Bugs and Area Rugs – Protecting your Investment
Your area rugs not only add warmth to your home and protect your floors; they are also often an investment. However, textile-eating insects are often attracted to natural fibered area rugs.
Moths and other insects can not only seek out, eat and digest protein fibers such as wool, silk and specialty hair fibers, but will also find and devour protein substances on synthetic fibers such as nylon, acrylic, polyester, or acetate. Stains from spilled food or beverages, blood, urine, and / or perspiration can attract these pests, and the fibers will also be damaged during the feeding process.
Infestation prevention: The first step is to keep your area rugs immaculately clean – every spill should be immediately seen to, brushing and vacuuming should be carried out at regular intervals, and professional cleaning each year and an application of a Repellant is advised. “The dry guys” are experts in area rug cleaning, and are able to both identify the type of rug (meaning what materials it is made of, as well as its method of construction, both important when it comes to selecting a cleaning process).
| What to look for: The webbing moth and the case making moth are the two types of insect most likely to attack your area rugs. In both cases, it is the larvae that do the damage. The larval stage can last between 2 and 30 months, so quite a lot of damage can take place in this amount of time; in fact, an infestation from just one hatching can cause pile loss in an area as large as one’s fist in just two weeks.The webbing moth larvae attach their “living tubes” or “cases” to the seams of the rug or to crevices, and wreak havoc on all fibers they can reach. The case making larvae are more mobile, and can cause even more damage as they move along the underside or surface of the rug. Eventually they form cocoons, hatch, mate and lay eggs – and the cycle resumes. | 
This wool & hemp woven area rug is destroyed. Moths have eaten away the wool fibers in the design on the rug, exposing the cotton foundation. Don’t let this happen in your home. March through May is moth awareness in the rug business. Rug lovers with wool rugs can prevent this from happening. Have your rugs cleaned & treated by a professional cleaner to prevent the damage they can cause. ASK me what you can do for your rugs???
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How to get rid of an infestation: If you see moths in your home, it is a safe guess that larvae are present, and it’s time to call a Pest Control Professional to treat your home. After the treatment of the home its time to call “the dry guys” in to do a complete cleaning of your carpets and area rugs. Even if you don’t see moths, you may notice cocoons or the larvae themselves if you lift the rug and inspect the base of the fibers closely. A thorough, professional area rug cleaning & application of a repellant can remove the larvae, destroy the eggs, and stop the infestation in its tracks.