Treating jumper with potential moth holes?

[IEatChocolateForBreakfast]

I purchased an expensive 100% wool jumper second hand. Was described as in very good condition other than one small hole in an inconspicuous place. It arrived a couple days ago and there are actually several holes, one of which is in a noticeable place. My worry is that the holes were made by moths. I have never had a moth problem but have heard they're a nightmare once they get into your wardrobe. What is the best way of treating this jumper for moths? I'm worried there may be small eggs or something I can't see on it. It's a lovely jumper and I'd still like to keep it and sew up the hole. So wondering if there's something I should be doing to ensure no moth eggs are left on it. It's wool and hand wash only so I can't put it in super hot water. If I put it on the freezer for a couple weeks would that kill off any eggs?

Any advice welcome please!

No advice but following as I had a moth infestation last year from something I bought in a charity shop. The bastards are appearing again despite my months long aggressive attack on them and a quiet winter.

Yep. Freezing will do the job. -18 to -20 degrees for at least 72 hours will kill off any residual eggs. Wrap the garment carefully in polythene first though.

Freezing is only thing that will get rid of eggs. Also order some cedar wood pieces to put in drawers etc to repel more moths and hope they haven't spread. They prefer natural fibres

Thank you. I've put the jumper in a large zip lock bag and will pop it in the freezer for a few weeks. I'm sure by the time I pull it out it'll be too hot to wear it. But hey ho 😆

@OldTinHat

No advice but following as I had a moth infestation last year from something I bought in a charity shop. The bastards are appearing again despite my months long aggressive attack on them and a quiet winter.

I've heard this same situation from someone else which is why I want to make sure they're gone!

I just dealt with a moth infestation in my wardrobe (and my husband’s- where it was much worse).
I’d wash the jumper, iron it and then put it in the freezer for a week or so.
The main thing to prevent moths attacking your clothes is to disturb them.
The reason I had a bad moth infestation now is that a large part of my wardrobe was quiet during my pregnancy and first few months post partum. The only clothes the moths went for in mine and my husband’s wardrobe were the ones we had not worn in over 1 year. I found moths even in clothes made of synthetic fabrics!
Everything that we wore more or less frequently was spared- or at least didn’t have any moth casings or holes.
so if there’s any chance that moths might have come into your wardrobe, make sure to wear everything or at least take them out to wash, dry, iron etc.

@Mcmcmcmc

I just dealt with a moth infestation in my wardrobe (and my husband’s- where it was much worse). I’d wash the jumper, iron it and then put it in the freezer for a week or so. The main thing to prevent moths attacking your clothes is to disturb them. The reason I had a bad moth infestation now is that a large part of my wardrobe was quiet during my pregnancy and first few months post partum. The only clothes the moths went for in mine and my husband’s wardrobe were the ones we had not worn in over 1 year. I found moths even in clothes made of synthetic fabrics! Everything that we wore more or less frequently was spared- or at least didn’t have any moth casings or holes. so if there’s any chance that moths might have come into your wardrobe, make sure to wear everything or at least take them out to wash, dry, iron etc.

Oh god. That sounds like a nightmare. I have A LOT of clothes. Nearly 100 dresses alone. It would take me weeks to do that. I'm half panicking now. I tried the jumper on in my room where I noticed the extra couple of holes. Then took it and immediately put it in a plastic zip bag. It's in the freezer now. I'll leave it in there for 2 weeks (or until my husband gets fed up with it).

I could steam it after I take it out as well? Does heat like that kill them?

Parasitic moths. Got the recommendation on here and sorted out several years of pain. Will do a treatment every year now, or every other year, to make sure they don’t ever return!

@LettingGo2022

Parasitic moths. Got the recommendation on here and sorted out several years of pain. Will do a treatment every year now, or every other year, to make sure they don’t ever return!

Sorry not quite sure what you mean by this. Can you elaborate? Is the moth that eats clothes called a parasitic moth? What is the treatment? Freezer or something else?

