Keeping Your Clothing Pest-Free: Cedar Closets Can Help!

Keeping Your Clothing Pest-Free: Cedar Closets Can Help!

It will soon be time to start packing away the heavy winter clothes and take out the lighter, brighter clothing of spring! As you put away your wool sweaters, coats and extra blankets, you might have some concerns about how to keep these items pest-free. Moths and other pests can lay eggs in stored clothing and before you know it, you could have an infestation that not only gives you the heebie-jeebies, but also can lead to clothing damage. Here are some tips on how to keep your clothing pest-free.

  • Thoroughly clean and dry every item that you are storing. Insects are drawn to skin cells and perspiration that might be left on stored clothing. Molds and fungus can grow if you put something away that is not completely dry. Before storing anything, wash it with the hottest water safe for that fabric, and be sure that it is fully dry. Coats and other dry-clean-only items should be taken to the dry cleaner before storing.
  • Choose the right containers. While you might want to just throw everything in a bag, this actually does not allow fabrics to breathe well. Depending on where you will be storing your clothing, you may need something waterproof; keeping cardboard boxes in a damp basement or garage is inviting mold and insects to come invade your clothes! Try folding everything and placing your items neatly in plastic storage containers. These aren’t airtight and will give your clothes room to breathe. Cedar chests or cedar lined drawers are another great option for repelling insects.
  • Consider cedar closets. Cedar closets can help repel silverfish, moths, cockroaches and more. They also give all of your clothes a nice scent and will eliminate the need for you to add mothballs or cedar chips to each box of clothing that you are storing. Since the 17th century, cedar has been used to keep pests away, so you can feel secure in knowing that this method is effective. Talk to us, and we can make some suggestions on cedar products that can be included in your custom closet.
  • Repel pests with aromatherapy. Scents that humans often like can repel pests. These include citrus, lavender and cloves. Making a sachet out of lavender and placing it in a box of clothing should not only naturally repel moths, but will leave your clothes smelling nice. You can do the same with dried orange and grapefruit peels or whole cloves. In your closet, try making a clove orange: Stud a whole, unpeeled orange with whole dried cloves, and hang it to dry in your closet, away from clothing. Once it dries, it will keep its scent (and insect-repelling properties) for months.

Keeping your clothing pest-free is largely a matter of taking special care while getting your items ready for storage. Follow the above tips to keep moths, silverfish, beetles and other creepy-crawlies at bay while you store your winter clothes this summer.

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