We know that it can be frustrating and stressful when your precious investment pieces and home textiles are being destroyed by clothes moths. We’ve walked in your shoes and feel your pain. The good news is that we are here to guide you through the process of getting rid of clothes moths.
PLUS we’ll ship your order by Fast Tracked Shipping
As a small family-company we’ve successfully served over 250,000 customers throughout the country just like you.
Your clothes moth traps should start catching the male moths within a day or two, but it will take time to reduce the population if there are moth larvae present that pupate into a new cycle of adult moths. This can be a process that extends over several months.
Clothes Moth Traps are the ideal starting point, especially as they give you a clear idea of how bad the infestation is and whether you are seeing success (a reduced daily catch rate over time is good news!).
If you have seen damage to clothing and / or carpets, rugs and other home textiles, you may want to read our Clothes Moth Killer Guide or Carpet Moth Killer Guide.
With our guidance, you will deal with your moth infestation, protect your valuable clothing and home textiles, and take away the stress of dealing with these pests.
The MothPrevention® Clothes Moth Trap lures adult moths using powerful moth pheromones and then traps them. This powerful clothes moth trap provides an effective, economical and convenient natural moth control solution to prevent moths damaging your clothing, furniture and precious textiles.
The MothPrevention® Clothes Moth Trap is a natural, non toxic and safe sticky glue moth trap with advanced pheromones to monitor and control infestations of Clothes Moths and Carpet Moths.
Unlike many other brands of Clothes Moths Trap that have a simple glue strip and small pheromone 'tablet' to be placed near by, our MothPrevention® Clothes Moth Trap has a blend of 3 natural female moth pheromones impregnated into the entire glue surface of the sticky strip to catch carpet and clothes moths. This makes the catch rate for these sticky carpet and clothes moth traps impressive.
MothPrevention® Clothes Moths Trap work through being impregnated with a blend of different natural female moth pheromone attractants impregnated into the sticky surface. Adult Male Moths are attracted to the glue strip and become stuck to it. This does two things:
Our clothes moths traps are specific to clothes moths and moths attracted to textiles such as carpets. These closet moth traps will not attract other species
Clothes moths traps for use in closets, bedrooms and living rooms around the home. We recommend using these clothes moth traps continuously in order to monitor any new infestation
Replacement sticky strips are available for this product.
If you find you are catching moths in this trap, further control methods may be required to eliminate your moth problem.
Useful to know:
Product Code: AMOTH00103
The best way to find out for sure if you have a clothes moth problem and the severity of it is to use clothes moth traps
Below we have details about our clothing moth traps and answered the most frequently asked questions from our customers - we’ve successfully helped over 250,000 customers so far with our various MothPrevention products!
Clothes moth traps are pest control devices to monitor for clothes moth activity and to reduce the spread of clothes moths.
There are two main species of common clothes moths - the webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) and the casemaking clothes moth (Tinea pellionella). See our carpet and clothes moth identification guide to see which species you may have.
In less common cases you may have the White Shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) or the Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella).
If you have Carpet Moths, please note that it will be the same species of moth attacking your carpets rather than the clothes in your closet. The term ‘Carpet Moths’ is the commonly used expression to describe the same moths but in a different setting.
These pheromone traps for clothes moths work by attracting the male moths to the sticky trap through the use of a female moth pheromone (see below) - the mature male clothes moths get trapped on the sticky glue within the trap.
Whether it's a Webbing Clothes Moth Trap (Common household Moth Trap), a Case-Making Clothes Moth Trap, a White Shouldered House Moth Trap, or a Brown House Moth Trap - the MothPrevention Closet Moth Traps will be an essential part of taking care of your moth problem - and preventing a moth problem from resurfacing.
Probably the most important aspect of how effective your moth traps for clothes will be is the quality of the pheromones - that’s the female clothes moth pheromone that attracts the male moths. The MothPrevention® Clothes & Carpet Moth Trap works through being impregnated with a blend of different natural female moth pheromone attractants impregnated into the sticky surface.
