Can I protect a one precious sweater from moths?
March 10, 2023 9:24 AM Subscribe
I covet a wool/cashmere sweater. It is about 3x more than what I would usually pay for a sweater. However we have (had?) a moth problem. Should I not buy this sweater? If I do, what can I do to protect this one sweater from moths?
We gave up trying to do anything about the moths years ago and stopped buying anything wool. This is a low-level/on-the-trivial-end-of-things source of sadness. I haven't seen any sign of moths in a few years, but sometimes we pull something out that hasn't been worn in a while and there are moth holes. I don't know if they're old or new moth holes.
If I buy the sweater--again, expensive--and the INSTANT I take it off I put in a zippered plastic sweater storage bag, and always keep it in there when I'm not wearing it, do you think it has a chance at surviving for a few years? I have one remaining very nice wool sweater (had for ten years) that is miraculously un-chewed. I don't take any special care of it aside from dry cleaning once a year. I miss my nice sweater collection.
We gave up trying to do anything about the moths years ago and stopped buying anything wool. This is a low-level/on-the-trivial-end-of-things source of sadness. I haven't seen any sign of moths in a few years, but sometimes we pull something out that hasn't been worn in a while and there are moth holes. I don't know if they're old or new moth holes.
If I buy the sweater--again, expensive--and the INSTANT I take it off I put in a zippered plastic sweater storage bag, and always keep it in there when I'm not wearing it, do you think it has a chance at surviving for a few years? I have one remaining very nice wool sweater (had for ten years) that is miraculously un-chewed. I don't take any special care of it aside from dry cleaning once a year. I miss my nice sweater collection.
Moths love quiet, dark places to lay eggs, so I would suggest storing it in a closet or drawer you use frequently instead of putting it away somewhere hidden. Maybe even shake it out occasionally. I find that clothes I wear frequently don't get moth holes, whereas the ones I leave in an undisturbed corner of the closet do.
If you put it away in a plastic bag, I think it's best to do so only after the annual dry cleaning to avoid any mustiness that could attract moths. It should be a vacuum-sealed bag; the regular zipper storage bags, I find, still let moths in.
Also, freezing temperatures supposedly kill moth eggs, so you could go an extra step and put the sweater in the freezer occasionally.
I feel your pain - every single one of my expensive sweaters had moth holes one year when I pulled them out for winter (after I moved to a new place and not being used to worrying about moths). I've been overly diligent in protecting my sweaters since then.
posted by ersatzhuman at 9:54 AM on March 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you put it away in a plastic bag, I think it's best to do so only after the annual dry cleaning to avoid any mustiness that could attract moths. It should be a vacuum-sealed bag; the regular zipper storage bags, I find, still let moths in.
Also, freezing temperatures supposedly kill moth eggs, so you could go an extra step and put the sweater in the freezer occasionally.
I feel your pain - every single one of my expensive sweaters had moth holes one year when I pulled them out for winter (after I moved to a new place and not being used to worrying about moths). I've been overly diligent in protecting my sweaters since then.
posted by ersatzhuman at 9:54 AM on March 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
tl;dr yes, I think if you wear the sweater frequently, always store it in an actually airtight container, and don't store it while dirty for months on end you will be fine.
This is a bit extra, but I am a fiber artist and textile enthusiast and therefore a moth HATER. I grew up in an old house in a swampy climate with bad moth issues and after many years of not thinking about moths, moved into an apartment with some preexisting moths. Here's my anti-moth regimen:
1. Aggressively vacuum out the closet and all its dark crevices. I also have wool carpets and tapestries so took the time to vacuum those front and back. Shaking them out outdoors and airing/sunning them would probably be better but I live in an apartment and don't have space to do that.
2. Sticky moth trap - primarily for data on how well my other interventions are working. I read that if you have too many you can actually attract moths from other people's apartments that were minding their own business eating their sweaters so I only have one, in the closet where I store my woolens. I replace every three months.
3. Better living through chemistry - Temprid Ready-To-Spray insecticide seemed dangerous enough to moths but safe enough to use in my house (I keep cats out of the room while spraying and until dry). I treat the corners of my closet and the edges of my wool carpets once or twice a year. Also useful for other horrible things (spring ant infestations).
4. An actually airtight plastic bin - IRIS Weathertight Storage Box. I have purchased other "sweater boxes" that don't actually seal. For off-season storage, I put sweaters in here with cedar blocks that I refresh every year with cedar oil from the Vermont Country Store. I also put my most beloved sweater in a cotton bag inside the sealed box in hopes of further deterrence - moths don't usually like to eat through non-protein fibers.
