Having your floors decorated with gorgeous Persian or Turkish rugs made of fine wool is a true privilege. Especially when your carpets have been in your family for many generations, and are now your very own precious heirloom. Your responsibility is to take care of them the best way you can so you can also hand then down to your children. Unfortunately, the regular wear-and-tear factor, foot traffic, direct sunlight exposure, and the accidental spilling will cause your beloved rugs to fade away. And like all of these weren’t already enough, your Oriental carpets are also subjected to the risk of being eaten away by moths. Yes, those small and apparently insignificant insects are in fact one of the worst enemies your rugs could have. Especially if you own very old rugs. The cloth moth loves to dine in the finest “restaurants” in your room, and the more wool carpets on the menu, the better.
Where Did The Moths In My Home Come From?
Moths are more clever than you might imagine, and they can easily find ways to sneak into your home and go undetected. Moving your clothes and other items in boxes from a warehouse, bringing in mail and pets or leaving your doors and windows open will usually enable a clear path for hungry moths that are also looking for a safe place to lay their eggs. And we are talking about up to 200 eggs a month. Moths find good shelter from predators in your home, as well as endless sources of food: your antique Oriental carpets and rugs.
Moth traps will help you attract the male moth with its pheromones and prevent them from further reproducing in your home. Keep traps in your home all year long to prevent moths from entering your home via harmless warehouse boxes that could carry eggs on them.
Clean Your Rugs Periodically To Prevent Moth Damage
While there isn’t a lot you can do about moths entering your home, you can at least prevent them from completely ruining your valuable heirlooms. Most Oriental rugs are made of natural fibers, which tends to naturally lose its oil content and dry out the carpets. This will make moths’ eating job a lot easier. To prevent this from happening, you need to thoroughly clean your carpets and maintain them in pristine condition. A clean rug will not be as appetizing for a cloth moth.
Regular vacuuming of all carpet areas, including dark or damp spaces with no air circulation should become a habit. Make sure your flooring beneath your cabinets, sofa, and other furnishings are properly vacuumed. The underside of your carpets should also be cleaned in order to get rid of the eggs that might be growing there. Rotating your rugs once a year could also help. You will not only prevent damage from moths, but you will also distribute the amount of foot traffic.
Use Professional Cleaners For Your Carpets
If you do not have the time to put in any extra work taking care of our carpets, you should hire expert carpet cleaners. ASAP Carpet Cleaners cater to the needs of New York residents. They do an excellent job at cleaning and maintaining all models and types of Oriental rugs, no matter how old or damaged. They can restore broken fringes, reweave damaged rug patches affected by moths, and deep clean and dry your carpets with advanced, non-harmful, green cleaning procedures. Professional carpet cleaners can also use protective sealing that will keep your rugs away from liquid stains and other damaging factors.
Schedule periodical maintenance work every six months to a year with an expert carpet cleaning company and you should get the desired results. If you live in New York or one of its boroughs, you can set up a battle plan with the guys at ASAP Carpet Cleaners. They offer fast and reliable service, they work with environmentally-friendly cleaning agents, and they are trustworthy.
Use Professional Vacuuming To Remove Rug Moths
If you are dealing with a moth invasion in your home, you need to keep your cool and act straight away. A Persian rug worth $10,000 could receive $2-3000 worth of damage in just a few hours. By the time you will realize you are facing a serious moth problem, it might be too late. What you should do is vacuum your house as thoroughly as possible; vacuum the front and back of all of your carpets, as well as all of your curtains and areas behind them and the furniture. It might be better to hire expert carpet cleaners that use commercial grade vacuum machines for optimal results.
It is also helpful to place your carpets in direct sunlight to kill the eggs hiding in the rugs. Next, focus on sanitizing and washing your carpets. This is a job for a professional cleaner who will immediately assess your rugs and determine the exact damage that has been done and the most suitable solutions. They can re-weave patches and areas of your rug and save you the expense incurred by a new purchase.