This does two things:
This trap is specific to Clothes Moths - moths that are attracted to textiles. This pheromone trap for clothes moths will not attract other species.
The MothPrevention® Clothes Moth Trap pheromones are not available in any other clothes moths traps in the USA. We have had them tested against the leading US clothes moth trap brands and they significant outperform them - this is confirmed by customer review data.
There are a large number of Chinese traps available online - these DO NOT WORK - they do not have an effective clothes moth pheromone. Also beware the huge number of fake customer reviews on these traps that you will find on Amazon.
We are fully confident that you will not find a comparable-performing clothes moth trap on the market.
Lastly, our pheromones cover the full glue surface to the edge of the sticky boards and are fully impregnated in the glue to make moth sticky traps that work.
Our unique Clothes Moth Pheromone Traps are designed to be used either hung in closets or placed on shelves - the integral hanger gives you this versatility.
The reverse of the clothes moth trap box is designed in a subtle light wood-effect for discretion.
There are access holes for clothes moths on 4 sides of the outer box. The replaceable strip slides into the box and attaches to one side using a ‘low-tack’ thin sticky strip.
MothPrevention® Clothes Moth Traps have a 12 week effective life, more than most on the market which usually last 8 weeks.
Make a note of the opening date on your calendar and replace the pheromone glue boards after 12 weeks.
We recommend that you place your clothes moth traps 3 to 6 feet above floor level either hanging in closets or on shelves. Look for where you see adult clothes moths and that will give you an idea of where to target your placement of the clothes moths pheromone traps.
Note that, unlike many species of moths, clothes moths are nocturnal and avoid bright light - they are more likely to be active at night time and when you are sleeping.
While we do not recommend ‘moth-repellent’ scents such as lavender and cedar sachets (which are not that effective and quickly lose their scent), if you have recently placed these in your closets or drawers, we suggest you avoid placing the clothes moth traps close by.
If you find you are not catching any or many clothes moths, after a week, try re-positioning the clothes moth traps - this often then gives results for many of our customers, and remember that the placement needs to be near likely food sources for clothes moth larvae (keratin in natural animal fibers, most commonly wool-based).
Also note that only fully mature adult males will be caught by clothes moth pheromone traps - juvenile makes and all females are still potentially flying and it takes time for the breeding cycle to be broken. Clothes moths will only typically live for a month so you may see some activity for 4-5 weeks after putting the moths pheromone traps in place.
If you have moth damage to clothing in your closets and / or drawers, it is highly likely that clothes moths have laid eggs and reached the larval stage where the larvae eat the keratin in the natural fibers of woolens, cashmere, silk etc.
In this case, use of a clothes moth killer kit combined with thorough cleaning and treatment of your clothing and the closet itself / surrounding areas will be necessary - closet moth traps however remain part of the solution, to both deal with any residual adult clothes moths, and avoiding a repeat infestation, as well as for ongoing monitoring.
We strongly recommend that after you have dealt with the worst of a clothes moth infestation, you leave clothes moth traps in place for 8-12 weeks afterwards - this will both enable you to check regularly if there is any risk of repeat infestation and, importantly, provide the first line of defense in a new infestation spiraling out of control. Be on clothes moth alert!
We’ve answered the most common questions we’ve received from real customers and stated these below in their own words - hopefully this will be helpful in you troubleshooting the most common concerns about clothes moth pheromone traps.
It's not the moths themselves that cause textile damage; it is their larvae (like small white caterpillars) that eat the keratin in natural animal-based fibers (think wool, cashmere, silk, mohair, soft leather, feathers etc.). The keratin is a protein which gives them nourishment and enables them to grow to the point of pupation where they turn into clothes moths.
The larvae will hatch from the many eggs (up to 200) that the female clothes moth will lay on suitable food source (ideally an expensive cashmere sweater!).
Still wondering why do moths eat clothes such as wool, but not cotton? Read our article 'Why do moths eat clothes?'
Dust is largely made up of shed human skin cells and hair - and another source of keratin. Cleanliness in your closets is critical.
