How to Get Rid of Moths in the House: Effective Control and Prevention Tips

Although they may seem harmless, moths are anything but! When left on their own to grow in your home, they can cause significant damage to clothing, carpets, pantry items, and other valuable belongings.

Instead of falling victim to this flying insect, learn how to get rid of moths quickly and effectively. By pairing preventative measures and treatment options, you can create a moth-free environment in no time!

Signs You Have a Moth Infestation in Your Home

The good thing about moths is that they leave plenty of clues that they are invading your home… if you know what to look for. Other than flying around your light fixtures, here are some subtle signs that you may be dealing with a moth infestation.

• Tiny, irregular holes in clothing, especially those made of wool, silk, or cashmere
• Silky tubes or webbing in dark corners of closets, under furniture, and along baseboards
• A musty smell in storage areas
• Tiny holes in the packaging of pantry items
• Webbing across food products
• Clumping in things like flour, cereal, or grains

If you notice any of these signs of moths in your home, it’s time to act quickly to remove and control the population before they cause any more damage.

How to Identify Moths in Your Home: Pantry vs. Clothes Moths

Before you can learn how to get rid of moths in the house, you have to understand what type of moth you’re dealing with. You'll typically find two major types of moths inside your house: a pantry moth or a clothes moth.

Pantry moths are attracted to food sources and often found in – you guessed it! – your pantry. There are four types of pantry months:

• Indian Meal Moths: This type of moth has light gray or tan front wings, reddish-brown or bronze back wings; approximately 3/8 inch long with a 1/2-3/4 inch wingspan. They feed on grains, cereals, nuts, dried fruits, birdseed, and pet food. Adult Indian Meal Moths are strong fliers often drawn to light sources, while larvae crawl through food, spinning silken webs that clump grains and cereals.
• Mediterranean Meal Moths: This moth species is pale gray with dark gray wing markings and smaller in size than Indian Meal Moths. These moths favor flour and finely ground, powdery grains. Adult Mediterranean Meal Moths are less active fliers than Indian Meal Moths. Larvae crawl and produce heavy webbing in flour and ground grains.
• Meal Moths: Meal moths have brown wings with a distinctive white stripe down the middle. Meal moths primarily eat grains and cereals. Meal moths are active fliers.
• Almond Moths: Similar in size to Indian Meal Moths but darker in appearance, almond moths enjoy grains, cereals, nuts, dried fruits, birdseed, pet food, and chocolate. These moths are strong fliers and active in warmer climates. Larvae crawl through dried fruits and grains, leaving contamination in their wake.

Clothes moths are responsible for leaving tiny holes in your clothing. There are two types of clothes moths:

• Webbing Clothes Moths: These are small, golden or light-brown moths, approximately 6-8mm long. They prefer natural fibers such as wool, silk, and cashmere, but also sometimes snack on synthetic-natural blends. Webbing clothes moths often spin silky webs or “tunnels” while feeding and can infest not just clothing but also carpets, curtains, and upholstery.
• Case-Bearing Clothes Moths: These moths are slightly smaller, brown moths with distinctive dark spots on their wings. They favor animal-based fibers like wool, feathers, and down. They may also incorporate cotton into their portable casings. They have been known to create protective, portable casings from the fabric they consume, offering camouflage and mobility.

Since each moth will respond differently to your strategies, it’s important to identify the type of moth you’re dealing with before making plans to eliminate them.

How to Get Rid of Pantry Moths: Tips for a Moth-Free Kitchen

If you suspect you’re dealing with a pantry moth infestation, a detailed food inspection is essential. Carefully examine grains, flour, nuts, dried fruits, and other stored goods for signs of webbing, larvae, or adult moths around or inside the packaging. Transfer any uncontaminated food into tightly sealed containers immediately to protect it. If you notice even the slightest signs of contamination, discard the affected items without hesitation—taking no chances is the best course of action.

After inspecting your food, it’s time to deep clean your pantry. Remove all items and vacuum every corner, crack, and crevice thoroughly. Make sure to dispose of the vacuum bag immediately to prevent re-infestation. Wash all surfaces with hot, soapy water to eliminate any remaining residues or pests. Once the pantry is completely sanitized, place the tightly sealed food containers back in their spots. 

