One of those situations where the customer has a choice. Moth larva eating their carpets, or using a hepa filtered vacuum and maybe putting up with some allergens. Or they could just get rid of the rugs. Just got to splain it right.
Almost all broadloom carpet is made with permanently mothproofed wool. The exceptions are those oddball manufacturers that make wool/jute/hemp salad carpet. Those customers would benefit from an anti-moth treatment.
Not sure what's happening but I've seen some looped (tufted) wool carpet that had severe moth damage. No hemp, yes jute backing. I wonder if it wears off, or if there's enough of an infestation, they will still cause damage.
"If" is because its not first hand knowledge. Ya know someone tells someone and then they tell another and before ya know it, some dumbass posts it on an internet bulletin board. Uhhh not you...someone else. Yea..thats ot someone else. Seriously if the vacuum the are using is bypassing that much particulate its time for a much need upgrade. They aren't cleaning as well as they think they are. Infact they are merely redistributing contaminants throughout the airspace only to settle on horizontal surfaces. And that's the good news! The bad is they are sucking it all down in their respiratory system.
When they treat the wool at the time of manufacture, the wool is permanently altered. No treatment to wear off. You're likely seeing the oddballs - often sold at places with names like "My Green Home" or somesuch. Treated wool isn't natural enough for those people, so they have to live with the natural damage. Tell them what Ron said.
Any idea what the manufacturers use to moth proof their carpeting? And what makes it permanent, as the "bitter" being used for rugs from their advertisement will all (or most) be removed in the washing process?
Thank you Bryan. Now, could you please translate it It actually raises more questions: Unless I missed it, it does not specify if rinsing removes (or diminish) the moth repellency. One of the products used Permethrin, is a known cat toxin with possible commutative effect- http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/caring-for-cats/permethrin-poisoning-and-cats.
No harm to the cats once the product has dried. Your cats will not be harmed by walking on or even licking wool area rugs.
We have found that English Axeminster atleast for a while was not not moth proofing yarn so this is a another carpet that could use benefits of repel. We regularly will Fog our Showroom to try and eliminate the pests. We also have had great success with SLA spray for problem areas and a little squirt every so often in our storage tubes helps as well!
Ok, Rug Guru's, I have a real world situation. One of my customers has a moth infestation in their home. They have 2-20x24 wool/silk rugs that are showing moth damage as well as several smaller (9x12) wool rugs. They would like me to treat the rugs in their home. I have available a solution of .5 percent pyrethin in a fine oil which I use at the shop. It is designed as a space spray and direct contact spray in large areas such as warehouses. I can also order Masterblend Repel. I am sending all the information to the customer to see what she is comfortable with in her home. It is possible to evacuate everyone for a day or so. What would you do?
Ever notice that old Karastan label that says, "permanently mothproof"? Ever notice a Karastan with that label that has moth damage? Ron, Repel is water-borne, so probably no need to evacuate the area. To be most effective the rugs have to be saturated top and bottom, so the money saved by not moving the rugs to your shop would be eaten up (sorry) by the cost of return trips to flip them.
Thanks oh wise and wonderful Oz. The smaller rugs I can remove to my shop. The 2 20x24's they want treated in home. The visible damage is under the sofa's and along the edges of the rugs. I was thinking of flipping the rugs over as far as I could and treating the backside and then treating the face. There is a piano involved as well as a heavy marble table that would take 4 guys to move. I think if we can get the majority treated it will at least minimize the damage.