Why Location Works as a Test
Both species eat keratin and both avoid light. What differs is the kind of keratin each specialises in, and different parts of a building hold different kinds.
- Carpet moth — floor coverings and floor-level textiles: carpet, felt underlay, rugs, upholstery undersides. Also, importantly, animal material in a roof space
- Clothes moth — stored garments and soft textiles: wool coats and jumpers, blankets, felt, in wardrobes, drawers and boxes
The Building, Floor by Floor
Roof space
Old bird nests, feathers, animal hair, dead insects, rodent remains. That is carpet moth territory almost exclusively — it is the same material a carpet is made of, in a place nobody visits. Boxed clothing up there can host either.
Bedrooms and wardrobes
Damage on hanging garments at the shoulders and in folds is clothes moth. Damage on the carpet under the bed or wardrobe is carpet moth. Both in the same room is common in a long-running case.
Living rooms, hall and stairs
Almost always carpet moth. Fitted carpet, rugs and the underside of upholstery, with the damage under things rather than in the open.
Garage, shed and outbuilding
Depends entirely on what is stored there. Rolled carpet, rugs and upholstery point at carpet moth; boxed clothing and blankets point at clothes moth. Both, if both are stored.
Airing cupboard
Either. Warm, dark and full of stored bedding, which is close to ideal for both, and it is one of the most commonly missed places in the house.
The reading that matters most. Activity in the roof space with little in the rooms is a warning rather than a problem — it means there is a source above the ceiling that has not yet worked its way down. That is the best moment to deal with it.
What The Answer Changes
- Clothes moth — the work is wardrobes, drawers, boxes and the garments themselves
- Carpet moth — the work is the flooring, the rugs, upholstery undersides, and the storage areas and roof space if they are involved
- Both — treat together, or the untreated half reseeds the treated half
If You Are Still Unsure
- Photograph the damage, not the moth
- Write down which room, and at what height
- Note whether the damaged item was on a floor or in closed storage
- Look for fresh webbing and live larvae in each place — whichever has them is the active one
- If both do, treat it as both
Treatment starts from £220. Describe the building rather than the insect: which rooms, which storage areas, and where the damage was. That is the information that settles it.
Carpet moths in Theale? Pest Services Berkshire treats carpet moths from £220. Carpet Moth Control in Theale has the full detail, or call 0118 336 1366.