Clothing moths or something else?
August 29, 2022 10:06 AM Subscribe
I pulled out a couple of cashmere sweaters yesterday and discovered that the halo is missing on a couple of small, irregularly-shaped spots on the torso on both of them, the yarn appears to be okay. I didn't see any other evidence of moths or other insects. What caused this damage? How do I fix these sweaters and protect my other wool sweaters?
Sweaters are infrequently worn, but in a drawer that is regularly opened and stuff gets moved around in. No previous evidence of moth problems anywhere I've lived or in wool socks in the same dresser. Do I just freeze everything and clean out the drawers for safety and call it good?
Sweaters are infrequently worn, but in a drawer that is regularly opened and stuff gets moved around in. No previous evidence of moth problems anywhere I've lived or in wool socks in the same dresser. Do I just freeze everything and clean out the drawers for safety and call it good?
Response by poster: Yeah, no sign of anything unusual in the drawer, nothing but the clean clothes with damage.
posted by momus_window at 12:02 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by momus_window at 12:02 PM on August 29, 2022
Best answer: This does sound like moth damage (or carpet beetles) - but caught at an early stage, when they just started "grazing" on the surface of the fabric. They don't usually like clean clothes all that much though, so that's weird.
You could test the theory by buying moth traps — I put one of these in my closet after seeing 1-2 moths around the house but strangely, no larvae or evidence of damage to any items even upon thorough inspection. The trap caught a handful of additional moths, so I guess they were eating ... something (ambient cat hair? still haven't figured it out).
I am a paranoid textile artist with a serious sweater collection, btw, so while I hope freezing is sufficient I also will provide advice if you need to go nuclear: upon initial moth discovery I 1) hand washed or dry cleaned all protein fibers (wool/silk) 2) vacuumed out the closet with the crevice tool 3) bought some new airtight sweater boxes and 4) sprayed the closet area with Temprid insectide which is decently safe for humans/cats.
This fully eliminated the moth issue for me, but I am keeping the moth traps as an early warning method in case they come back ;)
posted by sparkling at 5:06 PM on August 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
You could test the theory by buying moth traps — I put one of these in my closet after seeing 1-2 moths around the house but strangely, no larvae or evidence of damage to any items even upon thorough inspection. The trap caught a handful of additional moths, so I guess they were eating ... something (ambient cat hair? still haven't figured it out).
I am a paranoid textile artist with a serious sweater collection, btw, so while I hope freezing is sufficient I also will provide advice if you need to go nuclear: upon initial moth discovery I 1) hand washed or dry cleaned all protein fibers (wool/silk) 2) vacuumed out the closet with the crevice tool 3) bought some new airtight sweater boxes and 4) sprayed the closet area with Temprid insectide which is decently safe for humans/cats.
This fully eliminated the moth issue for me, but I am keeping the moth traps as an early warning method in case they come back ;)
posted by sparkling at 5:06 PM on August 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
Cedar oil can be applied to the lining of the drawer or a washcloth. It doesn't kill moths but discourages them, and it smells clean and pleasant
posted by theora55 at 6:33 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by theora55 at 6:33 PM on August 29, 2022
Response by poster: I emptied out my sock drawer and found a husk of a carpet beetle and a few insect legs in the lint, so, yep, it’s bugs. Everything susceptible is double bagged in plastic. I got some mystery insect bites apparently while I was sleeping a few months ago*, so going to treat the bedroom and hopefully be done with creepy crawlers for a bit. Thanks for the Temprid rec. Also considering getting a Seresto collar for my cat in hopes of making the ambient cat hair less hospitable.
* not bedbugs, I know how to look for bedbugs, nobody needs to tell me your horror stories, I promise
posted by momus_window at 8:26 PM on August 29, 2022
* not bedbugs, I know how to look for bedbugs, nobody needs to tell me your horror stories, I promise
posted by momus_window at 8:26 PM on August 29, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:35 AM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]