https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 11 Apr 2026 04:57:53 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1136050 Sat, 11 Jan 2014 15:00:33 +0000 April 1136050@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Argh -- don't get me started.</p> <p>The previous owner of our New York apartment left behind a moth problem. &nbsp;We couldn't understand how this was possible since the place was completely empty (not one rug or&nbsp;piece of fabric anywhere) for weeks while the floors were being refinished and every wall painted. &nbsp;The fabulous exterminator who finally solved the problem for us&nbsp;helped me to understand the habits and life cycle of moths. &nbsp;</p> <p>I'm sorry to say there's no&nbsp;simple solution if you already have a problem, but IK is right that the dryer is your friend, and never to&nbsp;put any cashmere or wool away dirty. &nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1135923 Sat, 11 Jan 2014 05:08:30 +0000 Suzanne (ambergreen) 1135923@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>As another knitter, I want to note that the occasional holes that people see in woolens are probably not moths but carpet beetles. Moths tend to completely eat something they like...their damage is far more extensive.</p> <p>So, you may want to look into control methods for the beetles. :| </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1135857 Sat, 11 Jan 2014 03:22:28 +0000 Linda 1135857@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good idea, JAileen, thanks!&nbsp; You would think that our cat might "help out" with a problem like that but nooooo (or, at least, not enough to discourage the mouse world, I guess.) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1135735 Sat, 11 Jan 2014 00:39:45 +0000 JAileen 1135735@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Linda, after a remodel we had a mice problem. They squeezed in the space for a pipe. We packed the space around the pipe with steel wool, and haven't had any problems since (ten years or so). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1135596 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 22:20:07 +0000 Linda 1135596@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm really very grateful to the participants in this thread, for all of the tips.&nbsp; I've avoided cashmere and even a lot of merino for a long time, because even when I carefully laundered and cared for a couple items, I found they were victims of insects or some kind of nibblers (we've had mice on occasion, who seem to crawl through the holes for the pipes in the baseboard heating).&nbsp; And I know that living in a house surrounded by more turf than other houses, seems to add to the level of both dust AND bugs.&nbsp; So the freezer tip and the dryer tip are going to be incorporated, for me, into a regular schedule for maintaining fine fabrics as I attempt to add in some of these fibers in my wardrobe again. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1083486 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 14:21:52 +0000 Lisa 1083486@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Some great tips here, thanks for asking!&nbsp; I always use those cedar hangers fitting a few inbetween hanging items.&nbsp; And I'll periodically sand them down to freshen up the cedar.&nbsp; But the dryer tip is a great idea! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1083485 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 14:20:03 +0000 Anonymous 1083485@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I do several of the steps mentioned. I wash or dryclean before storage, fold and seal in ziplock bags. Put in the freezer for at least a week (sometimes a special piece will stay there all summer), and then pack the items still in their sealed bags, into a tight-lidded Rubbermaid containers with unwrapped bars of potent smelling soap in each corner. In the fall when they are taken out, they get fluffed in the dryer or Dryell and hung. It's solved the hole problem for years.<br /> I read last spring that vulnerable items left in the closet should be taken out frequently and shaken or brushed if they are not being worn, that this is enough to get rid of tiny insect eggs. Also, moths may not be the culprit. Other creepies like silverfish also eat holes in fabric. Mice like the fibers for nesting. I love wool socks and pack them away in the same way.<br /> If you know someone handy with a needle, it is not hard to fix small holes. The more textured the item, the easier to hide your mending.<br /> I hope that you can save at least some of your woollies. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1083463 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 13:54:12 +0000 ironkurtin 1083463@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I honestly have not had moths with my system. Storage is key. I pack everything quite tightly in those small plastic file bins from OfficeMax, with lavender sachets. It does seem to work. In the winter I put things in drawers with more sachets. And before I store anything, I wash it to make sure there are no smells or food bits that moths would like.</p> <p>TBH I had more holes in my wool stuff, before I discovered cashmere and determined to take care of it.</p> <p>If you store your JCrew hoodie properly, it should not get holes. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1083247 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 03:45:48 +0000 crazyone 1083247@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>thanks everyone, for the commiseration and for the tips. &nbsp;Ironkurtain, I'm nuking a bunch of sweaters in the dryer&nbsp;right now. &nbsp;I found out that the cashmere sweater I was wearing today had some holes in it....grr. &nbsp;But they're small and only three, so I'm guessing the sweater can be darned pretty easily.</p> <p>But I still don't really have a good solution for the woven wool stuff, like the dress and the suit jacket. &nbsp;I put the matching pencil suit (which didn't seem to have any holes in it) in the freezer and will leave it there for a week. &nbsp;It's just disheartening given that it was a new suit that I expected to last me a while...</p> <p>Also, to replace some sweaters that I had to throw out, and to replenish my warm clothing, I ordered two cashmere sweaters, one from Inhabit (on IK's recommendation on this forum), the other from JCrew (the cashmere hoodie). &nbsp;The Inhabit one was final sale, so I'm going to keep it--I put it in its own plastic box with a sachet with soap and cloves, but I may just directly return the JCrew hoodie without opening it...it was quite expensive and if it's just going to get holes in it within days of arriving here, there may not be a point &nbsp;It's sad because it looked so beautiful online and I bought it after days of thinking about it.</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082931 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 22:38:10 +0000 ironkurtin 1082931@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@Flowergirl - No, heat doesn't hurt cashmere. &nbsp;I routinely put my cashmere sweaters in the drier, wet or dry. &nbsp;If they are wet, I turn them inside out and put them inside a pillowcase and dry on low. &nbsp;If they are dry, and I am worried&nbsp;about moths, I nuke them. They come out very warm and soft and bug-free. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082924 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 22:34:30 +0000 flowergirl 1082924@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Cloves also repel moths. If you put some cloves in a muslin bag and keep this in a drawer with your woollen items, the moths will keep away.&nbsp;</p> <p>Also if you put:<br />Dried lavender, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, dried lemon or orange peel, cedar chips in a muslin bag. