Clothes-devouring moths infesting the wardrobes and drawers of many homes in the UK are now threatening precious curtains and carpets, costumes and tapestries in some of England’s most historic properties. Conservators are reporting that the number caught in traps has doubled in the last five years.

A particularly destructive species, Monopis sp., also known as the pale-backed clothes moth, has recently been discovered for the first time by English Heritage, which is now enlisting the help of the public to map the spread and intensity of a menace that only a few decades ago seemed as relevant a historical plague as the Black Death. Anyone with a precious cashmere sweater now resembling a piece of lace will sympathise.

“We’ve lost some modern furniture and furnishings, but so far we’ve kept on top of it with historic textiles by utter scrupulous diligence,” said Amber Xavier-Rowe, head of collections conservation. “Our curators are constantly on the lookout, and we have weekly, monthly and major annual conservation cleaning programmes – six-monthly in some properties.”

The public is invited to collect free moth traps from staffed properties as they reopen for Easter, keep them at home for a few months and then report on their haul to the English Heritage website.

“We really don’t know exactly why this is happening, which is why we are enlisting the public’s help. It could be to do with the climate getting warmer, and it could be that we’re all just so busy we’re not cleaning at home as much. It’s not just a problem in this country. I was at a conference in Paris the other week and everyone with collections to care for was talking about it. We had one report of a clothes moths problem from Tehran,” said Xavier-Rowe.



“One possible source is chimneys – most of us have open fireplaces, but we don’t light as many fires, so we don’t get them cleaned as regularly. Moths love dead birds – the larvae eat the feathers, the skin and even the flesh. It’s very important to identify the source of an outbreak and then deal with it.”

A clothes moth trap . Photograph: English Heritage/PA

When Xavier-Rowe talks about checking textiles, she does not mean a quick reassuring glance: her routine involves checking in the crevices of all furniture, turning back buttons, collars, cuffs and pockets of all garments, as well as checking along seams and binding.

Generally, the moths target wool, fur or feathers, but Xavier-Rowe says they will also eat other fabrics if they are dirty: when English Heritage took over Brodsworth Hall, a property in South Yorkshire that had survived almost unaltered and with hoarded possessions for more than a century, they found moths had targeted the carpets, which the previous owner’s many dogs had urinated on, and munched through the sweat-stained silk underarmlinings of coats.

“I don’t know why that should be. Maybe the dirt makes it tastier, or more digestible,” she said.

Xavier-Rowe’s advice to householders is depressing: relentless cleaning, including chimneys, attics and cellars, and moving all furniture to clean underneath at least monthly. She urges against the storage of dirty clothes, but also suggests shaking clean stored garments in boxes and wardrobes at least every six months.



Most of the racks of moth repellent now in every supermarket and hardware shops do not work, and those that do are highly toxic, she said. Gentle remedies like lavender help only if they are changed very regularly, she added.

“If you do spot the telltale signs, if it’s a beloved jumper, stick it in the freezer. If not, chuck it. Don’t hoard – clear.”