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ARGH! Clothes moths! Please help me kill them.

25 replies

becstarsky · 11/11/2011 10:39

We are infested. Millions and millions of the blighters. I blame my niece who often stays here - she wears vintage clothes and doesn't believe in washing them because they are delicate.

The moths are everywhere. I even inhaled one today. I found the main source of it - a rug next to the camp bed my niece usually sleeps on when she stays - it was crawling with them. I threw the rug away, and there are moth balls in every wardrobe etc. but there are still hundreds of adult moths around, and they are going in every room. And the moth balls smell disgusting and I think they might be affecting my son's asthma. Please help! What are the best things to get rid of them - preferably that won't smell quite so horrible.

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2BoysTooLoud · 11/11/2011 12:29

I think you may have carpet moths and they are a bugger to get rid of. Ours started in a wool rug and because I had never heard of carpet moth went into wool mix fitted carpets. Our solution was to get rid of all wool carpets and replace with nice manmade fibres that no self respecting carpet mite/ moth will eat.

becstarsky · 11/11/2011 12:35

Oh, didn't realise that there were carpet moths AND clothes moths! We are in a rented flat so don't have much control - but we don't have any carpets, just a few manmade fibre rugs from IKEA. But they are multiplying so they are living on something. Do carpet moths also eat clothes/curtains/towels?

Thanks so much for replying!

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2BoysTooLoud · 11/11/2011 12:40

Now there's a question - I wonder if they are the same species?
Quite possibly I think as they like wool, cotton, silk, feathers and things like that. Check old teddies etc too.
We got rid of the main problem but still get the odd 'flutterer' but we are messy and lack storage so clothes pile up sometimes. I only like acrylic jumpers now!
Check your curtains too.
Horrid problem I know.

2BoysTooLoud · 11/11/2011 12:44

Also get clothes moth traps. They are triangular and sticky and attract male moths.
Brand I have is - Procter pest- stop.
Good luck.

becstarsky · 11/11/2011 12:44

I just don't want them to eat my cashmere jumpers. I have a few left over from when we had more money (when I was working), and one that my Mum gave to me which she wore as a nurse in the 60s, and a huge one that belonged to my Dad that I snuggle up in, and it feels like a hug whenever I wear it. If a moth ate holes in either of those I'd be gutted! Will do some entomological research!

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smearedinfood · 11/11/2011 13:06

I saw on Gok that lavender can help for moths

ArtVandelay · 11/11/2011 13:47

Hi - put your jumpers in the deep freeze for at least 24 hours and that will kill any eggs / grubs / moths. Most bugs hate lavender oil, dried lavender etc and cedar wood is also good but you must sand its surface every 6 months to keep it effective. I've had cupboard moths and those sticky things are good and its a nice feeling when you can see you've killed them.

I found a woolly bear yesterday so I'm frantically wiping out all shelves and cupboards with a mix of hot water and lavender/ tea tree essential oil. I have also been told that they hate rosemary oil as well. I'm going to keep going with this + cedar wood + other protection products and clean like there's no tomorrow. If I find a colony then I'll need to get an exterminator.

Like you I have lovely stuff from when I was working - Marc Jacobs, Issa, etc. Which will never, ever get replaced if it gets eaten. I'm strictly Primark and H&M these days :( Its f* terrifying all the stuff that can invade your house! Good luck.

becstarsky · 11/11/2011 13:52

Thank you!

Yes ArtVandelay you really understand my problem exactly - I will never be able to replace the 'nice' stuff I have. Like you, it's all Primark for me now, if that. My gorgeous silk jersey dresses and cashmere jumpers - they are a link to a time when my life was rather glamorous. Maybe not as fulfilling as it is now, but still I'd find it hard to let go of that link.

