MOTHS - the kind that need mothballs - help

[Pruhoohooohoooooni]

I managed to go 32 yrs without encountering moths. Then I moved into a house that, frankly, was a bit of a dump in many ways. The owners (we were housesitting) had loads of their stuff packed away with mothballs and I couldn't bear the reek of chemicals so avoided having any in the wardrobe myself.

So, now I've moves, and judging by the state of my lovely pashmina-ey scarf, I have brought them with me.

I know nothing about them except that mothballs would seem to be utterly toxic to all known life and I don't want themin my house. So...what does one do?

You need to clean all your clothes - putting stuff in the freezer will also kill them off

You can then buy herbal or wood stuff at John Lewis or a drycleaners to put in the drawers and wardrobes

Clean as in 40 degree wash?
It seems to be the woolly jumpers they go for...I'm guessing my usual handwash won't be enough?

TRaditional old mothballs are useless anyway. And are you sure it's moths? It could be caroet beetles - they are voracious little b*rs and much prefer wol pashminas to carpets. A 40' wash won't do for them, either.

Carpet beetles are small dark grey beetles with a matt surface. Their grubs (which do the damage) are tiny hairy things. Chemicals, i'm afriad, ut you can get rid of them by cutting up the yellow bit from a vapona and putting a bit in the botton of each wardrobe or cupboard, and in the corner of each drawre until they are all dead. I left my house full of vaponas while I was away on hol, then threw them all out and aired the house fully when I got home.

No it needs to be hotter to kill the eggs apparently

Oh poo at having to wash all clothes.
Blu, I haven't seen any beetly buggers, just the odd papery and rather dead moth, small, beige, does that sound right?

yes those are the moths
dreadful things

Try cinnamon too...moths don't like it apperently

I've tried the natural cedar and citronella things - seems to keep moth-free stuff free of moth, but doesn't kill what's there already. We do use mothballs, but the smell makes me feel sick and I'd love to find an alternative - anyone got any ideas of really effective less nasty anti-moth stuff?

Blu what's vapona?

Lavendar, cedarwood and camphor essential oils are all good for keeing moths away. I think you have to freeze stuff to get rid of any eggs, thoug. HTH.

Yes, those sound like 'moth' moths!

Vapona is that fly-killer stuff that comes in a plstic thing that you hand in your room. There is a plastic case with slots in it, and a block of stuff inside. I used to o-pen up the plastic case and cut up the block and put a bit in foil in each of my drawers, when I had a carpet beetle infestation.