'Out of sight, out of mind' isn't good when it comes to your area rugs.An area rug is an investment, and like any other investment, it needs to be take care of.
A few days ago Thea, from seattlerugcleaner.blogspot.com, also wrote a blog concerning moth damage and a few easy steps on how you can protect your investment from it's enemy.
I can hear you saying that your area rug isn't worth much so if it gets ruined oh well it can be replaced. Yes you are correct it can be replaced, but have you thought of the bigger picture?
The big picture being the cost of replacing the rug, the environmental impact, the hassle of finding the right size and colours?
A moth infestation can be easily deterred by a few housecleaning tips:
- Have your area rug professionally cleaned. Once a year in recommended.
- Vacuum the entire rug, especially areas under furniture. One a month is best.
- Rotate the area rug, this always helps the area rug wear evenly. Twice a year if possible.
- Get your air ducts cleaned once a year. Moths love undisturbed areas.
- Before storing your area rug get it professionally cleaned and properly wrapped for storage
- Check the back of the rug for moth larva activity. They can crawl underneath the edges and eat the wool from the back without showing any damage from the front
Clean all woolen articles before storing them
The larva, which is what eats your area rug, are small worm like and hard to see.This one appeared after I moved the wool he was eating. After I took the picture he disappeared back into the rug, I guess he was a little camera shy.
Moth larva casings look like flattened pieces of rice usually in the colour of the rug.
If you do find that your area rug has become a moth buffet bring it in to Luv-A-Rug.
We can do our safe, non-toxic moth treatment to eliminate the moth eggs and larva.
To learn more about moths and how to prevent moth damage to your area rugs visit www.squidoo.com/mothprevention and www.luvarug.com
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary
