I am humbled by rugs

ruff

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Ofer Kolton
Most moth repellents are removed with water so it has to be reapplied after every cleaning (this is both good and bad depending on your point of view). The SDS for one that I got a sample of one time did not meet our profile for safety. Moths will usually not attack wool with regular traffic, vacuuming and sunlight. The problems generally occur under heavy furniture and beds which are not moved, not open areas.
It says on both labels- "permanent" moth proof etc. So I assume permenent and not only if never washed. Though it may be in the small letter legalese. I am familiar with the "bitter" style repellents that are completely removed by washing. I was wondering if Karastan use something else that is not removed by washing.
 
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Desk Jockey

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We do both moth killing and moth repellent. For moth killing, we first vacuum the rug thoroughly then spray a pyrethrin product in a fine oil solution on both the back and face of the rug. Bag it in plastic and leave for 3 days. Vacuum and hand pick the larva carcasses and cocoons out, thoroughly clean the rug. For moth proofing, after we have cleaned the rug, we apply Masterblends Repel product.
No problems with mold? I wouldn't think moisture in a bag would be a good idea. ???
 

Papa John

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So far the best pricing i've found is on this site. About half of what RA is trying to charge.

Thats what i have. however the dust clogs the "Drainage lanes" and once a year I pull the tiles up to clean the floor. These tiles cant really handle too many removal and reinstall attempts-- but much better then bare or even epoxied concrete floors if you are using the same floor space for drying.
 

Nomad74

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Thats what i have. however the dust clogs the "Drainage lanes" and once a year I pull the tiles up to clean the floor. These tiles cant really handle too many removal and reinstall attempts-- but much better then bare or even epoxied concrete floors if you are using the same floor space for drying.
Good to know, thanks.
 

Cleanworks

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No problems with mold? I wouldn't think moisture in a bag would be a good idea. ???
No, the rug is dry and the treatment is oil based. Only after we are sure the larva is dead do we wet clean the rug. The larva are white and wriggling when alive. They usually turn grey when dead. Usually have to do a lot of hand picking to remove everything.
 
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J Scott W

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Jeffrey Scott Warrington
It says on both labels- "permanent" moth proof etc. So I assume permenent and not only if never washed. Though it may be in the small letter legalese. I am familiar with the "bitter" style repellents that are completely removed by washing. I was wondering if Karastan use something else that is not removed by washing.

I did some research on permanent moth-proofing many years ago. I can't recall the specific details, but it seems there was a product that worked to kill / repel moths permanently. I think it was a pyrethrin. US required any wool rug imported into the USA to be treated with this or equivalent product to discourage bringing pests into the country. Domestic made rugs did not have that requirement. The moth treatment had to be sued in very controlled conditions for safety reasons. So, it could be done in a factory setting, but not very practical for field treatment.
 
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Cleanworks

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I did some research on permanent moth-proofing many years ago. I can't recall the specific details, but it seems there was a product that worked to kill / repel moths permanently. I think it was a pyrethrin. US required any wool rug imported into the USA to be treated with this or equivalent product to discourage bringing pests into the country. Domestic made rugs did not have that requirement. The moth treatment had to be sued in very controlled conditions for safety reasons. So, it could be done in a factory setting, but not very practical for field treatment.
Pyrethrins will kill the moth larva. We apply it outdoors while wearing a respirator. The masterblend repel product from my understanding, does not kill larva but makes the wool unappetizing. Our first treatment is with the pyrethrin, bagged for 3 days. Final treatment is application of Repel to moth proof the rug. The majority of the pyrethrins are cleaned out of the rug during the cleaning process, hence the application of Repel.
 

The Great Oz

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bryan
It says on both labels- "permanent" moth proof etc. So I assume permenent and not only if never washed. Though it may be in the small letter legalese. I am familiar with the "bitter" style repellents that are completely removed by washing. I was wondering if Karastan use something else that is not removed by washing.
Moth "proofing" wool can only be done at the point of wool treatment or yarn spinning these days. Almost all wool used to make rugs or carpet in a factory setting is treated, which is why you rarely see installed wool carpet or machine-made wool rugs with insect damage. The "permanent" chemistry that could be topically applied was banned in the 80s as part of the movement away from any type of non-degradable pesticide.

PS: Karastan screws up sometimes and their rugs will show insect damage. One Karastan dealer said to have any customer with insect damage bring the rug in to them and they will replace it. They're serious about the permanent.
 

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