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ArtVandelay · 11/11/2011 14:15

Thats it exactly! I can look at that coat or that dress and remember that at the time buying that felt like a sensible idea and I deserved it. The fact that a crappy little larvae or moth is threatening that is almost too much to bear. I cried loudly for 20 minutes last night and DH thought i'd gone mad.

becstarsky · 11/11/2011 14:22

Are you me? DH thinks I'm bonkers to be so upset about these moths. But they might start eating the last vestiges of my glamorous youth - those days of shopping in New York with my bonus instead of shopping at Aldi with a fistful of coupons! I need those memories, they stop me from feeling like a frumpy old drudge. I think I may also need to go back to work, but that's a whole other thread Grin

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mousymouse · 11/11/2011 14:36

they really don't like the smell of cedar, you can buy a cedar plank at a diy store and have it cut into cubes. put one in each clothes drawer/compartment/wardrobe.
the councils pest control people can be really helpful, give them a call.

ArtVandelay · 11/11/2011 14:57

Mousy thats brilliant. Thats got to be cheaper than those tiddly little blocks I've been buying.

Becs I am a regular at my local Aldi in my Uggs and Primark jogger bottoms. DH asks me if I'm trying to qualify for government assistance.

becstarsky · 11/11/2011 16:57

Oh thanks Mousy that's a great tip!

I have started an incentive scheme with DS - 10p for every moth corpse he gives me. He's killed 5 since we came in from school... Maybe I could hire him out to the council Grin

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dreamingofsun · 11/11/2011 17:03

doesn't sound like carpet moths to me. we had them and i wasn't even aware of it. if its carpet moths you will get them mainly in the darker places, eg under furniture and you will find little bits of what looks like rice or rolled up tissue. to get rid of these you need to get your carpets treated properly by a reputable company.

2BoysTooLoud · 11/11/2011 17:20

Ours was carpet moth [or at any rate they were eating our carpet!] and the little buggers were flying about everywhere.
As I said before- we replaced our carpets in the end as kept finding new patches of eaten carpet. Ours got out of control cos we didn't click what problem was and then went on holiday... shudder at memory of coming home.

PigletJohn · 11/11/2011 22:40

Bah, never mind these ecologically friendly scents. I reckon what you need is a good moth poison to kill them all. Once you have got an infestation you have to really make a lot of effort to get rid of them, then afterwards, you can cut back to a maintenance regime.

The modern mothproofers will kill the moths, the grubs and the eggs, which I think is just the ticket. You can get a hang-up plastic device the size of a matchbox, you put one in each wardrope per half-cubic-metre of space in there (usually - check the instructions). Or one per drawer. If particularly anxious, you can put one in the pocket of each garment and put it in an air-tight dry-cleaners bag or similar. I get mine at Robert Dyas, they have various brands including Bouchard, Zensect, Zero-in and Rentokil, but they all contain the same chemical, Transfluthrin which is especially good for killing moths. The packs release a tiny amount of it over a long period, usually 3 or 6 months, which will wipe out an entire life-cycle. you have to remember to put new ones in at the end of their life. The vapour builds up inside the wardobe provided the doors are shut, but when you are wearing the garment it is lost into the air.

If the moths are in the carpet, then frequent thorough vacuuming, especially under furniture and next to the skirting, will help control them. An upright with a beater is better than a cylinder for that. You can also get an aerosol spray like Insectrol which works out quite expensive.

If you know you have got an infestation, buy a lot of large clear plastic bags (the ones sold for recycling are good). Wash and hot-tumble dry everything you can, and immediately place it in a sealed bag. Things which are not washable, just tumble. The heat of the tumbler will kill eggs as well as grubs. Anything that can't be washed, or tumbled, or dry-cleaned, wrap in a plastic bag and put in the freezer for a few days.

Empty all your wardrobes and drawers, vacuum and wash them inside and out, and spray with a persistent inscticide, either the moth one, or one of the more common ant and crawling insect ones which dry to a film which kills insects that walk on it.

There may be a lot of them living under or behind the wardrobe, so pull out, vacuum and spray there. Spray the carpet round the edges, as they crawl through the gap by the skirting and live undereneath.

