If you fear that they are at work at the edge of the carpet, it will
sometimes suffice to lay a wet towel, and press a hot flat-iron over
it; but the best way is to take the carpet up, and clean it, and give
a good deal of attention to the floor. Look in the cracks, and if you
discover signs of moths, wash the floor with benzine, and scatter red
pepper on it before putting the carpet lining down.
Heavy carpets sometimes do not require taking up every year, unless in
constant use. Take out the tacks from these, fold the carpets back,
wash the floor in strong suds with a tablespoonful of borax dissolved
in it. Dash with insect powder, or lay with tobacco leaves along the
edge, and re-tack. Or use turpentine, the enemy of buffalo moths,
carpet worms and other insects that injure and destroy carpets. Mix
the turpentine with pure water in the proportion of three
tablespoonfuls to three quarts of water, and then after the carpet has
been well swept, go over each breadth carefully with a sponge dipped
in the solution and wrung nearly dry. Change the water as often as it
becomes dirty. The carpet will be nicely cleaned as well as
disinfected. All moths can be kept away and the eggs destroyed by this
means. Spots may be renovated by the use of ox-gall or ammonia and
water.
A good way to brighten a carpet is to put half a tumbler of spirits
of turpentine in a basin of water, and dip your broom in it and sweep
over the carpet once or twice and it will restore the color and
brighten it up until you would think it new. Another good way to clean
old carpets is to rub them over with meal; just dampen it a very
little and rub the carpet with it and when perfectly dry, sweep over
with meal. After a carpet is thoroughly swept, rub it with a cloth
dipped in water and ammonia; it will brighten the colors and make it
look like new.