moth infestation destroying clothes - help!!

[emmaij]

advice please! we've been away on holiday and returned to find our clothes eaten up by moths (despite having moth balls amongst the clothes) Any clever ideas about getting rid of them? It's so bad my dh wants to get someone in from Rentokil or the like. Is this possible. Who do you go to?

Anyone experienced this and what did you do. Help please as soon we won't have any clothes left!

[FrancesJ]

There's a really powerful chemical spray that you can buy from hardware shops (sorry, I can't remember what it's called, and I did a search but couldn't find it online either). If you zap your entire wardrobe with that, then you should get rid of the problem. Be warned, though, it smells foul, and it's one of those 'spray, run, and open all the window' things.

For a greener alternative, there are lots of herbal mixtures that can repell moth - cedarwood balls spring to mind, but there are lots of herbals with anti-moth recipes in them. Just wanted to mention that, as I'm not particularly in favour of horrid potent chemicals, but as a quick way of getting rid of a problem, they do work.

Sorry I can't remember the spray's name. I was a student when I had my moth problem, and that was some time ago

[Janus]

This happened to us a couple of years ago. You have to wash EVERYTHING in the cupboard at as hot a temperature as you can (to kill the lavae, it is the lavae which eats the clothes not grown moths). If you have gentle things get them dry-cleaned just don't leave anything unwashed. It took me days of washing to get through everything and I then washed down the entire wardrobe and bought new moth repellent (they do run out after one year, I think, so old ones kept over from year to year don't work). It's hell of a lot of work but it's the only way to really ensure all the little buggers are gone!
Rentokil will probably come out but they deal more with moths in carpets, apparently they can get under there and when they lift the carpets they come out like a plague of locusts, they live in their thousands, euk!!! I think I'd rather move house than have to deal with this!!!!

[emmaij]

Ordered chemical stuff on the internet and going down the dry cleaning and hot washing route.

Thanks for the help.

[mam]

EMMAIJ/ANYONE out there... I need help URGENTLY! Just turned to mumsnet to post a message asking for help and thought I would just check the search board first and discovered your message emmaij.

Did the advice help? What did you buy and how? Just discovered two items of clothing (my dressy stuff hasn't been out of the wardrobe for years sad life I know!) with withered little holes in them I guess it's moths is that what you discovered? Haven't had chance to check for signs of moths plan to do so this weekend. Unfortunately the clothes were in the back of my dd's wardrobe so now worried her clothes may be affected/need terrible treatment.

Hoping you or someone who can really advise me see this soon and can spare the time for sparing some urgent advice.

[Janus]

Mam, it's the lavae that do all the damage and not the actual moths (which probably fly out the wardrobe by the time you find the holes). Lavae are small but can see with the naked eye, look like tiny white bits of fluff, find them particularly in the folds of clothes and if you have a ribbed jumper would definitely find them in there. Again, if you find any you must wash everything in the whole wardrobe. It's a bloody long process but not worth leaving the odd thing as sod's law is it'll have some in it and re-infest everything. Bad luck!!!

[mam]

Thank Janus. It turns out just 2 items of clothing have tiny odd holes in them the others are all fine but the cleaning process has begun!

[kkgirl]

Can anyone help me with a potential problem. Wore my cashmere jumper yesterday, did not notice the holes in the sleeve until was out wearing it. There are three holes, two at the back one at front in similar place on same sleeve.
Haven't started checking anything as don't know how to start and what to look for.
Can anyone help?

[MBB]

I read somewhere that conkers are natural mothballs, as moths hate the smell (undetectable to us). Don't know if this helps, but is the sum total of my knowlege of moths!

[kkgirl]

don't think it is moths, checked other wool items and no holes, perhaps I caught it on something!

[kkgirl]

Oh Oh. Should have done something about it the first time, we definitely do have moths, have found some more holes in things.
Our house is such a tip we don't know where to start. We have cleared all the clothes off the floor where we chuck them and sorted them into binables and worth keeping. Two bin bags are now heading for the local tip, either moth holed or tatty old stuff which was due for chucking.
We are going to hoover carpet thoroughly (a horrible nasty thing which came with the house, it is vile and I'm tempted to rip it out and live with hardboard floors it is so disgusting).
On friday we are going to clear wardrobe and then spray with chemicals we think. We have seen suggestions of ammonia, herbal treatments and chemical spray, so any 100% ideas would be welcome.
Then we will have to wash all the clothes through.

[kkgirl]

An update on the situation. We have carpet beetles, who like eating wool, fluff and anything like that. It is disgusting

[aloha]

Oh, get a man from Rentokill and throw out your carpet if they are wool and you don't like them. I once imported moths home in a couple of kelims from Turkey - great bargain they were! Anyway, everything thrown out or washed, Rentokill in and offending items straight in the bin. Problem solved!

[helenmc]

what do carpet beetles look like??? (we've probably got them and not even noticed)

[kkgirl]

They are like small slow moving light brown grubs, and are disgusting. I've been washing permanently for 10 days and we have nuked our wardrobe.
Our carpet is acrylic as far as we know, it was here when we moved in, but I would rather get rid of it, it is nasty anyway.

[chiarasmom]

do moths eat silk sweaters and cashmere as well? my wool sweaters were completely devoured by moths. I threw them out but have not checked the rest of the closet/wardrobe. I just assumed that they wouldn't eat anything but wool - is that true?

[kkgirl]

chiarasmum

I don't know about moths for sure, but I think that they like wool and cashmere, unsure about silk, but it is worth putting moth balls or hanging moth trees in the wardrobe and nuking with some deathlac that should keep them at bay.
We have never had any problems before and I feel awful about this, loads of my jumpers and cotton things like knickers etc had to be thrown out and it is just so unpleasant I am determined to be clutter free from now on and stop keeping things for later and what if

[tinyfeet]

Thanks, kkgirl. Looks like your message got cut off. I didn't realize moths eat cotton as well - that explains the holes there too! This is all very depressing. I will have to get some deathlac. . . Is there anything they don't eat? I have abstained from buying any more wool sweaters because of the moths, but thought I could get cotton ones.

[Enchanted]

Haven't had time to read the other post but I was told only last week that Conkers keep moths at bay. Could be an old wives tale though! Good luck.

[chiarasmom]

kkgirl, did the moths eat your cotton knickers too? I have never heard of cotton-eating moths!!