March 19th, 2020 by Sarah Miles

If you’re finding that you have unexplained holes in your clothes, it could be that you have a moth infestation and the critters have been munching their way through your wardrobe. In actual fact, it’s not the moths themselves that have been eating your clothes, it’s the larvae as they only have mouths during this larval, or caterpillar, stage. Not that this fine detail will be any consolation to you when your favourite cashmere jumper is ruined.

How do moths get into your clothes?

The process starts with female moths depositing their eggs onto a piece of clothing that she’s particularly attracted to. Moths like specific types of fabric; predominantly animal fibres that contain keratin. This includes silk, wool, cashmere, angora and fur. It can also include synthetic fibres that are mixed with animal fibres.

They also really like sweat and food stains so a previously worn wool jumper is like a gourmet meal to them! Unlike regular moths, clothes moths are not attracted to light and actually prefer dark areas so wardrobes and drawers make ideal spaces for them.

How can you get rid of clothes moths?

Not only is the idea of moth larvae living in your clothes pretty grim, but the resulting damage done to your clothes is no laughing matter either. It’s best to take a multi-faceted approach to eradicate them, taking several measures at once. These should include:

Keeping clothes really clean

While, of course, we’re not suggesting that your clothes are dirty, we also understand with something like cashmere or pure wool jumper that requires careful hand washing or even dry cleaning, it may not be practical to wash it after every wear. Unfortunately, any kind of sweat residue on these fabrics could potentially attract moths to it so we’d recommend that you wash them every time or protect them in some kind of clothes bag that moths can’t penetrate.

Items that can be machine washed should be washed on the highest temperature setting their care labels allow to kill any moth larvae.

Don’t stuff wardrobes and drawers

Closet space may be at a premium but cramming lots of items into wardrobes and drawers will create perfect conditions for moths to reproduce. Consider sorting your clothes for the season and packing away items you’re not likely to wear until the weather changes.

Use a smoke fumer

Smoke ‘em out! An insect-killing smoke fumer can get to insects in all areas of the room including the nooks and crannies that you won’t be able to reach. A Fortefog smoke fumer is a great product to use and will also eradicate other pests such as bedbugs and fleas. Follow the instructions on the packet (note that you will have to vacate this area for several hours).

Mini Fumer 3.5g

Using a Fortefog fumer enables a user to target pests hidden away from view. Bed Bugs and fleas are often found in cracks in walls, seams in carpets and lampshades and by using this fogger, the smoke can access these areas that are simply impossible for humans to see or reach.

Price: £13.98

Buy Now

Spray them

You can also get moth killer sprays which you can spray directly onto clothes and carpets. Xterminate Clothes Moth Killer Spray is a good example. They won’t stain and they don’t have an odour to humans.

Use a hanging moth proofer

A hanging moth proofer, such as Zensect Hanging Moth Proofer, is an item that you hang on the rail in your wardrobe amongst your clothes and that contains a pesticide to kill any moths and their larvae. You can also place them in drawers. Clothes don’t come into direct contact with the pesticide and it actually gives them a delicate lavender fragrance. They last for around 6 months and then should be replaced. This is where clearing out your clothes helps as the extra space allows the pesticide to circulate better and is, therefore, more effective.

Keep up with your moth-proofing regime

All of the above measures are great ways of getting rid of moths but they are not one-off treatments and do need to be maintained to continue to keep the critters at bay. Otherwise, you could see them making a return