How to Get Rid of Moths

Moths have the most uncanny ability don't they, to spot your absolute favourite clothes. And devour them!

We had the little pests in the old house where they munched through not only my best pullovers but also most of my t-shirts.

Two years ago we made a momentous move all the way over the street and somehow managed to leave our clothes-munching friends behind.

But now they are back and demonstrating again their great taste in everything best loved.

So I am on a mission to get them under control and have put together a list of all the tips I could find on how to get rid of them.

We're pretty good at keeping on top of the laundry as we do a laundry load every day and did manage to spring clean most of the soft furnishings and bed linen.

But - because we haven't had them in the last few years - I haven't been vigilant about cedar balls and lavender and herb bags, (which is pretty silly as most of our front garden is given over to herbs).

I also haven't made sure that clothes and bed linen that don't get used much are kept in air tight bags and containers.

The damage the moths cause can work out incredibly expensive so I'm working through the whole list. If you've got more tips do add them to the list ... and if you've got posts on getting rid of other posts, do link them up at the bottom of the post.

Tips to Get Rid of Moths

1. Don't put dirty clothes back in wardrobes & cupboards
2. Wash infected clothes, bed linens & furnishings in a hot wash (50c/120f) if you can
3. Wrap infected fabrics you can't hot wash in plastic & store in the freezer for 24 hours
4. Dry clothes etc in sunlight which moths hate
5. Empty out cupboards & drawers regularly & shake out clothes exposing them to light
6. In general I iron as little as possible but it can kill larvae in infected fabrics 
7. Cedar balls can kill small moth larvae but they need to be replaced regularly
8. Hang all woollens in air tight storage bags
9. Keep an old woollie you don't mind them eating in wardrobe so eat that not good stuff 
10. Put lavender bags in all clothes, linen & furnishing storage
11. Create mint bags from dried mint leaves & use like lavender bags  
12. Create rosemary & bags with dried rosemary & thyme plus cloves & ginseng
13. Replace any natural remedies after 3 to 4 months as will cease to work over time
14. Vacuum regularly where dust collects e.g. under furniture, on top of wardrobes, skirting/base boards
15. Empty vacuum bag frequently as larvae may breed inside it
16. Vacuum any infected storage and wash out with soapy water which kills larvae
17. Store seasonal clothes, bed linen & furnishings clean in plastic storage that can be totally sealed
18. Don't store clothes & fabric items that you're no longer using - get rid of them
19. Do a load of laundry every day so don't breed in dirty clothes
20. Don't put off dry cleaning clothes
21. Open windows whenever you can to keep air fresh
22. Thoroughly hot wash, freeze or dry-clean anything you buy second hand
23. Hang rugs out on washing line regularly and beat them to dislodge larvae
24. Vacuum sofas and chairs regularly 

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And if you're looking for more pest control tips check out these ideas from the Mommy Archive ...

More Pest Control Tips