It’s happened to the best of us. You’ve been patiently waiting out the year for sweater weather, and when you finally reach into your closet to grab your favorite cardigan, you discover that moths have gotten to it first. Sadly, there’s no real way to repair a moth-eaten garment, but you can prevent this hole-ly unpleasant (sorry) situation from happening again. Here are some of our best tips for warding off moths from your clothes and other belongings.
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1. Know Your Enemy
In order to properly eliminate months from your home, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for. There are a few different types of moths that may be guilty of eating your clothes. Look out for brown house moths, which are brown or copper insects about eight millimeters long with black-flecked wings, and common clothes moths, which are beige or light brown insects six or seven millimeters long with beige or white wings.
A common misconception is that adult moths are guilty of eating clothing. Technically, you should be blaming their larvae for this crime. Larvae need sustenance to grow and pupate into adult moths, namely keratin, a sustenance found in animal fibers like cashmere, wool, fur, silk, and feathers (they’ll also eat cotton if there’s nothing better around). Keep in mind that the damage done by larvae is not limited to clothing. Indiscriminate little pests, they’ll eat carpets, blankets, furniture and any other furnishing that features keratin.
Larvae are harder to spot than moths: they look like little white caterpillars that are just a couple millimeters in length. You should also be on the lookout for moth eggs, which are tiny beige or white spheres.
2. Clean Out the Closet
Moth eggs are often hidden from plain sight, so you’ll want to clean the space thoroughly to ensure you break the moths’ life cycle. First, remove all your clothes from the closet, dresser, and/or wardrobe, and then vacuum the area carefully, being sure to get the corners and edges. You should also vacuum any rugs or carpets throughout the rest of your home, since moths tend to linger there.
Then, using a paintbrush, apply an insecticide to the clothes storage area, being sure to get cracks, crevices, loose floorboards, or anywhere else that might serve as an entryway to moths. For carpets and rugs, use an aerosol spray insecticide over their entire surfaces. You can also use lavender oil mixed with water in a spray bottle as a natural alternative.
3. Wash Your Clothes
Take any machine washable garments affected by the moth infestation, and wash them at the highest possible temperature that the instructions on the tags allow for. Send non-machine-washable garments to the dry cleaner.
4. Deal With the Casualties
At some point, you’ll have to decide what to do with the belongings that have already been attacked by moths. If the damage is irreparable (which unfortunately, it mostly will be), throw the items in a trash bag, tie it tightly, and remove it from your home as soon as possible. If you have an item that seems salvageable, or has sentimental value, wash it very thoroughly, and then repair it to the best of your ability using a sewing machine.
5. Vacuum Regularly
To prevent moths from returning, be sure to vacuum your home at least weekly, being sure to include closets, shelves and any other areas where you keep clothing.
6. Brush Your Clothing
To keep the moths away for good, you might want to acquire a clothing brush, ideally one made of horsehair or boar hair and with a wooden handle. Place clothing items in the sun or under a bright light (this will cause any larvae to fall off of the clothing) and use the clothing brush to brush them thoroughly, focusing especially on seams, folds and pockets. This will destroy any remaining eggs, ending the moth life cycle.
7. Keep Your Clothes Super Clean
Bugs are attracted to dirt and oil, so even if you only wore that itchy holiday sweater for a couple hours, you’ll want to wash it before you return it to the shelf. Doing this regularly will keep the moths away in the long run.
8. Use Airtight Containers
When storing off-season clothing, use airtight containers or tightly sealed vacuum bags rather than trunks or cardboard boxes, which might welcome moths.
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9. Keep It Chill
The freezer is an unsung hero when it comes to keeping moths away. Once a year, place your favorite sweaters in Zip-Loc bags and put them in them in the freezer for a few days. The cold temperature will kill off any lingering eggs or larvae.
10. Stock Up on Mothballs
When it comes to moth prevention, mothballs are considered the classic technique, and for good reason. Mothballs contain paradichlorobenzene or naphthalene, substances that are lethal to moths. Line your shelves and drawers with these to keep the critters away.
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11. Try a Natural Alternative
Some say that the chemicals in mothballs can be unhealthy for humans to be around. If you’re wary, you can make your own natural alternative by placing moth-repelling dried herbs like rosemary, thyme or lavender in drawstring bags and arranging them in your closets, drawers and wardrobes.
12. Try Cedar
If you have the funds, replace the wooden furnishings in your closet with cedar ones as a long-term solution to your moth problem. The natural oils in cedar will kill off any moth larvae that emerge. If installation is too costly or too much of a hassle, you can also line drawers with cedar shavings (these are usually marketed as hamster bedding but should do the job). Another option is to mix cedar oil with water in a spray bottle and spritz your clothing storage areas with it.
