How do you protect your fine wool items?

[fashionista-ta]

I don't have a cedar closet, and moth balls are out. (Not only are they poisonous but I cannot smell like my great-aunt.) I've bought those blocks of cedar on hangers before, but they don't seem to keep their scent for long. I've heard lavender works ... what do you guys do? I was thinking of maybe suspending lavender sachets from the hangers the wool things are on with ribbon ...

PS Hope this is the right spot for this ... none of the categories seemed quite right ...

 

[tott]

I also have some cedar blocks, a few hangers, shoe trees and a shoecare box in cedar wood. You can freshen the scent by sand papering the surface a little bit.

I also use lavender, in the form of these atm:

 

[PrinceOfCats]

If you have African clothes moths, like me, then moth balls etc will not work, just keep your wool under covers.

 

[BrothaG]

I have a few of those blocks but I don't even have a clue what moths look like. I heard they rarely appear here.

 

[tott]

I just saw something small crawl on a wool jacket in my closet! I have no idea what it was, I tried to kill it but it got away! I threw the jacket in the freezer and will keep it there for a day or so, hopefully it'll kill any possible spawns...

I just hope it's not something that will eat my wool/fur...!

I put in some more lavendar and hope it goes away. Or I'm screwed.

I'm so nervous, I'll have to check everything in there very closely!

 

[Fade to Black]

I never really paid much attention to caring for my wool items, which is probably a bad idea...reading this thread makes me kind of paranoid. I just put my sweaters in the drawer (slide out drawer), along with the rest of my t-shirts and stuff. For coats I just hang 'em.

 

[tott]

I'm a bit paranoid...

I don't like to keep things in closets that stand directly on the floor (I want them on legs), I don't really like walk-in closets. This is a walk-in closet...

The way I see it, creatures that eat wool/fur like darkness and they are often found inside walls, especially in old buildings. If you can keep clothes off the ground and away from walls, do it.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

I live in a Victorian house full of African moths. With floorstanding wadrobes.

I guess I'm not doing too well!

 

[yourbestfriend]

ive always wondered why the builders built this house with cedar planks along the bottoms of my moms closet!

 

[tott]

Now you know, cedar repels damaging insects...

 

[softgrey]

i think when my ex moved in...some moths moved in with him...
and when he left, they stayed...


**it's an ongoing battle between me and them...
those things make me crazy...!!

... ... ...

i have cedar on all my shelves...
i have the hanging cedar blocks between my wool coats, pants, skirts
and i keep my cashmere in cotton bags with cedar blocks in them over the warmer months...

now that it is time to pull out my sweaters...
i am terrified that the moths will come out of hiding...
and EAT my cosy cashmere!!!...

little bastards!!!...

 

[faust]

Put it in a safe.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

Put it in a safe.

Just make sure that there aren't moth eggs on anything you put in the safe...

 

[tott]

i think when my ex moved in...some moths moved in with him...
and when he left, they stayed...


**it's an ongoing battle between me and them...
those things make me crazy...!!

... ... ...

i have cedar on all my shelves...
i have the hanging cedar blocks between my wool coats, pants, skirts
and i keep my cashmere in cotton bags with cedar blocks in them over the warmer months...

now that it is time to pull out my sweaters...
i am terrified that the moths will come out of hiding...
and EAT my cosy cashmere!!!...

little bastards!!!...

softie, I know it's frustrating as well as nerve-wrecking, always being afraid of damage... Trust me!

I think cedar and lavendar works great as repellants, but if you already have bugs you need to get rid of them! The way I learnt it, bugs and eggs that might be in your clothes will die if you freeze the stuff for 3 days, or expose them to at least +55° C for one hour.

I'd suggest you try freezing/heat; obviously you have a lot of clothes and would need to treat them in small batches, but it's a sure way to know they are "safe". When you've frozen/heated clothes, put them in plastic bags or boxes or other tight containers while you empty out your closets. When the closets are empty, clean them really well and spray them with some long-lasting bug spray.

Refresh your cedar wood scent with a little bit of sand-papering and put your clothes back. Voila!

It's a lot of work, but peace of mind is worth it... Years ago, I had bugs eat hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of wool, including some irreplacable stuff, and I don't ever want that to happen again!

 

[fashionista-ta]

i think when my ex moved in...some moths moved in with him...
and when he left, they stayed...

Come back & get your little buggers Mr ExBF!!!!!!!!

They prolly knew they'd get much better stuff to eat at your house, that's why they stayed But you are bigger and smarter and longer-lived and you will win

 

[softgrey]

thanks for the info tott...
you are right...that's a lot of clothes and a lot of work......
and my freezer is FULL of FOOD...

...
but i will keep that in mind and see what can be done...

*thanks for the support ta-ta...
yes...!!
i am determined NOT to let them win!!!
...

...

 

[fashionista-ta]

softgrey, don't know how small your place is (but you do live in a city notorious for small living accommodations ) ... would an additional deepfreeze be an option? Perhaps you could even rent one temporarily if you don't want to keep it around, and that way you would have space, plus you wouldn't have to mix the clothes and the food ... You could buy a stack of Rubbermaid containers & rotate everything thru there ... Good luck, dahling

 

[softgrey]

OMG....
i really hope that it doesn't come to that~!...



**what if i just put stuff outside once it starts to get colder???....
i have a small deck out back...
and i could literally roll a rack of clothes out my back door...

that sounds MUCH easier!!!...
would that work??...

 

[softgrey]

so freezing means 32 degrees fahrenheit...
literally freezing tott?....

also...
maybe i could put stuff in the dryer to heat it for an hour...
the dryer gets really hot...

thoughts?...

 

[tott]

Actually, I heard it's -20° C, well below the 0° freezing point. I don't know how cold it gets in NY, but it would be really simple and convenient to just roll out the stuff on a balcony/terrace!

Dryer also sounds ideal, as long as it doesn't get too hot and damage any material!

I'm thinking a drying room/cabinet would be less stressful, that's what I'm doing 'cause my apt building has lots of them.