How to Get Rid of Clothes Moths: Protecting Your Wardrobe and Fabrics

Getting rid of clothes moths starts by eliminating their hiding spots. These pests thrive in dark, undisturbed areas, so decluttering your home reduces the places they can lay eggs. Dispose of any clothing you no longer wear or any items showing signs of moth damage. For undamaged clothes, wash them in hot water—at least 120°F—to destroy any hidden moth eggs or larvae. For delicate or heirloom items that can’t be washed, seal them in a plastic bag and freeze them for 72 hours to ensure eggs and larvae are eliminated.

Once your clothing is secure, turn your attention to other fabric-based items in your home, such as curtains, couches, and carpets. Scheduling a professional cleaning service is a smart next step, but in the meantime, vacuum daily. Pay extra attention to corners and hidden areas where larvae might linger. Dispose of the vacuum bag immediately after each use to prevent re-infestation. These proactive steps ensure comprehensive protection against Clothes Moths and their costly damage.

Using Moth Traps: How to Set Them Up and Catch Moths Effectively

So, how do you get rid of moths? By choosing the right moth traps! 

Catchmaster® offers non-toxic glue traps that are easy to use. Proven to work, they come completely ready to use – no extra bait or complicated set-up. They’re the straightforward, reliable protection your home needs.

If you’re in the market for clothes moth traps, try a glue board trap. Made with non-toxic glue, they are safe to use around children and pets. Simply fold them into a pyramid shape or hang them in your closet to start catching unwanted pests.

The unique pheromone scent will attract moths within a 12-foot radius. Once they’re near the trap, the extra-strength glue will capture them, helping to control and eliminate the moths that are snacking on your fabrics!

Our pantry moth traps work in a similar fashion and are safe to use in pantries, cabinets, and other food-related areas. These compact and discreet traps are small enough not to interfere with your pantry but powerful enough to catch those annoying moths.

The Strength of the Pheromone Attractant – Catchmaster’s Pantry and Clothes Moth Traps feature advanced Pheroguard technology, providing the largest catch radius of any moth traps on the market.

The Quality of the Glue – Our traps use Catchmaster’s legendary, professional-grade glue, trusted by pest control experts for over 70 years. With 20% more glue than the competition, it ensures that once pests are caught, they stay caught.

Catchmaster’s moth traps outperform the competition on both these critical capabilities, making them the standard in moth-stopping power. Whether you’re dealing with pantry moths or clothes moths, our traps are designed to effectively eliminate the problem.

Since the pheromone lures in each type of trap are specifically formulated for either clothes or pantry moths, identifying the type of moth infestation is key. Using the correct trap ensures optimal results and prevents the infestation from spreading. In some situations, repellents will work to eliminate current infestations, but only glue traps will eliminate current infestations and interrupt the moth breeding cycle to prevent future ones. Protect yourself now and in the future!

How Do You Repel Moths: Long-Term Solutions for a Moth-Free Home

Exclusion is the easiest way to prevent a moth infestation. Here are some easy ways to keep a moth-free home:

• Put screens up on windows, even when they’re not open
• Ensure that you have an airlock as the main entry point in the house
• Eliminate cracks and ventilation shafts
• Keep doors to vulnerable areas, like bedrooms and pantries, closed when not in use. 
• Secure birdseed and other dried foods in sealed tubs.

You should also continuously monitor your home for signs of these pests. Make it a habit to inspect your traps to monitor and identify the number of moths you’re trapping each week. You should also regularly inspect any stores of meal, grain, or flour and clothing stored in closets and carpets for signs of moth infestation.

Eliminate Moths Effectively with Catchmaster

Dealing with any type of pest infestation is no fun, but Catchmaster makes it easy! With over 70 years of experience, our science-backed solutions help you catch and eliminate pests of all types. 

Don’t let moths and other pests ruin your home. Reclaim your space by becoming a Catchmaster today!