How do you inhibit Moths eating Rugs?

T Monahan

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Magnesium hexafluorosilicate?
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Cleanworks

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I don't know if there is anything that you can leave safely on a rug to deter moths but to kill the larva, we use pyrethins in a fine oil. Bag the rug for 3 days then vacuum the dead larva and casings and clean.
 
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I remember "Dusty" talking about bagging, freezing rugs to a certain temperature, then let it sit out for a week , then place it back in the freezer to kill the rest of them... Basically you'd be simulating Winter, Spring, Winter.... That'd be for customers who didn't want "Chemicals/pesticides" on their rugs...

It does nothing to inhibit moths eating the rug... Just vacuuming frequently and don't have low hanging furniture unless your vacuuming under that also....
 

T Monahan

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I remember "Dusty" talking about bagging, freezing rugs to a certain temperature, then let it sit out for a week , then place it back in the freezer to kill the rest of them... Basically you'd be simulating Winter, Spring, Winter.... That'd be for customers who didn't want "Chemicals/pesticides" on their rugs...

It does nothing to inhibit moths eating the rug... Just vacuuming frequently and don't have low hanging furniture unless your vacuuming under that also....

The freezing/thaw/freeze again concept is to break the eggs and do the kill of the creature inside. This was not the question really.

What do you use to inhibit moths from landing and laying eggs that hatch and produce wool eating worms? What inhibits this?
 

ruff

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The new products make the wool "bitter", unappealing for the moth to eat.
At least, that is the claim. Supposedly non-toxic. Some say that it also somehow interferes with the egg, larvae, moth cycle. Every time you wash the rug it has to be reapplied.

No doubt a small company in Ann arbor MI, is in the market offering something.
 
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Cleanworks

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The new products make the moth "bitter", unappealing to eat.
At least, that is the claim. Supposedly non-toxic. Some say that it also somehow interferes with the egg, larvae, moth cycle. Every time you wash the rug it has to be reapplied.

No doubt a small company in Ann arbor MI, is in the market offering something.
I think you mean the wool, who cares if the moth gets eaten.
 
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I remember "Dusty" talking about bagging, freezing rugs to a certain temperature, then let it sit out for a week , then place it back in the freezer to kill the rest of them... Basically you'd be simulating Winter, Spring, Winter.... That'd be for customers who didn't want "Chemicals/pesticides" on their rugs...

It does nothing to inhibit moths eating the rug... Just vacuuming frequently and don't have low hanging furniture unless your vacuuming under that also....

The freezing/thaw/freeze again concept is to break the eggs and do the kill of the creature inside. This was not the question really.

What do you use to inhibit moths from landing and laying eggs that hatch and produce wool eating worms? What inhibits this?

I use Repel from MasterBlend.......But it seems like there's an ulterior motive here....
 

T Monahan

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No agenda for personally selling anything. Centrum Force does not blend anything and brand it as such.

When customers ask to inhibit Moth activity, my small operation in Ann Arbor offers this:

http://masterblend.net/knowledge-base/repel-wool-fiber-protector

The thread was started because I was wondering what others are doing for a deterrent.

Magnesium hexafluorosilicate apparently affects the little creatures coming out of the cocoon with their big appetites. They die of starvation because their food source (protein/wool) is polluted and tastes bad.
 

Cleanworks

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No agenda for personally selling anything. Centrum Force does not blend anything and brand it as such.

When customers ask to inhibit Moth activity, my small operation in Ann Arbor offers this:

http://masterblend.net/knowledge-base/repel-wool-fiber-protector

The thread was started because I was wondering what others are doing for a deterrent.

Magnesium hexafluorosilicate apparently affects the little creatures coming out of the cocoon with their big appetites. They die of starvation because their food source (protein/wool) is polluted and tastes bad.
That is a nice product to have. A couple of years ago I treated and cleaned aprox 50 assorted rugs for moth larva infestation. Many of the rugs needed extensive repairs and reweaving. The whole house was infested. The owner had one area in the bsmt cleaned and treated, just so he could store the rugs without them being reinfested. Sounds like this product will prevent the larva from eating the wool and backing. How long have you been using this?
 

T Monahan

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I have been using the product since I met Aaron Groseclose many years ago. One jar lasts a long, long time for us.

At least Aaron disclosed what was in it and was careful to say what you couldn't say about it. Thus the name, Repel.

Note: Some purest would not like to leave something like that sprayed on the rug. Even some customers don't like the idea of it on their rugs.
 

Cleanworks

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I agree but especially in some of the older mansions that I get rugs from, they have the potential to harbor a decent population of moths despite attempts to keep them under control. Just too many food sources I these large older homes. I think even my rug collector customer would appreciate having that option. It also makes a good upsell as long as it works.
 

The Great Oz

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Although wool can be made mothproof at the pre-spinning stage, pest control applicators say they no longer have access to the products that will make a non-mothproof textile permanently safe from moths. They can no longer guarantee to eradicate moths in a home either, just "control" them with repeated treatments. The products available have to make direct contact with the moth, egg or larvae; hard to do if under a carpet or in the folds of clothing.

