How to Store Clothes Through the Off Season
How to Store Clothes Through the Off Season
Moths do not eat clean wool. They cannot. That one fact solves most of this.
Every year somebody pulls a sweater out in October and finds a hole in it. The frustrating part is that this is almost entirely preventable, and the fix is not the one most people reach for.
It Is Not the Moths
The adult moth does not eat anything. It has no working mouth. Its entire job is to lay eggs.
The larvae do the damage. They are small pale caterpillars with dark heads, and they feed on keratin, the protein in wool, cashmere, silk, and fur. It is also the protein in human hair and skin, which is a large part of household dust, which is why closets are their favorite room.
The Fact That Does the Work
Larvae cannot complete their development on clean wool. They need vitamins and salts that are only present in soiling. Perspiration, food, drink, body oils.
So a clean garment is not appetizing and a worn one is. That single fact is most of moth prevention. Everything below is detail.
Two Species, Two Signs
The webbing clothes moth is the common one in the United States. Its larvae spin silk tubes across the surface they are feeding on and hide inside them.
The casemaking clothes moth makes a small portable case out of the fibers it is eating and drags it around.
You know a hole is moth work rather than a snag when you find gritty debris and web or case material nearby. The eggs are cream colored and pinhead sized, laid in clusters down in the folds and seams.
How to Put Things Away
Clean everything first. Not most of it. Everything. One worn piece is enough to feed a generation.
Vacuum the closet and the drawers before you refill them, including the corners and the baseboards, then empty the vacuum outside.
Store in sealed containers or good bags with no punctures. Cardboard boxes are not sealed and neither is an open shelf.
If you suspect anything, freeze it. Take the item from room temperature straight to zero degrees Fahrenheit and leave it seventy two hours after it has reached temperature. The abrupt change is what kills the eggs.
Fold heavy knits rather than hanging them. Weight plus a hanger equals shoulders that never recover.
The Cedar Argument
Cedar is the traditional answer and it is not as strong as people believe.
Cedar oil has some repellent effect when it is fresh, and it fades. Entomologists who deal with infestations for a living report finding them inside cedar closets. There is also a view that cedar oil is acidic enough to be unkind to fine wool over long periods.
Use cedar if you like the smell. Do not use it instead of cleaning and sealing.
Through the Season
For pieces in regular rotation, shake them out or brush them before they go back on the hanger. A vigorous brushing outdoors in sunlight, particularly around the cuffs and the collar, does real work.
Clothes worth keeping are worth ten minutes in April.
A Way Of Life.
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