Moth Repellents

Moths may look pretty harmless, flitting around your lampshade, but once their little larvae start tucking into your favourite clothing they swiftly become a nuisance. Unfortunately, global warming and modern central heating is causing these little pests to thrive; they love heat and humidity and are currently enjoying a population boom. Certain moths enjoy making a meal of wool clothing, but have also been known to snack on silk, fur and cashmere, carpets and rugs, which can make for an expensive problem. There are a number of steps you can take to make your jumpers less attractive to moths:

Always pack away clean garments - moths love human sweat and any type of food stain might tempt them. Vacuum your bedroom and wardrobes regularly to get rid of any eggs. Place wool clothing and accessories in air tight containers, plastic boxes, bags or a cedar wood chest! Use moth deterrents such as mothballs, cedar wood, essential oils, sprays and moth boxes.

Old fashioned moth balls obviously have a 'distinctive' smell and are commonly known to cause reactions with sensitive skin, and are known to be poisonous to pets and children, so if this old-school scent isn't something you wish to wear when putting on your woolens, there are a number of great natural alternatives to keep moths at bay.

Cedar wood is probably the most popular option, available in balls for drawers or disks for clothes hangers. Cedar wood won't kill the moths, but act as a natural repellant. The key to making this work is to sand the wood every few moths to revive the smell and also re-charge the wood with a few drops of cedar oil, making sure you keep this away from clothing to avoid staining. The moth box is a revelation in sorting out a moth problem, placed anywhere in the room, the specially selected essential oils and moth pheromones attract any male moths who then fly into the trap and are stuck on a sticky board. This then breaks the breading cycle and should eventually stop the problem. This is a chemical free natural and effective way to monitor and stop a moth problem.

Moths are also know to be turned off by lavender, cloves, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, dried citrus peels and peppercorns. If you have a little cotton bag, gather up a bundle of ingredients and place near your woolens.

Moths also hate being disturbed and simply re-folding and shaking up your clothing every few months will keep larvae from settling. The larvae are around 1cm long tubes of silvery dusty egg from which the young moths hatch to find something to eat. You could also hang clothing up outside as they tend to hate sunlight and will fall away to hide.

Above all, you should wear and air your knitwear, rather than hiding it away in the dark.


------

Spirit of Nature has a wide range of eco products for you, your family and your home. We've been trading since 1998 and we have a great range of mothballs and other moth repellents. Available at: => http://www.spiritofnature.co.uk