Clothes moths and carpet moths: why London homes are the worst hit and what treatment involves

London homes are the worst hit for clothes moths because central heating, fitted wool carpets and older buildings give the larvae warmth, food and undisturbed dark corners all year round. English Heritage's national trap survey found London and the South East carried the highest risk, with flats and pre-1950 properties worse than newer houses. Clothes moth treatment that works is aimed at the larvae, not the adults, and usually means a residual treatment to carpets and voids over two to four visits, alongside freezing or hot washing the textiles you want to keep.

Why are clothes moths worse in London than anywhere else?

Because the capital's housing stock suits them. English Heritage launched Operation Clothes Moth in 2017 after its conservators saw webbing clothes moth numbers double over five years; the 2018 results found that warmer southern counties, including London and the South East, had the highest risk, that flats were more susceptible than houses, and that pre-1950 properties suffered more. It also recorded a surprisingly high number of pale-backed clothes moths, a newcomer indoors.

Central heating is the main reason. With no winter pause, most heated homes now see about two generations a year and warm ones up to three. Add the fitted wool carpet, deep skirting boards and dark cupboards of a period conversion in Kensington or a mansion block in Marylebone, and the larvae have food and cover in every room. Where flats share floor voids and stairwells, an untreated infestation in one tends to reach the neighbours.

Which moth is eating my clothes or carpet?

Four species account for nearly all London call-outs, and only two of them eat clothes. The webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) is the main one: 6 to 7 mm long, with pale golden-buff forewings and a reddish tuft on the head. The case-bearing clothes moth (Tinea pellionella) is a similar size but grizzled brown with dark spots, and its larva lives in a portable case made of the fibres it has eaten; this is the "carpet moth" people find wandering across the floor.

The brown house moth is bigger, with a wingspan of 15 to 26 mm, pale ochre with dark patches; its larvae eat fabric, fur, leather, book bindings and even cork, and need a fairly damp room. The pantry moth, or Indian meal moth, has a wingspan of 16 to 20 mm with a coppery reddish-brown outer wing; its larvae live in flour, cereals, rice, dried fruit, nuts, birdseed and pet food, and leave webbing in the packet. Moths in the kitchen cupboard are almost always this one.

The biology explains why infestations build quietly. A webbing clothes moth lays 30 to 200 eggs in clusters that hatch in 4 to 10 days; the larval stage lasts anywhere from a month to two years depending on warmth and food; and at 24°C with moderate humidity the whole cycle can finish inside a month. The adults do not feed at all and live only 15 to 30 days.

What do clothes moth larvae eat?

Keratin: wool, silk, fur, feathers and hair. The larvae of the webbing clothes moth digest keratin and spin silk tubes or mats where they feed; the case-bearing moth adds carpets, upholstery, wallpaper and old bird nests to the list, which is why an old pigeon nest in the building can be the source of a flat's moths.

In practice that means wool carpet under the sofa, the bed and the wardrobe, where nobody hoovers; the wool coat at the back of the wardrobe; and the cashmere jumper put away for the summer without being cleaned.

What are the signs of a moth infestation?

Irregular holes in wool or silk, threadbare patches of carpet along the skirting and under furniture, and small cases or silk tubes in drawers and wardrobes. Look for rice-grain-sized cases, sticky off-white eggs in the pile, discarded casings and the larvae themselves, which are small, pale and often found under the edge of a rug.

The adults give themselves away by how they move. Both sexes of the webbing clothes moth prefer scuttling to flying and avoid light, so a moth that flutters low along the wall and dives for the wardrobe is probably a clothes moth, while one that flies to the window or the lamp is probably a visitor from the garden.

Do pheromone traps get rid of clothes moths?

No. Pheromone traps catch males only, so they tell you a population is present and roughly how big it is, but they do nothing to the females, the eggs or the larvae. Use them as a monitor before and after treatment, not as the treatment.

Does freezing or washing kill clothes moths?

Freezing works if it is cold enough for long enough: minus 18°C for at least two weeks, with the items sealed in bags. The short freeze advice that circulates online is a myth. Several days below minus 8°C will kill the larvae, but the eggs can survive to minus 23°C, which is why English Heritage and the BPCA both give two weeks at minus 18°C.

Heat works faster. A hot wash of 20 to 30 minutes at 49°C or above kills all stages, so a 60°C cycle is fine for anything that can take it. Whole-room heating at 55°C kills eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, which is the basis of professional heat treatment. Freezing and washing deal with the textiles, though, not with the larvae in the carpet and the floor voids, which is why most London infestations need the rooms treated as well.

What does professional clothes moth treatment involve?

A survey, a residual treatment to carpets, edges and voids, and a follow-up visit or two timed to the egg hatch. The technician identifies the species, finds the feeding sites, usually under furniture and along the skirting, and applies a professional residual insecticide to the carpet, the floorboard gaps and the base of wardrobes, to label and with the room clear for the stated time. Where there is a heavy flying population or many voids, a ULV fog of the room is justified as well, but fogging knocks down adults and is not a substitute for the residual on the carpet.

Two to four visits is the norm. Eggs hatch over 4 to 10 days and the larvae take a month or more to mature, so a single visit cannot cover the insects that were eggs on the day; the follow-up catches them when they emerge onto treated carpet. The councils that still do this work sell it the same way: Kensington and Chelsea charges £354.40 for four visits over about four months covering one or two rooms, as of July 2026, and Hammersmith & Fulham charges £156 for a single visit to three rooms, with £15 per extra room.

Before the visit, vacuum the edges, under the furniture and inside the wardrobes, empty them, and sort the textiles into wash, dry-clean, freeze and dispose. Every treatment of ours carries a written six-month guarantee, subject to the site survey, and the full method is on our moth treatment page. For hotels and serviced flats, where one room's wool carpet can seed a corridor, see our hotel pest control page.

How do I stop clothes moths coming back?

Deny them the dark, the dust and the unwashed wool. Hoover under the furniture and along the skirting every week; clean woollens before storing them and seal them in bags or boxes; keep the wardrobe tidy enough that air and light reach the back; and put a pheromone trap in each wool-carpeted room so you see a return early. The favoured conditions are dark, 15 to 35°C, fairly humid and undisturbed, so disturbance is your cheapest tool. Watch late March to May, when the population lifts.

What to do next

If you have found holes, cases or a threadbare patch of carpet, book a free inspection survey and we will identify the species and tell you which rooms need treating. Our technicians hold the RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management and are DBS checked, and we are available Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm, often the same day. Call 020 3411 2329 or read the moth treatment page.