5. Keep sweaters clean, wear them often, don't store dirty sweaters for the off-season - despite being kind of a sweater psycho as described above, in the winter I just leave my sweaters out and wear them often. I think moths are more dormant in the cold and the act of wearing the sweaters/shaking them/getting them out in the light and air prevents moths from taking hold. I try to spot clean/alcohol spray if any food gets on them or if they're particularly sweaty as moths will often nibble the stanky spots, and always clean before putting away for the summer.
A lot of people on the internet were like "you are never getting rid of moths" - I remember a particularly horrible NYT article about rich people's cashmere sweaters - but I jumped into action upon seeing the first couple moths in my new apartment and this routine meant that 1) nothing I cared about actually got holes - they may be eating dust or cat hair from 1943 or whatever but my sweaters are unscathed - and 2) after about a year, my moth traps catch 0-1 moths per 3 months of use. There is hope!
posted by sparkling at 10:08 AM on March 10, 2023 [17 favorites]
This is a bit extra, but I am a fiber artist and textile enthusiast and therefore a moth HATER. I grew up in an old house in a swampy climate with bad moth issues and after many years of not thinking about moths, moved into an apartment with some preexisting moths. Here's my anti-moth regimen:
1. Aggressively vacuum out the closet and all its dark crevices. I also have wool carpets and tapestries so took the time to vacuum those front and back. Shaking them out outdoors and airing/sunning them would probably be better but I live in an apartment and don't have space to do that.
2. Sticky moth trap - primarily for data on how well my other interventions are working. I read that if you have too many you can actually attract moths from other people's apartments that were minding their own business eating their sweaters so I only have one, in the closet where I store my woolens. I replace every three months.
3. Better living through chemistry - Temprid Ready-To-Spray insecticide seemed dangerous enough to moths but safe enough to use in my house (I keep cats out of the room while spraying and until dry). I treat the corners of my closet and the edges of my wool carpets once or twice a year. Also useful for other horrible things (spring ant infestations).
4. An actually airtight plastic bin - IRIS Weathertight Storage Box. I have purchased other "sweater boxes" that don't actually seal. For off-season storage, I put sweaters in here with cedar blocks that I refresh every year with cedar oil from the Vermont Country Store. I also put my most beloved sweater in a cotton bag inside the sealed box in hopes of further deterrence - moths don't usually like to eat through non-protein fibers.
5. Keep sweaters clean, wear them often, don't store dirty sweaters for the off-season - despite being kind of a sweater psycho as described above, in the winter I just leave my sweaters out and wear them often. I think moths are more dormant in the cold and the act of wearing the sweaters/shaking them/getting them out in the light and air prevents moths from taking hold. I try to spot clean/alcohol spray if any food gets on them or if they're particularly sweaty as moths will often nibble the stanky spots, and always clean before putting away for the summer.
A lot of people on the internet were like "you are never getting rid of moths" - I remember a particularly horrible NYT article about rich people's cashmere sweaters - but I jumped into action upon seeing the first couple moths in my new apartment and this routine meant that 1) nothing I cared about actually got holes - they may be eating dust or cat hair from 1943 or whatever but my sweaters are unscathed - and 2) after about a year, my moth traps catch 0-1 moths per 3 months of use. There is hope!
posted by sparkling at 10:08 AM on March 10, 2023 [17 favorites]
In addition to liking secluded, undisturbed locations, moths also preferentially damage *dirty* natural fibers. So the worst case scenario is putting away an unwashed sweater at the end of the winter and not touching it until it's cold again.
If you're not already comfortable doing so, get some wool wash (something like Eucalan or Kookaburra) and try hand-washing, blocking and drying your woolens rather than dry cleaning. IMO this gets sweaters much cleaner and is a better defense against moths than dry cleaning. It's also (at least for me) cheaper and more convenient, so I'm much more likely to do it. It's also possible the essential oils added to the wool washes--usually lavender, eucalyptus or tea tree--help to deter moths, but that's just speculation. Definitely practice on something that isn't your absolute best, but once you've used to doing it, it's almost certain the cashmere sweater can be safely washed by hand in water.