If you already have damage to clothes, textiles or carpets from clothes moths then clothes moth traps are likely only part of the solution - you may need a killer kit for moths and need to do some work to completely get rid of clothes moths in your closet or home.
Lastly, make sure that you do not have pantry moths flying around your home rather than clothes moths - we provide separate traps for pantry moths, the most common species in the US being the Indian Meal Moth (again, see our moth identification guides).
The trigger for clothes moths to pupate, turn into adults and fly to new locations in search of new food sources to lay their eggs is warmer weather, and ideally a degree of humidity.
So weather patterns are key here - warmer States across the south of the US (think Florida across to Texas and then across to California) will be likely to see clothes moth activity all year round.
In the northern states (Washington State across to New York), the cold winter temperatures delay pupation until the weather warms up in the spring - moth larvae will still be causing damage to clothing, particularly in centrally heated homes, but flying moths will only emerge with warmer temperatures.
So clothes moth traps are best used in warmer weather (normally 65 degrees or more) but there may still be the need to use treatments where larvae are still causing damage outside warmer times.
Clothes moths may arrive in your home from adjacent properties or gardens. We have also seen instances of bird nests under roof eaves and in chimneys being sources of infestation for our customers - think bird feathers as being a keratin-rich food source for clothes moth larvae.
Apartment blocks and other densely populated inner city areas (terraced housing) provide close adjacency for transfer of clothes moths form one home to another - we see significant infestations constantly in central San Francisco and Manhattan.
However, given ideal rural food sources in nature, clothes moths are not solely an urban phenomenon. Clothes moth traps provide a first line of defense in avoiding a clothes moth infestation.
If you're interested in preventing clothes moths from eating your clothes, you should read our article 'How to stop moths eating my clothes - 10 steps to clothes moth prevention'
Clothes Moth Traps only catch active male moths, not females or juveniles, so some customers wonder why they still see some moths flying / not trapped - this takes time for the breeding cycle to stop (4-6 weeks).
Customers also wonder why they have damage to clothes and / or textiles in the home when they have been actively trapping clothes moths - this is usually explained by larvae that have hatched and not yet pupated eating the natural animal fibers. In time they will turn into adult moths as part of their natural lifecycle.
It takes time to deal with a moth infestation - sadly there is no immediate quick fix without some work.
The ‘flying moths’ may be juvenile males or female clothes moths - they will not be attracted to the female clothes moth pheromone - only adult males will.
The moths may not be clothes moths, or any of the 4 targeted species - common clothes moths (‘webbing clothes moths’), case making clothes moths, brown house moths, white-shouldered moths. You may have pantry moths - Indian Meal Moths or Mediterranean Flour Moths, or another species.
This is unlikely - only mature males are likely to find any attraction in the female clothes moth pheromones and the effective range is not likely to bring them into the home form an adjacent property or the garden.
If only males did come into the home, they cannot breed alone; female clothes moths coming in to the home are likely looking for a suitable food source (natural animal-fiber based textiles) to lay their eggs.
The effective life of MothPrevention® Clothes Moth Pheromone Traps (12 weeks) only starts after the sticky glue board outer packaging is opened.
The outer packaging is also date-stamped with an expiry date - usually 18 to 24 months after you will have received it.
We recommend that you put the sticky glue boards in their outer packaging for a couple of hours - this will make it far easier to peel the protective cover off the pheromone glue board after opening the outer packaging.
The quality of our Clothes Moth Traps is reflected in the price. Our traps are some of the most effective on the market due to their powerful proprietary pheromones and trap design. There are also additional costs;
We have to pay the manufacturer of the traps and the packaging, ship them to the USA, pay Customs duty, ship them to our fulfillment centers, pay warehousing storage and labor charges, and finally pay for shipping to your home.
Obviously we need to make a margin too - this keeps our business viable!
Compared to significant economic loss to you with your most expensive clothing items and home textiles at risk, we feel they are a relatively sensible choice for the peace of mind for what have been proven to be the absolute best clothes moth traps on the market.
