The other day, we shared a resource for those seemingly odd tips and tricks for home keeping that seem strange but really work. Which gives rise to photo here. It's not simply that we've run out of storage space or that we like the feeling of sweaters, especially during these unpredictable days of spring, chilly from the freezer. Why we keep our sweaters in the freezer, after the jump...
Due to an insurmountable moth problem that we've had little luck in combating (despite an arsenal that includes cedar in various forms, lavender, mothballs, astronomical dry cleaning bills and repeated visits from the exterminator), we've resorted to keeping our favorite and, apparently, tasty cashmere sweaters in our freezer where they share space with film, the company cigarettes, batteries and flour. Not only are they sealed tight against further moth holes but the theory is that the cold kills any remaining larvae. Yup, it's a little odd but, after all, it's our house, we can do what we like. What about you? What's your weirdest home quirk?
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Abby--
Moths don't wat wool - Their larvae (caterpillars) do.
Have you considered taking your sweaters to the dry-cleaners to get rid of the larvae - then storing them in a closed cedar chest?
I wanted to keep my all purpose kitchen spray in the refrigerator - it would fit perfect in the door, be very handy and it's all natural so it's not like I'd be poisoning anything but my husband freaked out at the idea and promptly installed a hook for it under the sink (which is where the trash and recycling bins are, so no room for it in the cabinet). At least I got a home for it that didn't involve moving the trash each time I need it.
I do this too! Drives my boyfriend crazy, but it keeps my cashmere safe. Bepsf--I think anna was referring to the larvae. The freezer apparently kills them.
I have a similar quirk. I don't cook much, but have limited space... 2 cupboards in my kitchen are use to store office supplies.
Abby, you're one unique and funny lady...and I love you for it! Now hand me those frozen tamales next to your Cosby sweater, please.
As weird as it sounds, I keep my cat box in my shower. I have a small one bedroom and a very large cat, who requires an extra large litter box. It was hard to find a convenient spot for it, especially one where the smell wouldn't impede. So now I keep it in the shower. The shower curtain is left with a crack so he can get in and out. When I take my shower, I just take out the litter box and rinse and crumbs that might've fallen out (my litter is the flushable kind, so its okay to go down the drain). Everyone that sees it thinks I'm a little crazy, but I don't mind since now I don't have it as an eyesore anywhere else.
not only r u keepin ur sweaters safe, ur lowering the electricity bill because a full fridge is easier to cool than an empty one.
My freezer is filled with cat - I buy it in bulk and keep it nice and fresh (and worm free) in there
I am envious that you actually have room in your freezer for non-food items. I couldn't keep sweaters in there if my life depended on it.
I absolutely HATE moth and their larvae. I wish I had heard of this trick sooner they destroyed my MaxMara coat by week 8. Do you think the Vacuumed bags probably would kill the larvee too? I would think so, bcs of lack of air????? That is at least what I have been doing lately - knock on wood no damage on my cashmeres the last two years.
"My freezer is filled with cat - I buy it in bulk and keep it nice and fresh (and worm free) in there"
Poor Kitty...
:-(
Hollie, your freezer is filled with cat???
What's "film"?
I'm hoping that was cat FOOD :)
LOL, I did this with some favorite cashmere/superfine merino that was a favorite with the moths too. My boyfriend was like...wtf...sweaters in the freezer? It worked while they were in the freezer... but the moths got them as soon as I thought we'd gotten rid of them and took the sweaters out. I've just stopped buying cashmere... they never eat my remaining blended sweaters (we've also moved to an uncarpeted apartment, which may be the real reason the moth problem went away).
I'm thinking Hollie's freezer is filled with fresh (raw) cat food. As opposed to cat... although I suppose if you want to keep it on hand and worm-free, the freezer WOULD be the best place...
Didn't Dwight put Angela's cat Sprinkles in the freezer on "The Office"? Poor Sprinkles. Maybe she's in Hollie's freezer, now.
Freezing does kill the larvae - but the eggs will survive unless you can get the temperature below 20 degrees below zero...
...that's not going to happen in your home freezer.
Once you take it out of the freezer, the eggs can hatch and start eating your sweater while you're wearing it unless you take a more permanent approach.
On the other hand, applying heat of over 140 degrees for a period of time will kill both the larvae and the eggs.
I keep all my food scraps and old food leftovers in a paper bag in the freezer. I eat a lot of vegetables so the bag fills up quickly and by the end of the week on trash day I take it to the compost bin and discard the bag. I don't eat meat so my freezer only has ice cubes and some frozen fruit but it was a good way to utilize the space and I am free of fruit flies that love my banana peelings.
Hmmm, maybe I will start baking my sweaters instead of freezing them....
I prefer my cat fresh ;)
My underused space is my bathroom cupboards. I haven't quite figured out how to use those to their full advantage. My shiitake mushroom log will go under there when it heats up; I suppose that's quirky enough.
When I worked at J. Crew, we told people to keep their natural fiber (cotton, wool, cashmere) sweaters just once overnight in the freezer to stave off pilling. Most people laughed at us...but apparently the freon helped.
"...but apparently the freon helped."
Huh???
Freon or the currently used R22 refrigerant is sealed inside the coils of the refrigerator or A/C unit, so it never comes into contact w/ the contents of a freezer...
...and a one-time exposure to cold isn't going to affect a fiber's long term propensity to unwind from the yarn and rewind into a ball.
is it weird that i've never had a moth problem?
now that i've said that i'm sure when i get home my closet will be flooded with moths.
No room in my freezer!
I'm still wondering about the cat.....
Whenever I get a new Oaxacan carving, I always put it in the freezer to kill any larvae that might be hiding in the copal wood. Never had any trouble yet!
The only other thing I do that might be unusual is keeping an old child's school chair in my hall closet along with the cat carrier. That's in case we have to spend any time hiding in there during tornado warnings.
Who knew?
In my collections management class we learned that the method of freezing textiles to get rid of pests and eggs only works if you repeat it, because most eggs can last through at least one freeze period. So, freeze, thaw (for I think 24 hours... don't feel like digging out my CM manual) and then freeze again. Plus, make sure to double-bag the textiles. They should be safe to store in bags after that.
Also, bugs generally go after food and other debris ON the textile, not the textile fiber itself. So a good dry cleaning every season should help with a moth problem.
yes i meant to type cat food
Aparently it works best if you thaw and refreeze them periodically - that means that any eggs, which can withstand the freezing, have a chance to hatch and then get caught in the second go round.
Of course, if they are livign in something else - carpet, your neighbour's closet, other clothes - you're gonna get them again.
If I'm working on a painting project and have to quit for a day or two, I put my rollers and brushes in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap. When I'm ready to paint again, I take them out, let them thaw, and continue my project.