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Clothes moths are one of the last things that you want to see flying around your home. These moths typically linger around bedrooms and closets because they are after the fine fibers of your clothes. The adult moths are one sign that you have a problem, but it is the young larvae that cause all of the damage. If you suspect clothes moth and worry about your clothes, we have lots of products and recommendations for you. Here are some of our favorites!

1. Use pheronome (hormone-based) all natural traps to lure adult moths. By catching the adult moths, you effectively end the lifecycle of the moth and prevent a new batch of larvae from causing damage. Because moths have about a 3-4 month lifecycle, we recommend keeping these traps in closets and bedrooms for that entire time to be sure that you trap them as soon as adults emerge.

2. Wash or dryclean clothes according to their recommendations. By washing or dryclean articles of clothing, you are effectively killing any eggs or larvae that may be already present. After cleaning the clothes, we often suggest placing these clothes in heavy-duty zip bags or plastic storage bins until you remedy the whole situation. Depending on the preseived level of infestation, you may or may not choose to wash every garment, because this can be quite a laborus task!

3. If you prefer to kill moths, larvae, and eggs with a penetrating vapor, then we have several products to help with that. This can be an alternative to labor intensive washing or drycleaning. To do so, place clothing into tight-air storage bins, chests, drawers, or closets and place the appropriate amount of moth cakes or moth balls to effectively kill all forms of the clothes moth. These products are only effective if you apply enough of the active ingredient and if they are in air-tight storage areas, so be sure to follow the guidelines with any of these products.

4. After the moth activity subsides, you may choose to store your clothing in a different, more protective manner. We often recommend placing finer materials that moths are more attracted to (such as silk, linen, or wool) in tight air storage year-round. Inside of these bins, you can place herbal moth repellents as another layer of defense against these pests!

All of these products and more can be found in our Housewares department, year-round. We hope that you found this article helpful, but if you have any questions please feel free to call or ask in person. Our helpful sales staff is here to assist with any questions that you might have.

Thanks for reading,

Derek Satterfield