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Original poster

What to do with clothes with moths?

20 replies

formynexttrick · 03/05/2021 15:04

I've been having a clearout and have a huge pile of clothes to get rid of that don't fit any more.

Only, we have an ongoing battle with moths. If we didn't have moths I'd give them all the the charity shop. Buy they're not going to thank me for moths, are they?

What should I do with them?

  • give them a good shake and as long as no sign of moths, give them to the shop
  • bin the lot
  • wash them all before passing on.

I imagine there's possibly an obvious answer but please go easy on me as I have ADHD and tend to overthink things!

I'm hoping to avoid the answer being to wash them all as I already have a huge mound of actual washing to do and am generally overwhelmed with overdue tasks. If I plan to was them they'll probably sit in bags adding to the clutter for the next 6 months (if not years) before I get round to dealing with them and the whole point of the operation was to get rid of some of the clutter.

I'm hoping someone will say something like "oh, Charity shops steam clean everything so any moths you've missed will die" or something, but maybe that's just wishful thinking?

OP posts:
TotoAnnihiliation · 03/05/2021 15:07

Unfortunately washing them won't get rid of the larvae that is the causing the damage. You would need to freeze them at a lower temperature than what a domestic freezer can manage.

I would also need to treat the area around where the clothes have been kept, carpets and curtains etc. Those little buggers get everywhere!

LaBellina · 03/05/2021 15:09

Can you drop them off at a place that recycles unwearable textiles?

Original poster
formynexttrick · 03/05/2021 15:25

Sorry I probably explained that wrong. The clothes I want to get rid of don't have moth damage, I don't know if they've even had moths on them. But I do know we have a moth problem, generally, so I have to assume they may do.

There's some well-made, decent stuff there. Do I really have to bin it all?

OP posts:
Original poster
formynexttrick · 03/05/2021 15:26

@LaBellina

Can you drop them off at a place that recycles unwearable textiles?
I'm not sure if we do, what kind of place does this? Do you mean a charity shop or a recycling bin or something?
OP posts:
LaBellina · 03/05/2021 15:32

Yeah I mean a recycling bin. I believe at least in the past H&M also accepted all kinds of textiles including old tea towels, in their recycling bins in the shops. I never throw away old textiles in the normal bin, wasting textiles is horrible for the environment Sad

Thelnebriati · 03/05/2021 15:33

Its not wishful thinking, charity shops are used to dealing with things like moths. Don't throw them away if they are good clothes!

Washing deals with the larvae, its the eggs that are the problem; but washing loosens the glue that holds them to the clothes and will remove most of them.

grownup2 · 03/05/2021 15:35

Moths are everywhere these days because of warmer temps in homes, so I'm sure the charity shop is not entirely moth free. Personally, I would be give the probably-not-mothy clothes a good shake outdoors (larvae tend to fall off) and air, or (if more suspicious) put them in the freezer for a day or two in batches if you have room. English Heritage thinks -18c is fine for this, and that's a fairly typical freezer temp I believe.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/conservation/clothes-moth-research/understanding-clothes-moths/#:~:text=The%20best%20way%20of%20killing,target%20larvae%20is%20more%20difficult.

LaBellina · 03/05/2021 15:36

I heard that moths only eat silk and fur - is this true? I have had some unexplainable damage to cotton clothing in the past that made me wonder if moths had destroyed it.

Thelnebriati · 03/05/2021 15:46

Yes its true, they eat the keratin. Cotton can be damaged by laundering and wear which created tiny pin prick holes that look like moth damage.

LaBellina · 03/05/2021 15:49

Yup I meant those tiny prick holes @Thelnebriati! I keep fur and silk in special plastic boxes separated from other clothes in my closet to avoid the OP’s problem and was starting to wonder if I should buy more boxes for my cotton stuff 😅. Thanks for the explanation.

Original poster
formynexttrick · 03/05/2021 15:50

Thanks for the ideas everyone, this is helping. My realistic options are:

  • shake and donate
  • put in a recycling bin if I can find one
  • bin then
  • something else that takes very little time

I have ADHD and am utterly overwhelmed with stuff to do at the moment. I won't find time for anything like freezing or washing, it won't happen, the clothes will just sit in a bag waiting to be washed / frozen whatever.

OP posts:
Original poster
formynexttrick · 03/05/2021 15:51

@LaBellina

Yup I meant those tiny prick holes *@Thelnebriati*! I keep fur and silk in special plastic boxes separated from other clothes in my closet to avoid the OP’s problem and was starting to wonder if I should buy more boxes for my cotton stuff 😅. Thanks for the explanation.
That can't be true. I own no fur and only the tiniest about of silk, the moths must be eating something!
OP posts:
LaBellina · 03/05/2021 15:55

Your cotton clothes got damaged OP?
Is it possible that you have silverfish in your home ? They are very very common and do not only eat paper but can indulge in textiles too.

Original poster
formynexttrick · 03/05/2021 16:09

I find the moth larvae in cotton clothes and see the moths flying about.

I found loads in a carpet (now binned).

I find damage in wool things.

I really don't have much silk, they must be eating something is my point!

No silverfish to my knowledge.

OP posts:
starfishmummy · 03/05/2021 16:09

@Labellina it's possible that you had carpet beetle which will eat anything including synthetics - even though they get no nuítrition from it and will starve to death even though they are eating!!

Original poster
formynexttrick · 03/05/2021 16:11

I can't say if they're eating the cotton or not, I assumed they were as I find them in it but I can't remember if there were holes or not now I think of it, but they can't be surviving on air!

OP posts:
LaBellina · 03/05/2021 16:22

@starfishmummy I never heard of them but just googled and apparently they can come in flying trough an open window -like cockroaches do in Greece. Yikes!

angieloumc · 03/05/2021 16:39

Carpet beetles are very common, I would imagine it could be them rather than moths. As pp said they will eat anything. They can often be found on windowsills and look rather like a patchy brown ladybird. There were some in my grandmas house many years ago that's how I know.

starfishmummy · 03/05/2021 20:26

@LaBellina they are a lot smaller than cockroaches!!

user1471538283 · 04/05/2021 10:05

It took me two solid years to get rid of clothes moths! But it can be done! They like it dark and warms so there were loads in my wardrobe and under stuff in cupboards.

With the clothing you already have if it doesn't have any signs of it I would donate it. Preferably wash it first if you can. You can tell if they've had a go as there will be holes, a webby type thing, scraps of the shells, dead eggs or something.

I bought all the chemicals. I removed the old carpets and sprayed around the edges of the new carpets. I threw out so many clothes and textiles that were damaged. I dotted clothes moths catchers everywhere including the bathroom and changed them frequently. I sprayed any I saw (they tended to come out at night and were on the ceilings) and killed them. That was year 1.

Year 2 the eggs had been dormant and then started again so I did the whole routine all over again. But it was much less.

It is a huge battle but it did work.

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