Protect Stored Clothes From Moths
Moths are not something that many people think about. It’s only when you open your cupboard and find holes in your clothes that these pests become a problem. When this happens, it can feel like the end of the world. So how do you stop this and protect stored clothes from moths?
Are you storing your summer clothes in winter?
What you first have to understand is that it’s not actually the moths that eat clothes. What actually happens is that moths lay eggs. These then hatch into caterpillars, that eat through your clothes. They do this because moths feed upon keratin. This is a naturally occurring protein that is found in certain materials like wool, leather and fur.
To prevent having a pest control emergency, there are several things you can do to protect stored clothes. First of all, you should try and wear your clothes as often as possible. If you do this, moths will have less of a chance to lay eggs and eat your clothes. Now, for some people this isn’t possible. Maybe you have an enormous amount of clothes or you simply don’t want to wear a certain item. Maybe it’s the wrong time of year for that item.
In this case, the only way to protect stored clothes is by storing them correctly. To start with, you should never pack dirty clothes away. As well as keratin, moths are also attracted to clothes because of dirt and sweat. These contain minerals that the moths need to survive. When storing clothes, they should always be washed or dry cleaned beforehand.
Tips you can use to save clothes from being eaten
Also try to avoid simply hanging clothes up in your cupboard. If possible, place your clothing into some kind of protective barrier. You may want to use old suitcases and bags, or simply wrap your clothes in plastic. Ideally, you should put clothing into plastic containers, or vacuum pack them. Yes, this will cause wrinkles, but it’s better than them being destroyed.
Once you have stored away clothing, make sure to inspect it once in a while. The reason why clothes get eaten by moths is mostly because people do not open their cupboards for months. This gives the moths time to breed and eat at their leisure. Your cupboard should be opened up and inspected at least once a month.
In order to protect stored clothes, you should also place things like mothballs as a form of safe pest control. While these may seem old fashioned, then do actually work. Something else you may want to experiment with are moth traps. These work by using pheromones to attract moths and can be placed in your cupboard. Finally, if you’re really concerned about this, then call in pest control. We can spray poisons or use heat treatments to keep the moths away.