Warding away the moths

Keix

I came home after a summer away to find half of my woolens moth-eaten. Thankfully, most of it was worn out clothes that I should have purged anyway. I didn't have time to do a full cleaning and packing-away this year so that's probably part of the problem.

But, now that I have moths, how do I get rid of them? (I haven't seen any actual bugs, just the holes.) I'm absolutely pro-toxic chemicals when it comes to insect control, as I am also irrationally phobic of bugs. So I have some mothballs in my closet and dresser, and I ordered a spray (SLA Moth Spray?) from Amazon. What else can I do, both cleaning and preventative measures?

11 years ago

General

6 replies

Latest reply was from

Sylvie

Veteran

Oh no! I haven't had to deal with moths, but I do knit and here's what I've heard should be done:

Clean all remaining woolens. I believe the moths are attracted to the sweat residues, etc.
Run them through a freeze or dry cleaning cycle
Store them in air tight containers.

Also thoroughly vacuum the storage area.

11 years ago

Krista

Veteran

I knit, too, and I will second what Sylvie said!

11 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

I would have said the same--launder everything and thoroughly vacuum/wipe down the closet. I would be careful with mothballs-- the smell is hard to get rid of once it gets into clothes. Cedar and lavender are supposed to discourage moths. Also never store anything soiled.

11 years ago

Keix

Veteran

Ooh, I hever thought of vacuuming. Going to buy an airtight bin tomorrow at Target. Unfortunately I can't afford to dry clean everything and have no freezer space. But I have lavender-scented Eucalan coming in the mail--it's a no-rinse detergent, will that help?

What are mothballs good for, if not deterring moths? The box instructions actually say to store them with woolens in an airtight container, which would amplify the smell, right?

11 years ago

Jjsloane

Veteran

I think you might need to to kill any moths (or eggs) in the infected clothing which means you must freeze them. Put in airtight ziploc bags. If not frozen then at a minimum for a long enough period to kill so they do not spread ( I don't know the life of the moth spawn if not allowed air). Mothballs smell awful to me(am I a moth?) but remind me of my childhood attic. I think lavender and cedar is for repelling not killing.

11 years ago

Anonymous

Mothballs are very bad for clothing, and the smell lingers and lingers and lingers. We have some textiles in our collection at work that were mothballed 50 years ago and they still reek. Bleh. Mothballs are NASTY things, the chemicals in them are not good news.

We freeze infested items (carpet beetles most recently, but same idea), and then vacuum up the casings etc. You can put nylons over the end of your vacuum hose in order to reduce the suction so you won't damage the items.

Store woolens in tight woven textile bags or pillowcases in the off season. Don't store them longterm in airtight bins.

11 years ago

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