Here’s How to Prevent and Get Rid of Moths in Your Clothes
If you’ve ever gone to your wardrobe to grab your favorite silk shirt or merino wool sweater, only to find that it’s full of tiny holes and covered in bugs, you already know that a moth infestation in your clothes is no fun. So whether you had to learn the hard way or you want to avoid living through this lesson, here’s an easy-to-follow guide for how to prevent moths from eating your clothes in the first place. Plus, we’ll also cover how to get rid of moths in clothes if they’ve already moved in.
As with any property damaging issue, prevention is usually preferable to the cure (which in this case may involve having to throw out and replace your clothing). So it makes sense to consider how to prevent moths using the best pest repellents before we deal with how to get rid of them. However, if you already know you have a moth problem, you may find it useful to skip ahead to the most relevant section. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s included in the article:
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How to prevent moths from eating your clothes
How to Identify a moth infestation in clothes
How to get rid of moths in clothes
While it may not be any comfort to someone whose clothes have already been ruined, some may find it interesting to know it’s not actually adult moths that are responsible for destroying your clothing. The guilty party is newly hatched larvae which love nothing better than snacking on natural fibers, such as silk, wool, cashmere and fur.
How to Prevent Moths From Eating Your Clothes
As moths enjoy neither light nor airy environments, a good strategy to keep them away from clothing is to regularly air things out and move clothes on a regular basis. From the opposite end of this approach, it’s also a good idea to avoid creating dark, warm and humid spaces. Moths also love dirty clothing, with food and sweat stains on clothes being particular favorites. With this in mind, the best way to prevent moths is to:
Air clothing on a regular basis
Always wash clothes before storing them
Avoid storing clothes in dark, warm and humid spaces
Install scented products (e.g. cedar, lavender and cloves) to deter moths
Here is a selection of top-rated products which will help you keep those pesky pests at bay.
CEDAR HOME Cedar Hyde Cedar Blocks
BEST CEDAR RINGS
This 40-piece set is made up of 30 cedar rings and 10 cedar balls. This variety means you’ve got cedar wood pieces that can easily be installed on hangers, in drawers and on shelves. Once in place, these cedar wood additions repel uninvited guests, prevent mustiness from building up and produce a pleasant fragrance in your clothing and the surrounding areas. The balls and rings are also made in the USA from 100% natural red cedar wood, using no additional chemicals in the production process.
CEDAR HOME Cedar Hyde Cedar Blocks
Price: $18.99 (orig. $29.99) 37% OFF
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Woolite Delicates Hypoallergenic Liquid Laundry Detergent
BEST DETERGENT
One of the best and most reliable ways to keep moths out of your clothes is to keep them clean. When it comes to washing your clothes, especially delicate materials like wool, satin, silk and cashmere, you can rely on this Woolite Delicates Hypoallergenic Liquid Laundry Detergent. The detergent features a hypoallergenic formula that is gentle on skin, hands and clothes. It also comes backed by more than 2,400 five-star ratings from Amazon users.
Woolite Delicates Hypoallergenic Liquid Laundry Detergent
Spacesaver Vacuum Storage Bags
BEST FOR LONG-TERM STORAGE
Storing clothing in these Spacesaver Vacuum Storage Bags puts a physical barrier between any potential clothes-eating pests and your valuable belongings. While not overly convenient for items you wear regularly, the bag’s airtight environment is particularly handy when storing clothes for longer periods, and all without wasting any space. The bags come in a range of different sizes and pack numbers. Plus, they have received more than 60,000 five-star ratings from Amazon users who love what they can do.
Spacesaver Vacuum Storage Bags
Price: $49.99 (orig. $54.99) 9% OFF
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IRIS USA WeatherPro Plastic Storage Containers
BEST CONTAINERS
These IRIS USA WeatherPro Plastic Storage Containers can create a weathertight, vacuum-like environment to keep your clothing away from hungry mouths. The USA-made boxes, which are available in sizes ranging from 26.5 to 70 quartz, sport secure latches, so they remain securely closed. They also feature a stackable design to optimize space during storage. Additionally, if you don’t need them for clothes, these versatile boxes can be used for other storage needs, including documents, food, hunting gear and tools.
IRIS USA WeatherPro Plastic Storage Containers
MothPrevention Powerful Moth Traps
BEST TRAPS
These MothPrevention Powerful Moth Traps come recommended by proven and long-standing specialists in dealing with moths. Each of the three traps included in every pack houses a removable and replaceable pheromone board. This board helps to repel and prevent moths from closets, clothing, home textiles and carpet for up to three months. The stink-free, German-made natural moth traps also use no highly flammable or dangerous chemicals, unlike some of the alternative methods available online.
MothPrevention Powerful Moth Traps
How to Identify a Moth Infestation in Clothes
What does a clothes moth infestation actually look like? If you’re going to get rid of moths in your clothes, doing it before it becomes more serious is preferable. For this reason, knowing how to spot that you have a problem early makes a big difference. Yes, seeing holes in your clothes is a surefire way to know you have a problem. But by this time the clothes may already be ruined and the battle already lost. To help you spot a moth infestation early, look out for one or more of these common signs:
The presence of tiny tubes on/in fabrics (larvae casings)
Excessively shedding fur items
Crusty deposits on surfaces
Adult moths, pupae or eggs
Small holes in materials
How to Get Rid of Moths in Clothes
If you’ve found the telltale signs of a moth infestation and need to act quickly to save what you can and prevent any other casualties, Here are the key things to do:
Remove Heavily Infested Items – Sometimes there’s just no saving them after damage
Clean Remaining Clothing – Dry cleaning and cleaning in water above 120 °F is the most effective way to kill moths, larvae and eggs
Vacuum Out Your CloseIt – Ensure everything is removed and sucked up
Call the Professionals – If nothing you’ve tried is working, it is a worthwhile last resort
Here are some of our favorite products for ridding your clothes of moths.
Dr. Killigan’s Premium Clothing Moth Traps
BEST GLUE TRAPS
Dr. Killigan’s Premium Clothing Moth Traps are a great way to prevent and deal with moth infestations. To install them in your home, simply open, peel and fold each trap, before either sitting it on a surface or hanging it from above using the built-in hook. Using an advanced formula, these non-toxic traps attract unwelcome guests and remove them from the environment. Each pack of six traps also comes in either black or white and has the backing of more than 2,500 five-star ratings from Amazon customers.
Dyson V11 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
BEST VACUUM
There are vacuums, and then there are vacuums. With their smart designs, powerful suction power and long-standing reputation as the best on the market, the best Dyson vacuums definitely fall into this second category. The Dyson V11 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is a stick vacuum that ticks all the right boxes. In addition to more than 4,500 five-star ratings, this popular vacuum offers 20% more Suction Power than the Previous Dyson Cyclone V10 Vacuum and features a Dynamic Load Sensor (DLS), which actively adjusts suction for the type of carpet it’s on.
Dyson V11 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Price: $639.00 (orig. $769.00) 17% OFF
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Enoz Para Moth Balls
BEST MOTH BALLS
If you’ve decided to go the mouth ball route to deal with your pest problem, these Enoz Para Moth Balls are a reliable and popular answer. With more than 4,500 five-star ratings, you can be confident that the balls are capable of killing moths, moth eggs and moth larvae. Because of their toxic nature, the balls are only useful in enclosed environments or airtight containers, such as in closets, garment bags, enclosed or plastic storage boxes.
Enoz Para Moth Balls
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