A customer brought in a rug wrapped in black plastic for cleaning. I asked her about where this rug was and she said it was in storage for five years. I said there would be a high chance of severe moth damage and she said “no way; I had wrapped this rug tight in plastic”
When we opened the package, she was shocked to see the rug eaten by moths in many areas. Yes lady, the moths had parties at your expense. They had even invited their relatives and friends to come over to party. Thank you. What a great food!!
Wool is protein and moth loves this natural fiber as its food. Usually they do not eat the cotton foundation. Cotton is cellulose and moth doesn’t like that. If we do not clean our rug properly and wrap it in plastic and store it in dark humid place, the eggs and larvae become active and live and infest the rug and this is what happens. Professional deep Cleaning (not dry or steam cleaning) and wrapping the rug tight in acid-free heavy duty paper is the way to go. You can add mothballs for more protection if you like. On the other hand, you should open the package once every few months to inspect the rug and vacuum it back and face and wrap it again. Everything needs care and maintenance.
This rug was not repairable and even if it was, it was not worth doing the repair. What we did was wet washing and sanitizing the rug.
Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085
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