Oh, and you get free shipping to your home when buying from MothPrevention!
If you accidentally get the sticky glue on your hands when assembling the clothes moth traps, simply rub a little olive oil into your hands and then wash thoroughly with soap and water.
Assuming you have identified the moths as clothes moths (one of the species referred to above and shown in our identification guides) then start straight away by placing clothes moth pheromone traps.
Follow this up with a detailed look into your clothes stored in your closets and drawers. Take out clothing and check for damage in the form of holes in woolens, cashmere, merino, silk etc - natural animal based fibers.
Look closely for the larvae. If you’ve reached the stage of clothes moth damage then you’ll need additional action and likely a moth killer kit to deal with the infestation - to save the considerable investment in your clothing will take work, but will be worth it.
If there’s no damage, but you find that the flying moths are clothes moths, start with clothes moth traps to reduce and then break the breeding cycle as soon as you can, and then use ongoing for monitoring purposes.
Start with identification - are they clothes moths? The most common clothes is the webbing clothes moth which will be about a quarter inch long and golden in color.
If you have clothes moths, set up clothes moth traps - locate them 3 to 6 feet high and near to the activity you’ve seen, which will typically be close to your valuable knitwear and other natural fiber textiles, although not cotton, which is a plant based fabric.
Over time, keep checking the clothes moth traps - are they filling up as rapidly as when you first set them up? Or are the number of moths caught declining over time? If they are reducing then you are probably getting on top of the increase in the population and reducing the likelihood of a full-blown infestation.
If they're not declining, it is probable that you have a deeper problem that requires more investigation of your clothing to see if they have been laying eggs there (that then hatch into larvae before pupating into adult clothes moths). See the advice above about next steps.
However, there maybe an alternative source of the clothes moths coming into your home from outside - you’ll need to investigate if this is from an immediately adjacent property or on your property (natural sources such as bird nests), and take appropriate action.
Not necessarily - it may be the start of clothes moths coming into the home in search of suitable sites in which to breed and lay their eggs, and in which case setting up clothes moth pheromone traps close to where you have seen them may be all you need to do.
Constant vigilance is important once you are aware of the potential for a future infestation - clothes moths will breed prolifically if left undisturbed, particularly at times of warmer weather and / or higher humidity.
Male Clothes moths will be attracted to the female clothes moth pheromone (like that contained in our clothes moth traps) - they will be looking to breed (which is their sole activity / purpose after the larval stage.
Female clothes moths will be looking for natural animal-based fibers in which to lay their eggs. Both males and females are attracted to dark, undisturbed places where they can breed and with close proximity to the likely food source for the larvae when the eggs hatch - think little-used closets, under furniture, dusty attics etc.
At MothPrevention® we would say that it depends on how much work you are prepared to do if you have had a full blown infestation - if you are prepared to isolate the locations of the infestation and thoroughly treat any infested textiles and clothes, and the actual closets, drawers etc where the infestation is located, then it is perfectly possible to get rid of even a severe clothes moth infestation.
Then the trick will be to prevent a recurrence - and that will only be possible through the following three-pronged approach: Be vigilant and regularly check the likely places that clothes moths will set up home in your house - under furniture, in closets, dark corners, attics etc.
Regularly clean out, vacuum thoroughly and wash down these areas.
Set up and maintain clothes moth traps for a period after the last infestation to monitor and reduce the likelihood of a repeat infestation.
Note that clothes moths are active at night / in dark undisturbed places so you will be likely asleep when they are active!
If you're trying to get rid of clothes moths for good, you should read our detailed guide on 'how to get rid of clothes moths'
Moths come into the house for various reasons. Harmless larger moths are attracted to light.
Clothes and Pantry moths however are problematic - they come into the house to look for food sources for their larvae that hatch from the eggs laid on your animal-based fiber clothing and home textiles (clothes moths) or dried food (pantry moths).
So the causes or moths in the house for the species that damage textiles or infest food are driven by the need for their larvae to eat.