Put hanging mothproofers (not just useless scented cedar) in all the drawers and wardobes before you start putting your stuff away again.

Clothes that you are not going to use for some months (e.g. summer/winter/sports) wash and put away in one of those plastic storage boxes with a sealed lid, and put a mothkiller in each box. As it will kill the eggs and grubs they will be safe until you open the box next year. It is very important not to put anything away that has still got live eggs or grubs on it, otherwise when you open the packet, hundreds of well-fed moths will fly out.

Usually, once you have cleared the infestation, it is enough to leave the hanging units in wardrobes and drawers, or even just the pheromone traps. However if anyone in your household is in the habit of bringing mothy things into the house, you had better treat their carpet amd wardobes thoroughly and frequently, and hoover a lot, which will pick up some of the eggs, and perhaps put a Zensect ball in a pocket of any coat that might get close to theirs when hanging up..

becstarsky · 12/11/2011 09:31

Thank you so much for all that info PigletJohn, this sounds like just the ticket. I really want the darn things dead, and not eating my things!

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mirpuppet · 12/11/2011 11:12

Personally the moth killer Transfluthrin that you hang in the closet did not work that well for me. The ones on this slink

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001CMUFQO/ref=asc_df_B001CMUFQO5210703?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B001CMUFQO

bit more success with moth traps that kill the males. I used a spray for a females.

www.castlegatestores.co.uk/stv-1x-clothes-moth-killer-trap-lasts-for-3-months-1102-p.asp

perhaps I just like seeing the dead moths.

They love wool and cashmere -- definitely bag and freeze your precious items.

PigletJohn · 12/11/2011 14:26

mirpuppet

That Rentokil unit you linked to,

is one of the hanging things that does contain Transfluthrin. I'd recommend it, and the similar ones under other brand names.

NikkiBareham · 04/04/2012 15:05

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ABF1979 · 22/09/2014 11:03

Hi everyone, I have been finding little holes in lots of my clothes lately so, assuming it is moths, I went to Lakeland and bought some lavender-scented sachets and hangers (brand name 'Moth Stop'), which I have put in all our drawers and wardrobes. The thing is, I'm 24 weeks pregnant and suddenly thought that this kind of thing may not be safe in pregnancy. I've tried Googling it but can't find anything to say whether or not they're safe - has anyone used anything similar while pregnant? I've put quite a few sachets in drawers in our bedroom so am worried about sleeping in there now! Any advice would be brilliant, thank you!

PigletJohn · 23/09/2014 00:00

the packet should say if it contains an insecticide. The usual one is Transfluthrin but some older treatments may contain Permethrin or similar. If the packet does not say then ask the retailer. They are usually formulated to build up inside a closed container like a wardrobe or drawer, but disperse in air. For greater security, you can put your clothes in a sealed bag, box or plastic crate with the moth sachet and the vapour will not disperse into the room. Transfluthrin kills moth eggs as well as grubs so is good for clearing an infestation.

If it does not contain an insecticide then it is probably a scented product like cedar or lavender, harmless to you and to moths, but will make your holey clothes smell nice when you throw them in the bin.

Stupidhead · 23/09/2014 00:49

DP bought an old military cap which I demanded had mothballs put under it (panic much) so off I trotted to be told they're now illegal due to chemicals. I ordered wood balls (f'narr) from Amazon which smell of cedar wood and the cats like knocking them around. He's got asthma, DP not the cat, and he's ok with his balls. As it were.

PigletJohn · 23/09/2014 09:19

cedar does not kill moths.

michfosb · 16/10/2019 11:09

There is a miniscule wasp, half a millimetre in size, that lays eggs in the clothes moth eggs, which hatches and kills the clothes moth larvae then hunts out more eggs. When all the moths are destroyed, the tiny wasps die out. Cedar wood does not work, pesticides are hurting your children and the wasps are totally safe. You can buy them online, they are called Trichogramma, Trichogrammes or Trichogram (part of the ichneumon insect group).

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