I also try to shift the woolens at least once during the warm season to make sure they're ok. And, yes, as other folks have noticed, keep the general area clean. I'm pretty sure moths are happy to live off things like dust bunnies and shed skin cells/sebum, so keeping these down will help to suppress the baseline population that's present and willing to move into a sweater.
posted by pullayup at 10:19 AM on March 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you're not already comfortable doing so, get some wool wash (something like Eucalan or Kookaburra) and try hand-washing, blocking and drying your woolens rather than dry cleaning. IMO this gets sweaters much cleaner and is a better defense against moths than dry cleaning. It's also (at least for me) cheaper and more convenient, so I'm much more likely to do it. It's also possible the essential oils added to the wool washes--usually lavender, eucalyptus or tea tree--help to deter moths, but that's just speculation. Definitely practice on something that isn't your absolute best, but once you've used to doing it, it's almost certain the cashmere sweater can be safely washed by hand in water.
I also try to shift the woolens at least once during the warm season to make sure they're ok. And, yes, as other folks have noticed, keep the general area clean. I'm pretty sure moths are happy to live off things like dust bunnies and shed skin cells/sebum, so keeping these down will help to suppress the baseline population that's present and willing to move into a sweater.
posted by pullayup at 10:19 AM on March 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I put each sweater into a plastic ziploc bag and seal it, sometimes then stick it in the freezer to kill any eggs or ninja moths. Haven't had any issues since I started doing that. I tend to only store them in bags over the summer when they aren't being used.
posted by Dynex at 10:47 AM on March 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Dynex at 10:47 AM on March 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have a nice antique bookcase in my bedroom and store all my sweaters on it, exposed to the light. I know I have moths because I have had two sweaters get holes, but all the rest have been okay for years and years, so I conclude that my storage system is at least helping.
posted by HotToddy at 11:10 AM on March 10, 2023
posted by HotToddy at 11:10 AM on March 10, 2023
I basically only wear free pile or thrifted clothes. I still end up with nice cashmere sweaters because they get a moth hole or two and then get the boot. So yes, I think there are a lot of moths out in the world read to eat your sweater so I can give it a darn or two and wear it for years.
(I don't seem to acquire moth holes. My techniques include: darn moth holes and don't care about moths. Also I don't have very many clothes so they don't sit in a pantry or wherever moths come from for long periods of time. Washing machines do make holes though.)
posted by aniola at 11:59 AM on March 10, 2023
(I don't seem to acquire moth holes. My techniques include: darn moth holes and don't care about moths. Also I don't have very many clothes so they don't sit in a pantry or wherever moths come from for long periods of time. Washing machines do make holes though.)
posted by aniola at 11:59 AM on March 10, 2023
Iris weathertights are the way. I'm pretty sure I still have a moth population (they are very hard to eradicate), but my sweaters and wool suits and such haven't taken much damage in a while because I'm paranoid about using them. Note: over the long term for lots of natural-fiber items this gets to be an inconvenient pain in the butt (the boxes are bulky and it's hard to keep track of where everything is), but if you're talking about a handful of cherished sweaters, it's not so complicated. Also, keeping the items clean is extremely important. Moths will even eat rayon with a nice "condiment" of a spill, as I've come to learn to my great sadness.
posted by praemunire at 2:55 PM on March 10, 2023
posted by praemunire at 2:55 PM on March 10, 2023
A secret about moth eggs is that they survive cold quite well. What they cannot survive is heat above 200 degrees F for 20 minutes.
So any new wool that comes in gets a nice toasty kitchen oven visit on a Very Clean baking sheet.
posted by bilabial at 4:42 PM on March 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
So any new wool that comes in gets a nice toasty kitchen oven visit on a Very Clean baking sheet.
posted by bilabial at 4:42 PM on March 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
I have stupid moths. I put my animal fiber sweaters/accessories and knitting yarn into Ziploc bags and then into covered plastic storage bins. All the sweaters and scarves get washed before being put away for the summer.
I would not trust a zippered plastic sweater storage bag, because I think the moths can get in through small spaces around the zipper.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 5:41 PM on March 10, 2023
I would not trust a zippered plastic sweater storage bag, because I think the moths can get in through small spaces around the zipper.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 5:41 PM on March 10, 2023
Vacuum storage bags have to be airtight. I probably wouldn't actually vacuum-pack them, though, since the compression can affect the loft and wrinklage of the garment.
posted by amtho at 6:05 PM on March 10, 2023
posted by amtho at 6:05 PM on March 10, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dolley at 9:49 AM on March 10, 2023 [1 favorite]