Undetected Moth Infestations

This is a quick post today but a very important one as many people have a moth problem before they SEE it and they don't even know it. 

Only when the problem is clearly visible, then people are panicking and will take immediate action on their moth infestation problem…

So problems like moth infestations are able to grow undetected over time, especially when moths do not fly around, because the larvae is able to overwinter just without no problem.

Here's a quick insight as to how this can happen....

The young larvae/caterpillars are able to survive without any kind of food recourses up to 8 ½ months.…they are also able to live just on non digesting food recourses and still eating there way through to this kind of indigestible stuff for YEARS (yes you got it right, for YEARS each single larvae can survive and be alive), without developing…at cases like that, these moth larvae can change their skin up to 45 times through out their lifetime as a larvae...  

To get rid of your moths now - or to be proactive and preventative about having a moth infestation at all - please visit Rid Moths Naturally today and consider downloading our eBooks on the subject.

Prevent Clothes Moth and Moisture Damage to Stored Items

Prevent Clothes Moth and Moisture Damage to Stored Items

It is annoying when after you thought you had carefully stored your clothes and taken all the proper precautions, you pull them out only to find that they have been damaged by Clothes or Clothing Moths, Casemaking Clothing or Webbing Clothes Moths.

And if this wouldn't be already enough though, Moisture on Clothes can do harm to them, too.

There are measures you can take to minimize the risk or prevent finding yourself in the unenviable position of having to replace or repair damaged items.

Mothballs:  Although effective, they must be used properly. They are composed of chemical materials and should be kept out of reach of children and pets.  Since they work by emitting toxins that can pose health risks, they are not ideal.

Mothball Alternatives: Common items that work as natural moth repellants include lavender, cedar blocks or chips and mint leaves.  All are readily available either in actual product or essential oils at your local store and can easily be placed into sachets.

Moisture: Clothing or other cloth items that have been stored unintentionally with moisture can easily stain or become otherwise damaged.  If traces exist of mold or mildew spores, the presence of moisture will allow these substances to grow. You can use drying agents or desiccant packets made from a number of different materials such as silica gel, activated charcoal or clay.

However, you can make drying agents at home using Epsom salt.  It is really simple. 

Spread Epsom salt evenly over a baking pan and place in the oven at 550 degrees Fahrenheit.    The salt will dehydrate creating a hissing sound.  Once the hissing has stopped, remove the pan from the oven.  

Crush the dehydrated cake of Epsom salt into small chunks and store in an airtight container.

Place ½ to ¾ cup of salt on a small square of thin cloth and gather together the fabric to make a packet.  Tie the bag closed and either hang or place it in your closet.  Check every two to four weeks to see if the bag needs to be replaced. 

Easy and effective!

Proper Clothing Storage to Prevent Moth Problems

Properly Storing Your Cloth Items to Ward off Clothing Moths, Clothes Moths or Webbing Clothes Moths

After you have properly cleaned your clothing in preparation for storage, there are three primary factors to consider for best results.

1.                  Location:  Failure to choose a proper space can render items susceptible to Moths or moisture damage.  Location is key as an attic may become very hot during summer months.  Basements and garages tend to be damp.  The ideal place is dark, dry and relatively cool most of the time. Closets are the best option here, when it comes to store clothing. 
            Other places to consider for long-term storage may include the spaces underneath beds or stairwells. 
            
            Please note: These two options should only be used,  if you really can't store them in proper wardrobes (in closets).

2.                  Shelves or Hangers:  Now that you have the perfect location for storage, you have to decide how to store the items. Hanging is usually the best method for shirts, pants and anything else prone to wrinkles. Hang by their natural seams and do up any buttons or zippers. For heavy items such as coats or suits, use the extra hanging loops they generally have. 

Knitted items should never be hung as they will tend to lose their shape.  Instead fold them and place them into a container with the heaviest items on bottom and lightest on top.

If you cannot hang your other items, fold them and store in the same way as knitted items.

3.                  Containers:  Once you have the location in mind, it is equally as important to choose appropriate containers.  In areas prone to moisture and insects, plastic bags, garment bags or plastic boxes are not good options.  Instead use waterproof and airtight storage containers.

Many fabrics tend to expand and contract according to temperature.  If they are restricted the fabric can more quickly degrade. When storing in a low-risk area, breathable containers are a better option. Avoid cardboard boxes as they can attract these clothes eating moths but also other insects too. 

One of the best choices is a suitcase because it is breathable and lightweight, not to mention designed to hold clothing!  

Eliminate Clothes Moths Before Storing Clothes

Today we are going to discuss how to eliminating Moths in Clothing Before Storing Them ; Without Using Chemical Based Products

Before storing your cloth items, it is wise to eliminate any pests. Here on my blog i do describe moth problems and their solutions in homes.  Try to avoid using chemical-based detergents as these chemicals may not only harm the environment but the allergens or toxins that they may contain, too. The ingredients of them can be very  harmful to us humans but also to your beloved pets as well, if you let them wear fabrics too.  

So the longer you wait to clean and remove these substances, what are lying in your fabric the harder it will be to remove them, PLUS the health risks just related to that will also increase dramatically.

There are some effective natural ways to get rid of moths before putting items in storage.

1.                  Properly clean items with a natural base fragrance free detergent.  This will help remove mold, mildew spores or any insect eggs that may have been deposited in them. 

2.                  You can also mix together your own natural laundry detergent.  Some commonly used ingredients include baking soda, borax, castile or glycerin soap flakes and essential plant oils.  Following is a sample effective recipe:

16 cups of baking soda

12 cups of borax

8 cups of castile/glycerin soap flakes

3 tablespoons of essential oils. Popular choices include lavender, lemon and grapefruit.