The best clothes moth trap is designed to allow easy access for adult male moths and yet provides a darker ‘safe’ place for clothes moths, which hate light and being disturbed.
Design is also important to customers - a discrete design with a flatter profile doesn’t advertise the presence of moths to guests and hangs more easily in the closet. The glue is important to ensure effective trapping.
Lastly, and importantly, the best clothes moth trap has the most effective pheromone to attract the male moths and our traps outperform others on the market for this very reason.
It's also why our clothes moth traps are not cheap! But they work. Period.
Clothes moths only live for about a month - many customers do not realize that it's the moth larvae that hatch from their eggs that do the damage to precious home textiles and investment pieces.
The adult flying moths do not even have mouths to feed - their sole purpose in their short life is to reproduce and lay eggs to carry on the life cycle.
So, to answer the question ‘how long do clothes moths live?’, only a few weeks in adult form.
The clothes moth life cycle is fairly fascinating, and knowing a bit more about the stages of a moth's life might help you understand how to solve your problem. Luckily we put together a handy article on 'the clothes moth life cycle' which you can read here.
Clothes moths hate light and being disturbed - their ideal location is with a plentiful food source for their larvae to eat (keratiin, being the protein in animal based fibers), darker locations like closets, drawers and under furniture, which are also good locations for them to remain free to go through their clothes moth lifecycle stages.
Other likely locations that avoid what clothes moths hate are attics and spare bedrooms that are rarely used.
The best repellent is usually strong lavender or lemongrass. Cedar has traditionally been used as a moth repellent but it has a less pronounced scent and that scent fades over time, quite quickly.
This can be artificially boosted by use of cedar essential oil, but is a laborious process for cedar furniture. So, we would recommend the best moth repellent being lavender or lemongrass, but we would also advise pairing this with clothes moth traps outside the closets to monitor for moth activity.
Clothes moths look like small gold colored moths mainly - the most common species being the webbing clothes moth. Despite the name though their larvae will attack any animal based fibers including carpets and curtains, soft furnishings as well as clothes.
The case-bearing moth also comes under the common term ‘clothes moths’ and behaves in a similar way in terms of what their larvae eat. To see what clothes moths look like we would suggest taking a look at our Clothes Moth Identification Guide.
To answer the question “What kills moths” it is important to distinguish between the adult flying moths and their larvae that hatch from the eggs laid on clothes, carpets and home textiles.
For adult moths we recommend pantry or clothes moth traps (it is critical to identify the species you are dealing with before buying moth traps because the moth pheromones differ for each type).
IN addition, a ‘knock-down’ moth spray or fogger will also have an instant impact. However, our clothes moth traps will last 3 months before they need to be replenished with refill strips and offer continuous monitoring.
For clothes moth larvae that have actually caused you damage, we would recommend reading our 10 Steps to Clothes Moth Control or 10 steps to Pantry Moth Control resources to understand what is required.
Clothes moth traps are part of the solution, but a much more intensive cleaning regime and treatments are required to ensure you kill moths completely and be sure you have dealt with the moth infestation.
For you to get rid of moths in your closet will initially require you to assess whether they have laid eggs and there is a presence of clothes moth larvae.
If there is no damage, you may be able to reduce the incidence of clothes moths over time by trapping the adult males and taking them out of the moth breeding cycle - this reduces the population of clothes moths and allows you to monitor the catch rate which should also be progressively reducing.
If you have damage to clothing then you will likely have an infestation where the clothes moths have laid their eggs, the eggs have hatched and the emerging larvae are feasting on your investment pieces and / or precious home textiles.
In this case, to get rid of clothes moths in your closet you will need to perform a much more intensive clear out, cleaning process and clothes moth treatment. In this case please read our article 10 Steps to Clothes Moth Control.
Clothes moths themselves do not eat; it is their larvae that have emerged from the eggs laid by adult, mated, female clothes moths that eat the protein (keratin) in animal based fibers - they will generally not be attracted to cotton or synthetic fibers.
The clothes moth larvae eat clothes that are made from animal based fibers - think cashmere, wool, silk, feathers, fur and soft leather.
