Clothes moths: how to identify them and get rid of moths in your home

Key facts

• Adult clothes moths do not feed at all; only the larva, a white caterpillar of up to 13 mm with a brown head, eats animal fibres.
• The two clothes moths most often found in UK homes are the common clothes moth and the case-bearing clothes moth (Natural History Museum).
• Depending on conditions, a larva takes from one month to two years to grow, which is why you often notice the damage late.
• Two weeks in the freezer at minus 18 °C kills adults, eggs and larvae (English Heritage).
• Clothes moths dislike light and disturbance: clothes that are worn, washed and shaken out are rarely attacked.

Straight to the solution: the clothes moth traps or go directly to the Super Ninja Clothes Moth Trap.

What are clothes moths?

Clothes moths are small moths from the family Tineidae that lay their eggs on fabrics made of animal fibres, so that their larvae can feed on the keratin in them. In the UK the common clothes moth is the one you meet most, followed by the case-bearing clothes moth (Tinea pellionella), and the Natural History Museum notes that infestations have become more common in recent years. The adult moths cannot eat, scuttle rather than fly and only take to the air when it is warm.

Is it a clothes moth or a pantry moth?

You can tell a clothes moth from a pantry moth by where you see it: a small golden moth in the wardrobe is usually a clothes moth, a slightly larger moth with reddish brown wing tips near the food cupboard is a pantry moth. Each needs its own approach and its own trap.

Moths near your food? Read how to identify and get rid of pantry moths. Not sure which moth you have, or whether it is a moth at all? See which moth do I have.

What do clothes moths, their larvae and eggs look like?

The common clothes moth is small, plain golden and shiny, with fringed wings held back along the body and reddish hairs on the head. Its larvae are white with a brown head, up to 13 mm long, and hide under silk tunnels that they spin over the fabric. The eggs are tiny and laid in the fibres; they hatch after 4 to 10 days in summer and after up to three weeks in cold weather. Case-bearing clothes moth larvae carry a small case of silk and fibres around with them.

What are the first signs of clothes moths?

The first signs of clothes moths are small irregular holes in wool or cashmere, with fine silk tunnels and tiny droppings the colour of the fabric nearby. Look where things rarely move: under collars, in seams, behind labels, at the back of the wardrobe and under furniture on the rug. On carpets you see patches where the pile has gone. A pheromone trap shows whether male moths are flying about.

Why are moths eating my clothes?

Your clothes are being eaten by the larvae of clothes moths, not by the moths themselves, because the larvae need keratin, the protein in animal fibres. They eat wool, cashmere, silk, felt, fur, feathers and leather, and also woollen rugs and upholstery. Pure cotton, linen and synthetics are usually left alone, but stains of sweat and food make any fabric more attractive. The larvae of carpet beetles also eat wool and fur and are often mistaken for moth larvae; small scraped patches on cotton or paper can also be the work of silverfish.

Why do I suddenly have clothes moths?

You suddenly have clothes moths because a generation has hatched from a source that was already in the house, or because they came in with second-hand clothes, rugs or furniture. They also fly in through open windows on warm evenings, and old bird nests in the loft can be a source too (English Heritage). Indoors they look for dark, quiet places with clothes that have not been worn or washed for a long time.

When are clothes moths most active, and how fast do they breed?

Clothes moths are most noticeable from late spring into summer, but in a heated home they breed all year round. After mating, which happens one to two days after the moth emerges, the female lays her eggs in the fibres. The larva then feeds for one month to two years and pupates for 10 to 50 days. English Heritage puts it at usually one generation a year, and up to three in warm conditions.

Are clothes moths harmful?

Clothes moths do not bite or sting, and the adult moths do not eat anything. The damage is to your belongings: the larvae eat holes in clothes, curtains, rugs, upholstery and blankets made of animal fibres, and can ruin them completely. If you have itchy bumps and suspect moths, the Dutch pest knowledge centre KAD notes that the hairs of carpet beetle larvae can cause a skin reaction in some people.

