Freezing clothes to get rid of months

[Allergyupset]

Apparently it's possible to get rid of moths and moth larvae by putting your knitwear in the freezer. I only have a small freezer so I'd have to do it in lots of batches.

Has anyone tried this?

Did it work?

How long did you leave each batch in the freezer for?

If you find an item with moths on it, should you wash it first or should you put it in the freezer first and then wash it afterwards?

Anything else I should know?

I have multiple allergies and chemical sensitivity, so I cannot use any kind of fumigation method. I've heard you can try cleaning the area with vinegar, but I can't use mothballs, lavender, cedarwood or any other scented stuff.

Any advice please? I think it's been made worse by the fact that I didn't go out much last year due to the lockdowns, so I'm discovering knitwear at the back of the pile that hasn't been touched for ages and it's really upsetting.

Does cedar have any significant smell?

Anyway you have to freeze your clothes for three days to kill any moth larva.

If you have carpet rather than hard flooring - moths love it & they may not go to your jumpers but might go and hunker down in the carpet - & wait for your jumpers to come out of the freezer - Lakeland do a moth carpet spray .

I had moths and it took me two years to get rid of them. You need chemicals. I took everything out of the rooms and went through it all. I threw out everything they had eaten but supposedly as hot a wash as you can and then freezing kills them.

Spray the edges of your rooms and in between the wood. Spray any that you see. Buy sticky pads to cut down the population.

Repeat this process as many times as needed.

@BasiliskStare

If you have carpet rather than hard flooring - moths love it & they may not go to your jumpers but might go and hunker down in the carpet - & wait for your jumpers to come out of the freezer - Lakeland do a moth carpet spray .

We have entirely wooden floors. No carpets or rugs at all.

@user1471538283

I had moths and it took me two years to get rid of them. You need chemicals. I took everything out of the rooms and went through it all. I threw out everything they had eaten but supposedly as hot a wash as you can and then freezing kills them.

Spray the edges of your rooms and in between the wood. Spray any that you see. Buy sticky pads to cut down the population.

Repeat this process as many times as needed.

I can't use "chemicals" as I have numerous health problems and it will make me ill.

Still looking for this piece of advice: if I find an item with moth larvae on it, should I put it in the wash first? Or should I freeze it straight away and then wash it afterwards?

The wasp thing apparently really works. A friend of mine did it for pantry moths. I am too freaked out by the idea of microscopic wasps TBH :o

If you store your clothes in good vacuum seal bags, that should help prevent any infestations.

Oh, yeah the wasp thing is far too scary for me!

I doubt it will matter if you freeze or wash first. I think I'd probably wash-freeze-wash to be on the safe side?

Thank you. Sorry to bombard everyone with a million questions, but I really need to get this right!

I tend to freeze things I don't want to wash. I find it's an ongoing thing. It's difficult to eradicate them altogether, but the odd moth isn't a big deal. Vacuuming and a few moth traps keeps it bearable!