Why That Strip, Specifically
- Nobody walks on it. Traffic runs through the middle of a room, so the last few inches at the wall are as undisturbed as the floor under a bed
- A vacuum head does not fit into it. The angle where carpet meets skirting is missed by almost every domestic cleaner
- It collects. Wool fibre, pet hair, skin and dust migrate to the edges of a room and stay there
- There is usually a gap behind it, and often a void beyond that
- It runs continuously, right round the room and past every doorway
What activity there tells you. Damage in the middle of a room is unusual and points at something specific — a rug, a spill, a particular piece of furniture. Damage along the skirting is the classic pattern and it usually means the infestation is established rather than new.
What You Will See
- A narrow strip of thinning or bare carpet following the wall
- Fine silky webbing in the angle, sometimes holding grains of debris
- A sandy debris along the line where carpet meets skirting
- Larvae and their cases tucked into the angle, the colour of the carpet
- Worse behind furniture and in corners than on the open runs
What Building Work Exposes
Taking skirting off is the closest thing to a free inspection this problem offers, and it is worth looking rather than letting it go back on.
- The gap behind the skirting, which in an older house can run the length of a wall
- The carpet edge and gripper rods, normally covered
- Old underlay at the perimeter, which is often a different age from the carpet
- The floor void, where boards are lifted
- Accumulated debris nobody has ever been able to reach
The Mistake Worth Avoiding
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The same applies to new carpet. A new wool carpet laid over an untreated floor and perimeter is a fresh food supply installed on top of the problem.
The Right Order During a Project
- Skirting off, carpet and underlay up
- Look at the perimeter, the gripper line and the exposed floor
- Treat, while everything is open and reachable
- Then first fix, second fix and decorating
- Then new underlay and carpet
- Skirting back on and caulked last
Treatment starts from £220. If the skirting is already off in any room, say so when you book — it is the best access anyone will get to this and it is worth timing the visit around it.
Carpet moths in Maidenhead? Pest Services Berkshire treats carpet moths from £220. Carpet Moth Control in Maidenhead has the full detail, or call 0118 336 1366.