About a month ago, I noticed the occasional moth aflutter in my walk-in closet. This annoyed me, and I would do my best to find it and kill it! One day, I discovered a favorite sweater attacked vociferously by a peer of said moth. I bought a pile of little cedar blocks and distributed them throughout my closet.
A couple of weeks later, I realized this problem could no longer be ignored. There were still moths and there were additional moth eaten items.
After a childhood full of moth ball infused off-season storage boxes under my bed, I knew that I had to find another route to a moth-free life. I looked into natural solutions. My research was ripe with new-to-me facts. Moths gravitate to stained clothes or scents of food, etc. They do not randomly attack wool. I also learned that larvae are laid on these scented spots and when they are born, they eat their way out. The only way to kill larvae is to lay all the clothes in the sun, dry-clean each garment, clean them in very hot water, or freeze them. Because I live in the Financial District, going the sun route was not an option. Dry-cleaning my vast assortment of clothing, fabric, and outerwear was too expensive. Cleaning wool clothes in hot water is not recommended unless you want little tiny wool clothing. Thus began my freezing regimen.
While the timing was less than ideal — smack in the middle of the holiday season — I knew I was going to have to go full-immersion to solve my moth problem. I emptied and cleaned my walk-in closet thoroughly, closely examining the contents for signs of larvae or moths. I separated out all the wool, which ended up being more than half of everything I own! Not only was it good to dust long lost corners, the process gave me an opportunity to reassess and satisfyingly purge a number of items as well.
Upon careful investigation of my Turkish pillow, I saw that moths had gotten to the rear side of it. In a frenzy, I cut away the backing of the pillow, discarding it and all of the pillow's innards. I then went into my street, and while standing in front of the Federal Reserve building — amidst all the office workers shuffling to and fro — I beat what remained of the kilim front of all its larvae residue. The incongruities of this act made me smile.
Other culprits, or sources of concern, were my tote bags. Any crumbs left in the bottom of these bags were fodder for the moths.
After removing the middle drawer of my 3-drawer freezer, I began my rotation. In batches, I stuffed everything into the middle shelf and the space behind my compost in the top drawer and left it untouched for 24 hours.
Once a batch was complete, I put it in a sealed plastic bag. When everything had gone through the freezer, I machine washed any and all clothes that needed some extra attention in a warm cycle, and then I (organic) dry-cleaned a bunch of stuff that I felt deserved a really fresh start.
Once everything of a fabric nature in my entire apartment was reviewed and treated, I reopened all the bags and placed everything back in its place. For the pieces that need repair, I've begun a hand-mending regimen! Everything is clean and crisp. Everything has gotten the attention it deserves. It feels so good!
Images: Jill Slater
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I have the same problem, but with what I've learned are carpet beetle larvae eating my clothes, not moths. I have lost several cashmere sweaters and my very favorite Theory suit dress. Dry cleaning everything is prohibitively expensive, but the I never thought of freezing...I have a spare freezer in my basement that can be repurposed for this. Project carpet beetle elimination will start this weekend!
I have this problem too: how do you repair things?
A chest made with a cedar lining has protected my sweaters for year. Worth every penny of the investment.
Toss them. You can do an awkward stitch to sew the hole shut but it will rip easily - my seamstress told me it wasn't worth my money to have her try and repair the sweaters I brought in. And sometimes they'll just eat the top layer (like with my dress) which makes it impossible to repair.
If you can't repair them, don't toss them. Instead, repurpose them the into all those lovely crafts made from sweaters. (Or give them to someone who can) Just google it.
The freezer idea is awesome, however, most of us would have a hard time getting lots of goods into the freezer at once (ours is tiny and full of good/expensive food!) - as it is JANUARY... if you can (ie: have a balcony) I was thinking you might just put everything outside overnight (maybe protected in a couple of garbage bags). I think a very important step you took cannot be overlooked either - clean out the closet or they'll be baaaaaack! Great post!
you can do a needle felt repair. it's really easy and fast.
also, with the freezing, what was posted above won't work. ditto cedar. read this:
http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/articles/moths.shtml
it's very true, although i've had success with multiple repetitions of freezing and then warming to trigger hatching then freezing, etc. etc.
it's a pain but they'll keep coming back unless you're serious about combating them
i have my sweaters in a cedar cupboard with moth repellant and traps and my knits still get eaten. i just don't buy anything full price anymore. it's just too upsetting when it winds up eaten :(
congratulations on you triumph over occupy wool street
There is so much MIS-information in this post that it is just horrible. Why not read up on-line to find out what works before doing - or writing - anything. This is just wishful thinking.
After a severe moth infestation several years ago, I read up extensively. Cedar does NOTHING, the benefit of cedar chests is that they are tight-fitting. Moth balls are highly toxic. I used them for a few antiques that could not be cleaned in a sealed container that I stuck in my storage area for 4 weeks. I then aired everything for a couple of months.
Moths come in on some item and then grow, eating wool as well as dirt - ring around the collar is a favorite of either moths or beetles. Ugh!
As soon as you see a moth, you need to go into full battle mode - waiting until you see more is more of the same denial as permeates the solutions posted here.