3.                  Avoid using commercial fabric softeners as they may attract not only Moths in Clothing, but they may also effect your health too. An excellent alternative is vinegar.  Not only is it a wonder as a fabric softener, it will also help remove soap residue in washing machines.  Simply pour it in the laundry itself or through the softener dispenser.  If you want to add natural fragrances, consider using essential oils such as lavender, orange or peppermint. You can also use cedar or mountain pine oil what i use on a rotation basis.

4.                  If you suspect that cloth items may have been infested with eggs, put the items in a freezer bag and remove all the air.  Place the bag in the freezer for 48 hours, remove and let defrost for 24 hours and then return to the freezer to kill any remaining eggs and moth infested areas.

For a far more comprehensive list of moth removal remedies, please visit Rid Moths Naturally and
consider downloading my books.

Natural Methods of Controlling Household Moths

While moths may seem like harmless little creatures, they can, in fact, cause considerable damage to your cloth items.  People have been trying to control moths for thousands of years.  If not caught early, it can become very difficult to get rid of them.

While chemical insecticides are effective, they can also pose serious health risks to people.  As a way to provide a safer way to control moths, scientists have developed and are continuing to work on synthetic insecticides.  Although initially promoted as being a safer alternative, a number of health and environmental problems are now being attributed to their use such as certain types of cancers and nerve disorders, not to mention the potential to cause serious problems in aquatic eco-systems.

So what sort of natural alternatives can you use?

There are items that are easy to get hold of that can be effective in controlling moths that are natural and non-toxic. 

Cedar wood is a natural repellant and quite effective as is lavender.  If you do not have a cedar-lined closet or chest, you can pick up some cedar blocks or chips at the store and place them in the area that you want to protect.  While over time, cedar will lose its scent, it is easy enough to restore it.  Simply sand the cedar lightly or purchase a bottle of cedar oil and apply it to the wood. 

Filling sachets with dried lavender or cotton balls dipped in lavender oil and placing them in your closet or drawers will also be effective in warding off the months.

These two items are safe to use, inexpensive and can easily be either tucked in between layers or placed in sachets.  

My Advice: They do work most of the times, if you haven't a moth infestation yet! 

But if the little buggers have already established a nest in your pantry, closet, wardrobe or on your finest and most beautiful carpet there are different steps to take, as just having some repellents in place. 


What steps you should take immediately and much, much more on why you have a moth infestation, how to deal with them the most successful way you find out from my book on how to get rid of moths or stay tuned for my next blog post to find out more about, what's really going on, if moths do attack your home right now.  

When Moths Become Pests

Ask any person in the agricultural business about moths and you will surely get the sense that they are not considered good friends.   Moths are part of the order of Lepidoptera which forms the largest group of insects that feeds solely on plants.  Not all species of moths are a great threat, but those that are can cause significant damage. Daily egg production for one female moth can range anywhere between 200 to 30,000 eggs.   It is not difficult, therefore, to understand how an infestation of caterpillars can wipe out a large crop within a very short period.

And it is not just outside that moths can cause significant damage.  They can also do damage inside.  There are a number of species that can be a real pest in your home due to their penchant for munching on your fabric items including clothing, sheets, tablecloths and whatever else they can get to. These moths have a particular attraction to items manufactured from organic fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, wool and fur.

There are three species of moths that pose the most significant threat to cloth items.  These are known as the Common Clothes Moth, the Case-bearing Clothes Moth and the Carpet Moth.  As you can see, they are most appropriately named!

Now, how is it that certain types of insects have become adapted to a food source that is not actually found in their natural environment?   I guess you could say that necessity is the mother of adaptation.  These insects have developed through evolution a unique ability to turn keratin, the protein found in hair and wool, into food.  For this reason, cloth items that have been manufactured with animal fibers such as wool tend to be the most vulnerable.  

Chemical Insecticides for Moths

We’ve all done it – batted away those annoying insects and muttered all kinds of things when despite all the screens in the world, the buggers make their way into our homes.

It can seem like getting rid of them is a never-ending job.  It is, in fact, a constant battle.  We’ve tried all sorts of things to keep them out from the aforementioned screens to sealing every single crack we can find to maintaining garbage control.  Yet, they still seem to break through.

Enter insecticides.

Unlike pesticides which are used against any sort of pest, be it plant or animal, insecticides specifically target insects.

Now we come to the organic vs chemical insecticides.

Insecticide use has been around for thousands of years.  The first forms of insecticides were natural substances derived from plants including the tung oil plant, turnip flower and chrysanthemums.

The first known use of chemical insecticides occurred centuries ago when sulfur dusting was used to protect against mites.  By the time the 1400’s rolled around, arsenic and mercury were being used for insecticides.

Until the 1950’s, arsenic-based products dominated the market being replaced by chlorinated organic compounds like DDT which was then replaced in the1970’s by organophosphates and carbamates.  Negative environmental and health effects led to the development of synthetic pyrethroids derived from chrysanthemums and designed to mimic the insecticidal activity of the organic compound pyrethrum.  Still used today it is found in common bug sprays. 

Unfortunately synthetic pyrethroids pose health risks and have been implicated in the onset of Parkinson’s and certain types of cancers.  In addition they are associated with environmental risks.

What can you do if you don’t want to go the chemical route?

Natural substances that have been used to control some species of insects include garlic, wormwood and rhubarb.  Neem oil combined with castile soap has been found to be quite effective.  Nicotine, elder, thyme, sage and onion are all items which can be used as an alternative to might avoid an moth infestation as well.  

The good part is that these are all readily available.

P.S. I may not recommend that your remedies be as simple as those natural solutions list above -- as i know it's a combination of things that works best over time, but i am simply sharing some quick facts here.  For more detailed information on getting rid of moths, please visit my website and download our books.