Moths are eating my clothes - please help

[tiredlady]

My clothes have suddenly developed lots of little holes in them and I have seen a moth fluttering out of my wardrobe (cheeky bastard).

Does anyone know of away to get rid of the blighters but without using moth balls. The smell of moth balls makes me heave, so please please any alternatives would be gratefully received

I have the same problem, sudden moth infestation. I hate it! Have read sandalwood is good as is lavender, have got a few sachets hanging up now but worth a shot. I can't stand mothballs either!

Fab, thanks for the links crumpette.

I have also read that moths hate bay leaves.

If you have a chest freezer, take all your woolies out, clean them, then freeze them for at least 24 hours. It will kill any larvae. While they're in the freezer, clean out the drawers really thoroughly.

• Do the biggest hoover up of all time
• Throw away the hoover bag
• Wash or dry clean every single item of clothing you own and then hang it outside
• Hang lavender pouches

-Enlist the cat to catch some moths -Throw away some of your most expensive vintage wool items and cashmere because they are moth eaten wrecks

Then curse the damn sods to hell when they come back

By the way, you can also -

• Try hormone traps (haven't tried this yet) Don't use mothballs (napthiline sp?) as the chemical is illegal in most countries due to being extremely toxic.
• Pack your winter clothes away after cleaning in moth proof storage.

The moths you see fluttering are the males. The females are much bigger and they lurk and scrabble around rather than fly. The larvae are responsible for the holes, so when you see an adult moth you know the damage is done.

HTH

hormone traps are very effective combined with hoovering...cleaning clothes then packing them away in moth proof storage

you have to break the cycle of breeding

also they like to hang around outside your windows waiting for you to open them so they can get it....eek!

HonestyBox's suggestion is by far the best - I know it's a massive pain but it's the only way to be sure! Moth eggs are pretty much too small to see so you really do need to clean everything to make sure there aren't any more lurking.

Sandalwood/mothballs etc only work in small airtight spaces so aren't very effective in wardrobes etc - you need a certain concentration of fumes in the air to actually kill the moths.

Make sure you check the carpets, if you have them - moths love eating wool carpets and can lurk under furniture eating bald patches (voice of experience here, we had to replace every carpet in the house after a year of living with moths and not realising where they were hiding). Lakeland sell a spray that you can use on carpets and furnishings to help repel moths.