A little golden moth fluttering by; that’s often the first sign that your home has a pest problem.

The next thing you might note is small holes in your woollens, often when you bring them out as the weather gets colder. Moths can also affect knitting and crochet projects, carpets, blankets and soft furnishings.

Moth damage – it’s nothing personal

It can be absolutely gutting to find a beloved cashmere, silk or merino wool garment has been ruined by moth holes. But you may be surprised to learn that it’s not the adult moths that make the holes: they don’t even have mouths! It’s their larvae who are eating our clothing. These tiny caterpillars eat keratin, the protein that makes up hair and skin. The fibres in wool knitwear and silk are rich in keratin, and so clothes moths are attracted to the smell and lay their eggs on these clothes and when the eggs that hatch, the larvae start to eat, causing damage to the clothing.

Repairing moth holes

The holes made by moths are initially small and repairable if you act promptly. There are cashmere reweaving services, such as Second Cashmere if you need an invisible mend. But there is also a movement gaining momentum to normalise visible mending. By using contrasting threads and attractive designs, repairs become a feature of the garment. Practical Embroidery has guidance on visible mending techniques for knitwear, including darning, Scotch darning, duplicate stitch and Swiss darning. Other techniques for fixing moth holes include patching, applique and needle felting.

How do moths get into your home?

In winter 2025, the High Court ruled in favour of a family who had the bad luck to move into a £32.5m mansion that had a moth infestation in its wool-based insulation. The vendors, who had failed to declare the issue, had to take back the house and pay damages.

Most of us are not living in luxury properties fitted with novel forms of insulation, and a more common route in for moths will be vintage clothes, or a haul from a charity shop. Moths can ride into your home in suitcases after a holiday, too.

Controlling moth

Eradicating moths is difficult, but there’s always hope: it is definitely possible to interrupt their lifecycle to reduce damage to your clothing.

The first step you can take is to ensure that you put clothes away clean and dry: moth larvae benefit from the nutrients in protein-based stains like sweat on clothing. Clothing that you’ve worn should be kept separate from washed and stored garments.

A very simple trick is to move your vulnerable clothing around. Moths and their larvae don’t like light and disturbance, so by taking out your vulnerable garments and giving them a shake and an airing in sunshine, you’re creating an environment that is unfriendly to clothing moths.

Another step you can take is putting moth deterrents like cedar or lavender in with your clothing.

Moths, their eggs and larvae often end up inside vacuum cleaners. So empty regularly and move the dust outside your home as soon as possible.

The final, and most effective, weapon in your anti-moth scheme is moth traps. Moth traps are sticky cards that mimic the smell that female moths use to attract male moths. The male moths stick to the card and die before they can mate with the female moths. It’s best to use these cards in a room where you store clothing, but not in with your clothing (particularly if you’ve packed your clothes with moth deterrents). The cards last a few months before they need to be replaced. Use just one or two cards per room. If you have too many, the male moth may get confused and fail to locate a trap.

What about moth in a storage unit?

Store and Insure self-storage insurance covers damage by pests, including clothing moths, but only if the infestation came from the storage facility itself.

So if you store clothing that already has a moth problem, you can’t claim for a replacement. That’s why it’s really important to ensure that any textiles you store are moth free. For peace of mind, put a moth trap in your storage unit, and inspect it from time to time so you have an early warning of any pest problems that may have come in from surrounding units.