Tumble drying to kill moths - how long for and which fabrics?

[Coconutfeet]

I think we may have clothes moths. I have ordered various moth killers/traps online and am planning to hot wash as many clothes as I can.

Another recommendation was to tumble dry clothes to kill the larvae. This would be much quicker and less hassle I think, as I will need to do everyone's clothes and all bedding etc.

Any ideas how long should I tumble dry them for? Also, is there a difference as to which fabrics can be tumble dried if I'm not washing them first? I don't know if it's just the heat that ruins clothes, or a combination of heat and water.

I don;t know about dry cleaning. Someone advised me to freeze wool etc. Just had a moth infestation couple of months ago. It was horrendous. I washed and individually bagged all the clothes in the house and curtains, I cleaned the carpets and was at my wits end because they were STILL THERE, 6 -10 a night.

This coincided with my cat getting fleas and a mouse in the kitchen (before you ask yep we do actually leave in a CLEAN house). Anyway I was quite depressed by those plagues when DH sprayed all the soft furnishings with flea killer and somehow that removed the moths. I guess they must have lived under the floorboards or else why would that have worked.

So if nothing else works for you you might want to try that as well.

Thanks andifnotnow. That sounds hideous, you poor thing!

I'm not sure whether we've got moths now or not. I know we had them a while ago as I found the nest in an old teddy that dp had made as a child. I didn't notice any problems with clothes and didn't think any more about it. We've since moved house and I've just taken out a lovely jumper that I'd put away while I was pregnant and it's got about four reasonable-sized holes in. I've not looked at it for about a year so I don't know when it happened. But I've also read a bit more about moths and although I've not seen any, I'm guessing we may have brought the problem with us.

I read about freezing too. We've only got a small freezer but I might try it on some delicates.

I'm also worried that we may have left an unexpected present for the buyers on our flat. Fortunately there were no soft furnishings for them to nest in as we had wooden blinds and wooden floors and everything was thoroughly cleaned before we left. Now I'm worrying about them living under the floor!

I have tumble-dried all sorts of bedding and clothes, everything except leather, including furs and silk, when there was an infestation.

I just put it on the "hot" setting with the sensor set to "extra dry". If they are already fairly dry I presume it heats them up to temp for a bit, then detects that they are dry and goes to cool-down. Will confess I never thought about it. But I am sure the entire garment will have been heated up right through all seams and padding.

But after tumbling you have to put them in a moth-proof container with a moth killer, as you know there are moths in the house and you have to protect them from new eggs.

Once you have an infestation, getting rid of it is a lot of work, and you can't leave any loopholes for them to re-establish or continue living. Hoovering a lot, especially behind and under furniture, and round the edges where they like to climb under the gap at the skirting board helps, and you can spray the edges too. I think an upright vac is better as it beats and shakes the carpet to dislodge the larvae and eggs.

You have to put your clean clothes in a wardrobe or drawer that you have cleaned and put moth killer in. The little cardboard ones impregnated with Transfluthrin give off a tiny amount of vapour, just enough to treat a drawer or a sealed crate. You need a few of the hangers to protect a wardrobe. I believe the insecticide breaks down in sunlight, water and fresh air, so it will not fill a room. Remember that scents like cedar and lavender do not kill moths, they just make your holey clothes smell nice.

An real infestation will cost you a fortune in spoiled clothes, bedding and carpet, so is a serious matter.

Once you have got rid of the infestation, in my experience you just need to keep an eye out, and to replace the protectors in drawers and wardrobes every few months. Check the loft as there may be old felt or clothes up there. You can get an automatic sprayer (like an air-wick freshener) that squirts insecticide every half-hour or so, and should kills moths and larvae; I have used them in an empty house when I didn't have time to clean the carpets and move all the furniture.

Thanks Pigletjohn, that's really helpful. I've got various moth killers now, so just have to embark on the process of washing/tumble drying/freezing. Just need ds1 to stop wetting the bed and ds2 to stop puking all over his baby gros so I can actually tackle the stuff in the cupboards!