This makes adding a treatment to rugs more important than ever.

The people that don't believe in putting Repel on a carpet are welcome to their opinion, and if their customers can be converted to living a life in service to their wool rugs (and paying for annual cleaning and insect damage repair) great! I just can't imagine the owner of multiple large rugs choosing to move furniture and vacuum the backs every few weeks if they knew there was a treatment to eliminate that worry.

As we heard at the Rug Summit, the Oriental rug market has crashed. I'd rather offer a service that makes people's lives easier, and makes them less likely to buy synthetic next time.
 
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I was under the impression that "Repel" only lasts up to a year or so....? We very carefully word it when we offer it to customers... It doesn't stop the moths from eating it, it just makes it less tasty "sours the wool" making the moths move on to something more tasty...

Does it need to be applied before protection is added? Can you add it to your rinse water instead of spraying it on after extraction? I did like Joe Gabel's air sprayer to apply it I seen in a video...
 

Cleanworks

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Although wool can be made mothproof at the pre-spinning stage, pest control applicators say they no longer have access to the products that will make a non-mothproof textile permanently safe from moths. They can no longer guarantee to eradicate moths in a home either, just "control" them with repeated treatments. The products available have to make direct contact with the moth, egg or larvae; hard to do if under a carpet or in the folds of clothing.

This makes adding a treatment to rugs more important than ever.

The people that don't believe in putting Repel on a carpet are welcome to their opinion, and if their customers can be converted to living a life in service to their wool rugs (and paying for annual cleaning and insect damage repair) great! I just can't imagine the owner of multiple large rugs choosing to move furniture and vacuum the backs every few weeks if they knew there was a treatment to eliminate that worry.

As we heard at the Rug Summit, the Oriental rug market has crashed. I'd rather offer a service that makes people's lives easier, and makes them less likely to buy synthetic next time.
I agree, if you had seen the extensive moth damage on some of my collector customers rugs, you would cry. He imports carpets from all over the world and I don't know if the moth larva comes in with the rugs or if they are picked up locally. Some of these rugs are treasured heirlooms reflecting depictions and inscriptions from the Bible in Hebrew. Some are very valuable silk rugs, just beautiful to look at and feel. I had no idea of a product such as repel but I will be adding it to my chemical lineup. We were able to kill and remove all of the larva from the rugs but I know there are more in his home and eventually they will find the rugs again. I wonder if this can be used in home on rugs that are in use?
 

J Scott W

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I belive that Chem Max, another small Michigan company, offers a similar product called RESIST. The active ingredient is Zinc fluorosilicate.
 

The Great Oz

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I was under the impression that "Repel" only lasts up to a year or so....? We very carefully word it when we offer it to customers... It doesn't stop the moths from eating it, it just makes it less tasty "sours the wool" making the moths move on to something more tasty...
We guarantee it for five years or the next cleaning. I've got hanging rugs that were treated 15 years ago that have no moth damage. I think it can wear off of a fiber with traffic, but traffic areas are not where moths survive for long.

Does it need to be applied before protection is added? Can you add it to your rinse water instead of spraying it on after extraction? I did like Joe Gabel's air sprayer to apply it I seen in a video...
Very important to spray both side of the rug when clean and dry. Water in the rug not only changes the dilution, it keeps the product from absorbing into the yarn.
 
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Joined
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I was under the impression that "Repel" only lasts up to a year or so....? We very carefully word it when we offer it to customers... It doesn't stop the moths from eating it, it just makes it less tasty "sours the wool" making the moths move on to something more tasty...
We guarantee it for five years or the next cleaning. I've got hanging rugs that were treated 15 years ago that have no moth damage. I think it can wear off of a fiber with traffic, but traffic areas are not where moths survive for long.

Does it need to be applied before protection is added? Can you add it to your rinse water instead of spraying it on after extraction? I did like Joe Gabel's air sprayer to apply it I seen in a video...
Very important to spray both side of the rug when clean and dry. Water in the rug not only changes the dilution, it keeps the product from absorbing into the yarn.

So basically apply the protector first, let dry, then Repel?
 

T Monahan

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Tom Monahan
I was under the impression that "Repel" only lasts up to a year or so....? We very carefully word it when we offer it to customers... It doesn't stop the moths from eating it, it just makes it less tasty "sours the wool" making the moths move on to something more tasty...
We guarantee it for five years or the next cleaning. I've got hanging rugs that were treated 15 years ago that have no moth damage. I think it can wear off of a fiber with traffic, but traffic areas are not where moths survive for long.

Does it need to be applied before protection is added? Can you add it to your rinse water instead of spraying it on after extraction? I did like Joe Gabel's air sprayer to apply it I seen in a video...
Very important to spray both side of the rug when clean and dry. Water in the rug not only changes the dilution, it keeps the product from absorbing into the yarn.

Perhaps Aaron Groseclose should weigh in on this product that he blends and sells. That would be helpful to this thread.
 
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