likely to attract moth trouble than those shut away in dusty wardrobes.

Up in Edinburgh, Caroline McIntosh has now invested in lavender sachets and cedar balls, and says: ‘I wash clothes at a high temperature where possible. I regularly go through any clothes that are folded in my drawers, wash them and put them away again.

‘While the moths still aren’t completely gone, evidence of them has definitely lessened.’

Or you could try the more unusual method employed by BBC radio host JoAnne Good, who lives in Marylebone, central London, where moths have plagued residents for months.

‘I lost a favourite Marc Jacobs tunic dress to moths, which had real sentimental value,’ says JoAnne. ‘It was my mum who came up with the answer. 

‘Since she knows I hardly cook, she suggested storing my favourite woollens in my unused oven. It’s totally clean and air tight, and I’ve not had a problem with moths since.’

But for those who don’t want to risk turning their cashmere jumpers to cinders when they turn on the Sunday roast, there are plenty of ways to keep moths at bay. Here are the experts’ top tips for a moth-free home...

Turn off the heat

Turn off radiators as soon as possible and open all the windows regularly to allow air to circulate.

Beware bargains

Our national love of an eBay or charity shop bargain could be contributing to the problem, as old furniture, clothes and upholstery can contain moths, or their larvae — recognisable as inch-long, silvery threads.

Keep all second-hand fabrics in sealed plastic bags until they’ve been thoroughly washed or dry-cleaned.

Shake them off

The moth life cycle is around three weeks, so if you shake out your clothing in the daylight once or twice a month, you’ll disturb them and dislodge their larvae.

Don’t ignore upholstery and furnishings either — rugs and cushions can harbour eggs, so if you suspect a moth invasion, give them a good beating and hang them on the washing line in the sun.

‘Brushing destroys eggs and exposes larvae,’ advises a spokesmen for pest experts Rentokil. ‘Larvae are strongly repelled by light, and will fall  from clothing when they cannot find protection.

Deep clean

A powerful vacuum can shift eggs from fibres, but you’ll need to remove the collected dust or hoover bags from the house immediately, or, having hatched inside the machine and merrily feasted on the dust, they’ll simply fly out again.

It’s vital to vacuum regularly under beds, carpets and behind radiators too, to prevent moths settling in. ‘Give your wardrobe and drawers a good clean before unpacking the new season’s clothes, too,’ advises clothing maintenance expert Julia Dee, of the clothing website Total Wardrobe Care.

‘Take everything out and wash, dust and vacuum the area.’

Boil wash

The biggest draw for a hungry moth is stained clothing. Sweat, dried-in food particles and oil from make-up or hair products are like a delicious buffet for moths, so if you’re tempted to skimp on dry cleaning, you’re asking for trouble.

‘It’s vital to clean your clothes thoroughly before storing them,’ warns Julia Dee.

And when you wash items yourself, make sure the water is above 48 degrees centigrade — and the wash programme lasts for at least half an hour — to be certain that every stage of the insect’s life cycle has been killed off.

Seal and store

Once clean, the simplest moth-proof way to store clothes such as coats and suits is in sealed plastic storage bags.

When it comes to caring for very pricey items, such as cashmere and pure silk, ‘wrap your washed cashmere in acid-free tissue or put it in breathable bags’, says Julia Dee.

You can also try freezing garments that can’t be washed. Wrap them in plastic and freeze them for at least 12 hours, to kill off the eggs and larvae.

Mothball to the max

The obvious solution, popular with the Victorians, and still flying off the shelves at homeware store Robert Dyas. Famed for their eye-wateringly unpleasant smell, they contain the moth-repelling chemicals naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene and release other noxious vapours which slowly kill insects.

But unless the area is sealed, the fumes can be too weak to kill sturdy adult moths, and will also make everything you wear smell like an elderly great-aunt. The scent is almost impossible to remove, too, and the balls are poisonous.

‘I wouldn’t recommend them,’ says Dr Randle. ‘They emit toxic particles onto your clothes, so why would you want that next to your skin?’

Go natural

Cedar balls are an increasingly popular natural deterrent. On the downside, although small eggs and larvae will die off, adult moths can become immune to the smell — plus the cedar’s properties fade after a few months.

Instead, try the Moth Box  (£6 from totalwardrobecare.co.uk), which stops the breeding cycle by attracting male moths onto an adhesive strip impregnated with female moth pheromones.

Out with the old

‘For every new item of clothing you buy, throw out something old,’ says Julia Dee. ‘Take it to a charity shop or sell it on eBay. It’s a lot  easier to keep your wardrobe moth-free if it’s kept in good order.’

Update your armoury

‘It's important to replace your anti-moth products regularly, throwing them away if they have been in the wardrobe for more than a year,’ explains Julia Dee. ‘Also, refill lavender bags — they’re a cheap moth deterrent that keeps your clothes smelling fresh.’

If all else fails . . .

Call in the experts. Pest control companies will fumigate your house — but at a price.

Costs for fumigation depend on the size and number of rooms treated, but most charge upwards of £100 per room for a full treatment, and you — and your pets — will have to move out for a few days.

But be warned, most firms won’t guarantee against re-infestation after a month.

Try Rentokil, 0800 917 1984,  rentokil.co.uk; Cleankill (South-East), 0800 056 5477, cleankill.co.uk, or Environ, 0207 384 4501,  environpestcontrol.co.uk