How do you get rid of moths in your home?

You get rid of moths in your home by dealing thoroughly with the clothes and the wardrobe:

1. Empty the wardrobe and check every item of wool, cashmere, silk and fur.
2. Shake affected clothes out outdoors and brush them, paying attention to seams and collars.
3. Freeze what you can in sealed freezer bags at minus 18 °C for at least two weeks (English Heritage, BPCA).
4. Wash or dry clean the rest: heat of 49 °C for over 30 minutes kills all stages (Natural History Museum), but only wash as hot as the care label allows.
5. Vacuum the wardrobe, the edges of rugs and under furniture, and empty the vacuum cleaner into a sealed bag in the outside bin.
6. Only put clean clothes back, wool in sealed bags or boxes.
7. Hang a pheromone trap to see whether any moths are still flying about.

If the infestation is large or sits in carpets, floorboards or the loft, call in a professional pest controller; the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) lists qualified members.

Do mothballs, cedar or lavender keep moths away?

There is no good evidence that cedar or lavender keeps clothes moths away, and English Heritage notes that lavender does not work on larvae. Many of the old mothball formulations are now banned or not recommended. What is known to work is cold, heat, cleaning and disturbance:

What does a clothes moth trap do?

A clothes moth trap uses the pheromone of the clothes moth to attract the adult males and catches them on a sticky layer. That shows you whether, where and how many clothes moths are flying about; the Natural History Museum describes these traps as a way to monitor an infestation. The trap does not catch females, eggs or larvae, so it does not solve an infestation on its own: freezing, washing and cleaning are still needed. The Super Ninja Clothes Moth Trap is made for the common clothes moth, for indoor use only. Hang it in the wardrobe, the bedroom or the storage room, start with one trap per wardrobe, and replace it after 3 months or sooner if it is full. See all moth traps as well.

My clothes moth trap catches nothing. Do I have the wrong moth?

Possibly. The trap attracts the common clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella), not the pantry moths from the kitchen. Holes without moths in the trap can also come from carpet beetle larvae, or from another moth that does not respond to this pheromone. So look closely at what you find, and hang the trap close to the holes, somewhere dark. Moths in the food cupboard? Read how to get rid of pantry moths.

How do you keep clothes moths out of your wardrobe?

You keep clothes moths out of your wardrobe by only storing clean clothes and not leaving the wardrobe undisturbed:

1. Wash or clean clothes before you store them, especially worn wool; sweat and food stains attract the larvae.
2. Keep seasonal clothes in sealed bags or boxes.
3. Take hanging clothes out and shake them at least once a month.
4. Vacuum the bottom and edges of the wardrobe and under furniture regularly.
5. Check second-hand clothes and rugs before they go into the house.
6. Leave a trap in the wardrobe, so you spot new moths early.

Should you throw away clothes with moth holes?

No, you do not have to throw away clothes with moth holes, as long as you kill the eggs and larvae first. Freeze the item for at least two weeks or clean it, then mend the holes or have them repaired. Only throw away items that are badly eaten and that you cannot freeze or clean.

Are carpet moths and clothes moths the same?

Yes, what people call carpet moths are usually the same clothes moths, whose larvae eat the wool in rugs and carpets and leave bare patches in the pile. Sometimes the culprit is not a moth at all but the hairy larva of a carpet beetle, a so called woolly bear of about 4 mm (Natural History Museum). In both cases: vacuum thoroughly along the edges and under furniture, and have valuable rugs frozen or heat treated by a specialist.

Read more: Which moth do I have? · Pantry moths: how to identify and get rid of them · 7 places in your home where pests love to hide

Sources

• Natural History Museum, London: clothes moths identification guide and carpet beetles identification guide.
• English Heritage: understanding clothes moth infestations.
• British Pest Control Association (BPCA): moth control, A to Z of pests.
• Kennis- en Adviescentrum Dierplagen (KAD, Dutch knowledge centre for animal pests), knowledge base: common carpet beetle.