Still wondering why do moths eat clothes such as wool, but not cotton? Read our article 'Why do moths eat clothes?'
It is important to understand that to get rid of moths naturally will take longer than using pesticide treatments but can be done with patience.
If there are only adult clothes or pantry moths flying in your home, then moth traps will likely achieve this over time as they take the male moths out of the breeding cycle and reduce the population progressively.
However, if you have damage to clothing or home textiles, or an infestation in your pantry, you will need to take fast action on clearing out and treating infested clothing or foods, and then thoroughly cleaning the location of the infestation to eliminate any remaining eggs or larvae.
Continue to defend through the use of moth traps and natural repellents.
If you need to get rid of moths naturally when your carpets that have been infested, consider use of our natural carpet moth killer kits.
For more detailed guidance on how to get rid of clothes moths naturally, read our guide on 'how to get rid of clothes moths and their larvae for good'
Extremely high or freezing conditions are temperatures that kill clothes moths.
We always recommend that either dry cleaning or deep freezing infested clothes and / or home textiles for 72 hours should kill any eggs and larvae present.
While extremely high temperatures can kill clothes moths and it may be a process that can be conducted through heat treatments by a professional pest controller, it is not something that you can achieve at home on your own.
We often get asked ‘how long do you freeze clothes infested by clothes moths?’. Firstly, we make it clear that the target is to kill eggs and larvae of clothes moths as rarely will you find the adult moths on your clothes.
Secondly, we strongly recommend that you wrap your clothes and seal them in plastic bags before placing them in your freezer. In terms of how long they should be in your freezer, we would say at least 72 hours to ensure the eggs and larvae are killed.
For more detailed guidance on how to get rid of clothes moths and their larvae, read our guide on 'how to get rid of clothes moths and their larvae for good'
Moth balls do kill moths in an enclosed environment such as closets and drawers but are meant to target the eggs and larvae of clothes moths.
They will not work in the same way in an open space and will not affect adult flying moths unless they end up in the enclosed space with moth balls.
To be clear, we do NOT recommend the use of naphthalene moth balls - they are highly toxic, carcinogenic and highly flammable.
A pheromone moth trap is a generic name for a moth trap which uses moth pheromones to attract and catch moths. Clothes moth traps are a specific type of pheromone trap for moths. For that reason they can also be referred to as clothes moth pheromone traps and various other names such as:
MothPrevention® Clothes Moth Traps work through being impregnated with a blend of different natural female moth pheromone attractants impregnated into the sticky surface. Adult Male Clothes Moths are attracted to the glue strip and become stuck to it.
MothPrevention® speak to customers every day about their clothes moth issues - clothes moths are a species that are ever increasing and that can cause significant damage to clothes, carpets and other home textiles.
To date, we’ve helped over 250,000 customers deal with their clothes moth problems.
We have developed professional grade solutions including proprietary moth pheromones, not available from anybody else in the USA.
Assembly of our traps could not be simpler. Just a few simple steps and you’re ready to get rid of the moths in your home.
I had a customer, had a very large house, had a major moth issue, especially in her closet. Her closet, which was as big as my dining room.
She had bought multiple traps off of the internet and off of Home Depot and Lowe's and all these different traps. Spent $17,000 on dry cleaning alone to solve her moth problem. When I got there, I gave her some of the Moth Prevention traps, and they started catching moths right away. She has since bought 20 Moth Prevention Traps off of me and has them all over her house because she does not want to have to go through what she went through the first time.
I have no complaints from the customers. Matter of fact, I get text messages from the customers showing me pictures of the traps with moths on them, asking if they need to do something more intensive because they're catching moths.
I like Moth Prevention not only because their traps work, but as I've built a relationship with the company, because I've been working with them for so long. I like that they're a family company. They're a small, targeted company. They're not trying to sell every product in the world. They are selling, specifically, pest control, pheromone traps for specific insects, especially moths, meal moths, as well as clothing moths. And they're a family company. And I prefer to work with a family company because I'm a family company.