A key thing is to take everything out of the closet and have all holes and cracks sparkled. These are places moths go to hide. I had the problem in a single closet but I had all of them done. look for fras - if you see it on the floor of a closet, you have a moth problem.
You won't see all moth damage until you clean things. I had an antique kilim cleaned as a result of all of this and it came back 1/4 eaten.
You need to freeze items for 3 weeks in very cold freezers and even then it won't necessarily work. I use my freezer to hold things I buy when travelling until I can get them cleaned. I would do the same for flea market finds.
After everything has been cleaned and the closet repaired, you need to get an exterminator who knows how to handle moths come in monthly for at least three months.
Beating moths out of a pillow that has been cut to remove stuffing and damaged parts is simply bizarre. You have no way of knowing if there are still larve.
I found that moths particularly like goat hair - I lost all my cashmere and several textiles woven with goal hair - but they like regular wool too.
If would call the people who make that dry clean in the dryer stuff - drylete? - and see if it kills moths. If not, you should try washing that ever you can by hand and air drying. That should work for sweaters.
If you don't depend the money and do things right, the problem will keep coming back and cost you more in damaged things and time and aggravation.
I know this is a very strong response - but the infestation cost me thousands of dollars in loses, cleaning, work on my closets, exterminators. I would hate for someone to take the advice posted here and not solve their problem.
The other thing to buy ate pheromone traps, and hang them after you're all done. If you find moths in them, you have more work to do.
I throw my wool items in the clothes dryer. The dryer is hot enough to destroy the eggs.
I have carpet beetles, have had the house treated 3 times inside now and need them to come back again to treat with growth inhibitor. Carpet Beetles also each fiber in 'gasp' carpet and wool rugs. They are very hard to get rid of. Cleaning out the closet is not going to fix a potentially larger carpet beetle problem.
We had the same problem...and I discovered the BEST solution . I asked a vintage clothing store owner how she maintained her stock without the fear of moths.....MOTH TRAPS (not kitchen moth traps) The traps are made of thin cardboard and the interior is coated with the scent of the female moth...male moths enter, get stuck and never leave. The traps seemed expensive, but they WORK (about $20.00 each) and it is recommended to replace every 3 months to ensure the moth reproduction cycle has been broken. We are now moth free :)
The pheromone moth traps are great. I did a course of freezing, cleaning, and crack sealing a few years ago to combat a moth problem that came with our house. I still use the traps to monitor and catch the occasional moth. When compared to the hassle and expense of an infestation, they are well worth the price.
If you have a moth infestation, it's also important to clean bed linens, table linens, towels, pet beds, mattress covers, rugs, knitting or sewing baskets, soft toys, anything they might like to nest in. Just because they won't eat it doesn't mean they won't live on/hide in it.
I've had to use the freezer option for mold and foxing as well, with irreplaceable art reference books that I could not bear to lose after a pipe broke in my studio ceiling and caused dampness in my storage room. The books did not get wet, but the subsequent dampness in the air caused some mold on the covers and foxing. I put baking soda between the leaves, put them in freezer bags and froze them for several weeks. Worked. Doesn't remove the visual damage, but killed the fungus and removed the smell so that I can still use them. No longer makes me itch to handle them.
Is the argyle cardigan from J.Crew? If so, what size was it, I think I have same sweater and never wear it. I may be willing to part with it :-)
apparently freezing doesn't work.
http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/articles/moths.shtml
I agree with urbancricket's previous post - buy a cedar chest and store natural fiber clothing there over the warmer months. Highly effective and protects expensive cashmeres and such ~
SaraB.--It is a J.Crew sweater and it's sized small. So funny that you wrote that.
And thanks everyone else for your input. So far, my techniques are keeping the moths at bay. If there is a next time, I will definitely consider the pheromone traps. In the meantime, I love how clean and streamlined my closet is!
Jill
Do you think you should leave your sweaters out like that if you've had a moth problem once already? Seems risky to me.
Have you seen this Unclutterer article about moths and sweaters? http://unclutterer.com/2011/10/07/ask-unclutterer-how-should-i-store-sweaters-this-winter/
Make sure everything is larvae free (either wash or air out) every spring and pack in airtight plastic storage boxes (I will double seal the edges with packing tape). I even store my most precious cashmere and wool sweaters in ziploc bags year round. When I am done wearing it I keep it in the bags - only way to guarantee that they will stay moth free.
I work in a museum where we deal with insects all the time. Here is a useful website, museumpests.net designed for museums, which describes all insects damaging to items in your apartment including clothes moths and carpet beetles. Check the "solutions" section for info on how to treat an infestation, and the pdfs on the various insects. Cedar is nice but does not work - if your cedar chest is tightly sealed that is probably what saved your clothes from being infested, and absolutely keep things in ziplock bags, vacuum them, and dry clean when you can.
About freezing: the temperature must be low enough to kill all stages of insect - eggs, larvae, adults. Ideally your freezer should go to minus 20 F, but most home freezers don't go that low. Insects can adjust their temperature and remain dormant but alive at low temperatures. Make sure you seal your items carefully in plastic bags before you freeze them, and when you take them out give them 24 hours to acclimate to room temperature, otherwise you will get condensation on your items which can lead to mold.