... with a smol laundry capsule free trial.
Finding tiny holes in your clothing?
Or thinning bits of carpet where the base shows through?
You may be dealing with a clothes or carpet moth infestation. Two names for one pesky insect with a taste for woollens, fur, dead skin cells or even hair.
We’ll call them clothes moths in this blog but whatever name is used they all cause the same chaos… chewed-up clothes and carpets. And if they’re left to eat at will, the damage can be beyond repair. Replacement may be the only option… it’s an expensive dinner.
moths without mouths?
There are 2 varieties of moth that will eat your clothes, soft furnishings and carpets.
- The case-bearing clothes moth (tinea pellionella)
- The webbing clothes moth (tineola bisselliell)
The adults we spy flying about, don’t do the damage… they can’t eat and don’t have mouth parts; their larvae are the ones to blame. A female moth lays over 200 eggs on her fabric of choice… think undisturbed woollen carpet beneath the sofa, or your best cashmere jumper that’s at the back of your wardrobe. And the larvae hatch in a couple of weeks or less.
hungry babies.
In the beginning they’re just 1mm long and burrow into your clothes, so you don’t see them. After 3 - 9 months they mature into adults and all that time they are eating. Whilst they don’t eat quickly, if you’ve got a lot of them, they will certainly make an impact.
What they’re after is the keratin in wool and fur but they’ll settle for old pet hair or dead skin cells in synthetic fabric or carpets. Anything that’s 100% cotton is safe as that doesn’t contain keratin BUT if your cottons are blended with animal fibres, they are vulnerable to attack.
let’s fight back.
Getting rid of clothes moths naturally, without resorting to toxic insecticides, CAN be done but you need to be persistent.
1. regular washing.
The boom in vintage clothes buying online may be partly responsible for the spread of clothes moths in recent years. ALWAYS wash clothing or fabric that you buy second hand before adding them to your wardrobe.
If you already own clothing you think is infested, wash them at the highest recommended temperature according to the clothing care label with a good quality high efficiency detergent like smol laundry capsules. Make sure the cycle is at least 30 mins long and if you’re handwashing items (often the case with woollens) make sure to include a long soak.
Don’t forget, if you are handwashing, smol laundry liquid is super concentrated, with just 3-4 pumps needed per sink load. Added to this it’s refillable so there’s no single-use plastic bottles and it’s a no-brainer for washing laundry by hand.
2. get some sun.
This option works well in the summer months.
Hanging your clothes (or infested rugs) out in the hot sunshine in black bin bags or in a closed up car on a hot day (29°C or hotter) for 4 hours should kill off the larvae as they cannot handle high heats. You can then brush them off outside to remove any physical remains and let the clothes air in bright sunlight for a little.
3. or chill out.
The larvae also can’t handle the cold. So popping your clothing in a freezer at -7°C for 3 days can kill off an infestation.
4. vinegar spritz.
Vinegar is a great natural moth remover. It changes the pH levels of a surface to an acidic environment that eggs or larvae cannot survive. You can apply white vinegar as a spray - just fill a clean spray bottle with a half water, half vinegar solution and then apply to carpets or clothing. You can spray most fabrics (even woollens) with this solution without fear of damage, but don’t use it on silks or suede.
5. vacuum.
If you’re worried about carpets you’ll need to vacuum meticulously so every adult, larvae and egg is removed. You’ll also want to do this in any wardrobes where clothes are infested and there is carpet on the floor that’s made from wool or is a wool blend. Some carpets are safe to steam clean and of course the heat from this will also kill any insects.
6. diatomaceous earth.
Any chicken owners out there will know this one! It’s a naturally occurring fine dusty powder that comes from the ocean floor and is great for keeping down chicken mites! It dries them out by absorbing all the oils from their exoskeletons! And it will do the same to any insect including those pesky moths.
ongoing repellents.
Obviously the best way to guard against moth damage is to not let them establish a home in the first place and there are several natural plants we can all use that will deter these insects all year round.
- Cedarwood. Hang bags of cedarwood chips in your wardrobe.
- Mint. Use bags of dried mint leaves or peppermint oil onto cotton wool.
- Eucalyptus oil on a cloth or cotton ball, or if you have the leaves use them.
- Thyme and lavender dried and stuffed into a bag will also repel moths.
With any of these repellents - don’t forget to replace and replenish them every few months once the fragrance starts to fade. And remember, vigilance is key to an early discovery before they get to do their worst!
GET STARTED
... with a smol laundry capsule free trial.