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082770 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 20:00:47 +0000 peacechick 1082770@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I handwash my cashmere and natural wools after 2 or 3 wears, dry flat and then store in plastic ziplock bags. I may or may not freeze them depending. Even then I've had a little hole in two cashmere cardis that I had to mend ( just by criss-cross stitching). I've come to peace with this being the fate of most cashmere eventually. But with this much care required, my collection is constrained to what fits in a plastic storage bin. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082757 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 19:49:57 +0000 elpgal 1082757@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So sorry to read this. I dryclean and store all items in airtight rubbermaid containers after winter. </p> <p>IK: I am intrigued. The dryer does not damage cashmere? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082592 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 17:46:24 +0000 jennifer 1082592@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Please avoid using mothballs -they are a neurotoxin that can affect humans too. I read of a lady whose mother-in-law used them heavily in her home so much so that the daughter-in-law was sickened just to enter the house. The mother-in-law seemed to be entering/in dementia other health problems but it turned out to be mothball neurotoxin built up in her body .After she was hospitalized and detoxed she was fine. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082575 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 17:13:44 +0000 Anonymous 1082575@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ugh, this happened to me once and it's terrible! I'm so sorry. I hope the tips from IK can help you going forward.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082543 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 16:26:04 +0000 Aleta 1082543@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh I know how you feel!!! I empty out and&nbsp;vacuum my wardrobe at least twice a year, put up anti moth sachets on the hanging rail and scatter them around on the floor, but the little devils still seem to creep in somewhere.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082521 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 16:00:05 +0000 Glory 1082521@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh I am so sorry to read this. Hope you can restore some of your items </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082406 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:43:17 +0000 Windchime 1082406@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>During the summer, I store my off season sweaters in an old cedar chest I inherited from my grandparents. They really reek like cedar when I take them out in the fall, so I have to allow time for them to air out before I wear them. No moth holes, so I guess I'll keep using this system. It also makes me feel kind of nostalgic, reminding me of my mother doing the same storage ritual every year.</p> <p>You have to lightly sand the inside of the chest occasionally or the cedar scent loses its potency. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082393 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:32:38 +0000 Gail 1082393@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for the information and tips. I have a really nice wool aran cardigan/jacket that got a couple of small holes in last year. I did nothing and&nbsp;&nbsp;stuck my head in the sand this past summer. Now that winter has arrived in PA I'm&nbsp;afraid of what I will find when I&nbsp;open up my cashmere sweaters and such &nbsp;arrgh! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082375 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:18:38 +0000 ironkurtin 1082375@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>First, take every wool or cashmere item you own and throw it in the dryer on high for 30 minutes. Then make sure you store your items *tightly* in plastic or cloth bags, with lavender or cedar (or moth balls, if you can stand the smell - I can't). Pillowcases also work so long as they are sealed at the end. And NEVER store anything dirty. Moths like food particles and sweat, even the tiniest specks. The biggest deterrent is to make it impossible for moths to access your things, so tight storage is essential!</p> <p>I have a large collection of cashmere and this system has worked well for me for 15+ years. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082319 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 11:54:54 +0000 unfrumped 1082319@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For off season I store my washed sweaters in sealed containers.. What I worry about more is in- season between washings. I keep them in the main closet so what's to protect them there? And of course I've got wool blend pants&amp; jackets year- round.<br /> I may be wrong but cashmere seems more of a moth magnet than merino.<br /> Also I don't like the trend toward" 5%" cashmere or something. Seems that may give the risk for little benefit. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082231 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 06:30:30 +0000 Greyscale 1082231@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I had a total moth scare last month while I was moving. Ugh. Luckily there was minimal damage but now I'm so paranoid.</p> <p>You can do imperfect repairs on some&nbsp;knitwear with machine darning (just sewing back and forth over it). My drycleaner/alterations person fixed a few sweaters that way&nbsp;for less than $10 each. But, that's only a good idea on some types of knits where it won't show badly. There's also more careful darning with matching yarn. And fixing holes on woven wool suits can indeed be very expensive. There's a technique called reweaving that is probably not worth the cost (vs getting a new jacket) but for smaller holes, they can do a tiny subtle patch from the reverse side and that's a lot cheaper.</p> <p>I put every single knit wool item in my freezer (in bags) for a week to kill any remaining moth eggs/larvae. And I got the woven things (suits etc) drycleaned (something I do very rarely, which might have contributed to the moth problem). I don't really have "out of season" clothes here or I would store my sweaters in airtight bags for summer. I threw out the small wool rug that was the most eaten. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082182 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 05:21:19 +0000 Word Lily 1082182@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ooh, moths are bad bad bad. As a knitter, they're one of my huge fears, so I can commiserate! I haven't dealt with them, but I wouldn't be surprised that those prices for repairs are accurate. (Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/argggh-moths#post-1082172 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 05:11:12 +0000 crazyone 1082172@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So I buy increasingly nice things, since I now better recognize quality and love natural materials...and what happens? &nbsp;I find moth holes in *unworn* garments and a suit jacket I only wore once or twice &nbsp;I already threw out two sweaters that were absolutely shredded...in fact they were eaten so badly that I wasn't quite sure if it was moths or something else. &nbsp;They were stored in another closet separated from the one with the dress and suit jacket, but now I'm very sure that I have clothes moths. &nbsp;What do you do about this? &nbsp;And is it really $100-$150 to repair moths holes? &nbsp;Thanks for the advice! </p>