@IEatChocolateForBreakfast sorry I didn’t mean to make you panic!
I dealt with really bad moth infestations twice: once when I rented a flat that had moths in the carpets, I didn’t know the signs (I thought the carpets were old but didn’t realise they had telltale signs of moth infestation) and they took over my wardrobe in a few months.
The second time was just 2 weeks ago when I started organising my wardrobe - taking advantage of being on maternity leave to get all organised! - and found a skirt with, I’m not exaggerating, 20 moth casings (I have a picture but don’t worry, I won’t post it ). It’s made of synthetic fiber and there were no holes, but needless to say the moths had installed themselves in everything I hadn’t worn in a while.
I had a fair amount of clothes. The infestation in my wardrobe seemed fairly recent as I only found one piece with a whole in it (of course it was a cashmere jumper 😤). The infestation in my husband’s wardrobe seemed to have been there for much longer as many of his suits (wool) and ties (silk) were eaten. He had to throw away about 3 suits and maybe 5 ties…

I decided it was a sign that I needed to declutter and get rid of any clothes I didn’t see myself wearing again in the next 12 months. I washed, line-dried and ironed everything. All clothes made of wool or silk, or that had moth casings or any other sign of moth infestation were frozen for a week.
I only just finished the whole operation - I took 1 week for my wardrobe and 1 week for my husband’s, plus all bedding and towels (yes there were moth casings in bed linen!). And I have a 6-month old baby. Yes, it was fun

If your only reason for concern is the recently-bought jumper, you don’t need to stage a revolution like I did, treating just that piece should be fine. It may be good to open your wardrobes and spray some anti-moth spray or diluted vinegar every once in a while, just in case. I promise the vinegar smell goes away!

[quote Mcmcmcmc]@IEatChocolateForBreakfast sorry I didn’t mean to make you panic!
I dealt with really bad moth infestations twice: once when I rented a flat that had moths in the carpets, I didn’t know the signs (I thought the carpets were old but didn’t realise they had telltale signs of moth infestation) and they took over my wardrobe in a few months.
The second time was just 2 weeks ago when I started organising my wardrobe - taking advantage of being on maternity leave to get all organised! - and found a skirt with, I’m not exaggerating, 20 moth casings (I have a picture but don’t worry, I won’t post it ). It’s made of synthetic fiber and there were no holes, but needless to say the moths had installed themselves in everything I hadn’t worn in a while.
I had a fair amount of clothes. The infestation in my wardrobe seemed fairly recent as I only found one piece with a whole in it (of course it was a cashmere jumper 😤). The infestation in my husband’s wardrobe seemed to have been there for much longer as many of his suits (wool) and ties (silk) were eaten. He had to throw away about 3 suits and maybe 5 ties…

I decided it was a sign that I needed to declutter and get rid of any clothes I didn’t see myself wearing again in the next 12 months. I washed, line-dried and ironed everything. All clothes made of wool or silk, or that had moth casings or any other sign of moth infestation were frozen for a week.
I only just finished the whole operation - I took 1 week for my wardrobe and 1 week for my husband’s, plus all bedding and towels (yes there were moth casings in bed linen!). And I have a 6-month old baby. Yes, it was fun

If your only reason for concern is the recently-bought jumper, you don’t need to stage a revolution like I did, treating just that piece should be fine. It may be good to open your wardrobes and spray some anti-moth spray or diluted vinegar every once in a while, just in case. I promise the vinegar smell goes away![/quote]
What proportion vinegar to water?

@AnastasiaRomanov I use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. It’s quite strong, stronger than what is advised for general cleaning. But this is just what I do, I’m not sure there is a specific % of vinegar to kill moths, I can only say it seems to work for me.

And I have to say, cedar balls and other anti-moth products didn’t work in my wardrobe at all! The only commercial anti moth product I buy is the pheromone trap as it’s useful to show where the moths are concentrated in your house. It kills the adult male moth, but that in itself doesn’t do much as it’s the larvae that do the damage. The traps mainly work as an alert system.

I could steam it after I take it out as well? Does heat like that kill them?

No, unfortunately it has to be a wash of at least 30 mins at 60 degrees to kill them - so no use for woollens. But freezing for a couple of weeks will kill them. And a pp is right - it's clothes that are left undisturbed for a while that suffer, so it's a good idea to go through your wardrobe often and check everything is OK, get things out and give them a shake, etc. And I store all the wool things I really care about in ziplock bags with an anti-moth sachet.

My house has been infested with moths for months

Can you not send the jumper back? It wasn't as described.