Raspberry14
Member
- Messages
- 1
- Location
- London
Hello,
This is my first post so do bear with me! We bought a ca 1880 Victorian terraced house in Walthamstow last year. We’ve since replastered the old parts (i.e, up to and excluding the loft extension) with lime plaster and are currently doing some painting.
Since replastering, we have noticed some clothes and possibly carpet moths in the hallway, on the stairs, and in first floor bedrooms. The stairs are carpeted.
We probably have original floorboards on ground and first floors with lots of gaps.
A combined question:
(1) We’ve read about moths being attracted to the humidity related to drying plaster. Could that be the source? If so, how could we best get rid of them? We’ve had now & then clothes moths like anyone else but wondering whether the darker carpet moths could spell bigger trouble. Pest companies have suggested various treatments but since we have small babies at home and have spent time & money on lime plaster and mineral paint, we don’t want to be using harsh chemicals around the house at all going forward.
(2) The floorboards on the first floor have quite a big number of gaps, some quite large. Should we consider filling them with some sort of a filler (other than wooden “wedges”) or is it best to leave them as is for breathability? Again, pest companies suggested treating the space under the floorboards to kill off any moth larvae and then filling them in to avoid them living off debris and potentially “biting through floorboards or filler” in the future. That feels excessive to me.
Any suggestions most welcome, please! Many thanks for your help.
This is my first post so do bear with me! We bought a ca 1880 Victorian terraced house in Walthamstow last year. We’ve since replastered the old parts (i.e, up to and excluding the loft extension) with lime plaster and are currently doing some painting.
Since replastering, we have noticed some clothes and possibly carpet moths in the hallway, on the stairs, and in first floor bedrooms. The stairs are carpeted.
We probably have original floorboards on ground and first floors with lots of gaps.
A combined question:
(1) We’ve read about moths being attracted to the humidity related to drying plaster. Could that be the source? If so, how could we best get rid of them? We’ve had now & then clothes moths like anyone else but wondering whether the darker carpet moths could spell bigger trouble. Pest companies have suggested various treatments but since we have small babies at home and have spent time & money on lime plaster and mineral paint, we don’t want to be using harsh chemicals around the house at all going forward.
(2) The floorboards on the first floor have quite a big number of gaps, some quite large. Should we consider filling them with some sort of a filler (other than wooden “wedges”) or is it best to leave them as is for breathability? Again, pest companies suggested treating the space under the floorboards to kill off any moth larvae and then filling them in to avoid them living off debris and potentially “biting through floorboards or filler” in the future. That feels excessive to me.
Any suggestions most welcome, please! Many thanks for your help.