How to Keep Moths Away from Stored Clothing

Have you ever gotten your clothes out of storage, only to realize your garments have been destroyed by moths? Moths, and the larve of moths, love clothing made of animal fibers, and unless you take steps to protect them, you’ll likely have to throw away your favorite items after taking them out of storage. Fortunately, you can avoid this by using an organic dry cleaning service and following some other tips.

Protect Your Clothes with Eco Friendly Dry  Cleaning

Most damage by moths are caused by the larve, which are so small they can be invisible to the naked eye.  They can blow onto your clothes when outside and you would never know it.

Moth larvae are constantly looking for something to snack on, so if you store unwashed garments, they’ll chow down on food residue and body oils. Therefore, it is recommended to do a search for “eco-friendly dry cleaner near me” to find a professional organic cleaner before storing your clothes. The company will thoroughly clean your clothes, removing oils and residue. Then, the garments will be less attractive to moths, so you can store them for the long term.

Store Foldable Clothes in Plastic Containers

After you get your clothes back from an organic dry cleaning service, it’ll be time to store them. First, store your sweaters, shirts, and other folded items in a plastic container. Line the container with acid-free tissue paper and place the heaviest garment on the bottom. Then, continue to add additional items until there’s only a couple of inches left to the top. Seal the container at this point so there’ll be enough space for your garments to breathe.

Keep in mind that moths love moisture, so it’s a good idea to take an extra step before storing your clothes. You should wrap the storage container in cotton to absorb any moisture. Then, find a dark, temperature-controlled location to store the box.

Protect Other Items in Garment Bags

You’ll want to hang dresses, suits, and other garments when storing them. Choose wooden or padded hangers for your garments, and then cover them in cotton garment bags. These bags will allow your garments to breathe while reducing moisture. That’ll make these clothes less attractive to moths. You’ll also want to choose a dark, temperature-controlled location to hang your garments. You can keep them in your main closet or choose another closet for your stored pieces.

Should You Use Mothballs?

Once your clothes are stored, it’ll be time to think about moth deterrents. You’re probably most familiar with mothballs. It’s true that mothballs do a fantastic job of killing adult moths and their eggs. However, you might not realize that mothballs are a pesticide. Your eco-friendly dry cleaning company will use toxin-free solvents, so it doesn’t make sense to expose your clothes to pesticides when you get them home. You could end up with health problems due to long-term exposure, so get rid of the mothballs and try a different method.

Non-Toxic Methods for Repelling Moths

Fortunately, you have some non-toxic methods you can use after getting your clothes back from the organic dry cleaning company. First, you can use red or heartwood cedar to protect your clothes. The natural oils do a fantastic job of killing larvae, but they’re no match for adult months. Thus, you can use this to keep moths from laying eggs, but you still might have to deal with adult moths.

On the other hand, lavender repels adult moths but doesn’t kill larvae. You can dip cotton balls into lavender and place them around your clothes. You can also fill sachets with dry lavender to hang around your closet or near your storage containers.

Consider using cedar and lavender so you’ll get the full moth-fighting powers. Then, you can kill larvae and repel adult moths.

However, keep in mind that you’ll need to re-sand and add cedar oil to maintain the protection. As a general rule, if you can’t smell the cedar, it won’t kill larvae, so add more oil when that happens.

Vacuum Your Home Regularly

Most people don’t think about this when creating a moth-prevention plan, but vacuuming is essential. When you vacuum, you can suck up larvae and eggs that you don’t even realize are there. With regular vacuuming, you can cut down on the number of eggs that hatch. Plus, you’ll love having a nice and clean house.

What if You Currently Have an Infestation?

You might be looking for ways to protect your clothes from moths because you already have an infestation. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to get rid of the moths and get back on track.

First, assess the damage and toss any destroyed garments. Your eco-friendly dry cleaning company can mend and repair damaged garments, but if moths have eaten through a good portion of the fabric, it’s better to throw it out and start over.

Next, search for a “eco friendly dry cleaners with delivery near me.” If possible, go with a free dry cleaning pickup and delivery service so you can hand the garments using their valet service. Then, you won’t have to worry about getting moths in your car while taking them to the dry cleaner.

After the valet picks up your clothes, vacuum your closet and other storage spaces to remove the eggs. Keep in mind that if you dump the vacuum cleaner out in your trash can, the eggs can hatch, so you’ll still be infested. Thus, take it outside to dump it out when you’re done vacuuming.

Once everything is clean, you can add cedar and lavender into the storage space. Then, you’ll be ready to store your clothes again when they get back from the eco-friendly dry cleaning company.

Get Help from an Organic Dry Cleaning Company Today

Protecting your garments from moths isn’t a one-person job. Instead, you need to partner with an eco-friendly dry cleaning company to remove food, body oils, and more from your clothes. After they’re clean, you can store them and take additional steps to protect them from moths.

Get started by signing up for service online. Along with ordering dry cleaning, you can request service for your machine-washable clothes as well. Then, you can get everything clean and ready for storage.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-get-rid-of-clothes-moths/

https://www.marthastewart.com/264609/the-basics-of-mothproofing

http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/mothball/regulation.html