Moth Prevention for your Closet
When it comes to protecting your clothes, the common moth can really eat away at your shirts, skirts, socks, sweaters and pants with little indication that anything is amiss until it is too late. For many centuries moths have been eating away at the clothing created out of natural fibers which means that moth prevention for your closet is an idea that has been around for a while. Basically, the moth finds the natural fabrics of your clothing the perfect home to build nests where the larvae from the eggs they lay will eat away at cottons, fur, silk and even the wood of the closet itself. Because they make no noise or demonstrate any sign of their presence, it can be difficult to know if you have a moth issue in the first place. There are a few steps you take to ensure that your closet will be free of moths.
Preventative Steps
- Two to three times a year, clean the closet corners, baseboards and shelves with an all-purpose cleaner.
- Clean all of your clothes before hanging them up in the closet. In particular get rid of any food stains.
- A small LED light in the closet that always stays lit will drive away moths who prefer darkened areas. Plus, the energy cost of a small LED is minimal.
- Store clothes you seldom wear in airtight bins or perhaps vacuum bags for protection.
- Moths like dust, so vacuum out the closet once per week.
- In addition to mothballs, red cedar chips and ground black pepper also drive away moths as well.
However, even with effective moth prevention for your closet, you may find yourself with a moth infestation anyway. If that is the case, then you’ll need to take the following steps.
Treat Your Clothes
Vacuum or Brush your clothes and then launder the ones that can be saved. All applicable clothes should be washed in hot water (120F) for at least twenty minutes which will kill the moths. Freezing your clothes for several days will also kill the moths as well. All clothing that is not salvageable should be sealed in plastic garbage bags and removed from your home quickly.
Clean the Closet
You will need to clean out the closet thoroughly in order to destroy the moths themselves. This means vacuuming and cleaning all the nooks and crannies where moths may hide. There are special chemicals that are designed to kill moths that you may use, so pay attention to which cleaners work best for your needs.
Add Preventative Measures
Here, you’ll want to employ the same preventative measures as listed above. The moth prevention for your closet will include the following:
- Storing clothes in airtight bags
- Placing mothballs, ground black pepper or red cedar chips in the closet
- Adding moth traps to capture moths before they can lay their eggs.
Add to this the regular cleaning and inspecting that you perform on a weekly basis and you will be able to prevent the infestation of moths.
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