Rather than posting some pretty eye candy or waxing lyrical about the taste of the first french beans, I have been too busy on the domestic side to blog.
I got home and found another clothes moth on a roman blind. Last night I was convinced that this was no longer a coincidence and husband and I got down to business: dealing with clothes moths.
Not only have a got a good selection of cashmere, merino wool and good quality woollen clothes, I also collect silk scarves. I have always used cedar blocks and lavender when storing clothes but finding a moth or two every evening is just not right.
Apparently this is a common occurence now and even the broadsheets have taken it up. There is some useful advice on how to spot and deal with the problem here Daily Mail article.
So whilst my husband started to inspect and take down the curtains, I checked my silk and wool storage. So far, so good, neither moth damage nor sign of any moths, eggs or larvae.
But we are determined to hunt them down and prevent damage. Luckily we have hardwood flooring in most rooms and I have not detected any damage so far. But we have our work cut out: all curtains have been taken down to go to the dry cleaners. We have thoroughly inspected the upholstered furniture in the sitting room and hoovered it extra thoroughly. The whole room has been cleared out, furniture moved and thoroughly cleaned. Even the book shelves have been completely cleared out, cleaned and restacked. The good news is that there is no signs of damage and no signs of moths or their offspring. The bad news is that we were completely knackered
Due to work commitment and the amount of effort required we can only do one room a day; it is important that we are thorough with our inspection, cleaning and prevention regime.
In addition, I will buy some acid free tissue paper and wrap my "at risk" items.
We are also sanding all our cedar blocks to ensure the continue to release scent.
I am scouring the internet for additional ways to ensure success.
Welcome to moth world ! We have been plagued for years , and I've lost numerous cashmere sweaters to the little devils but NEVER ANY SILK ITEMS . .
ReplyDeleteNow I buy from John Lewis clothes storage plastic bags, into which go my newly washed cashmeres . In the wardrobes I put those mothbally things in paper wrappers .
It all seems to work .According to the SA in Brora , this area of London has the highest incidence of moth attack in UK
Estrella, my heart goes out to you. I'd be so miffed if the moths were to get into my sweaters or scarves!
ReplyDeleteI have orderd plenty of acid free paper and cardboard boxes suitable for storing textiles from a specialist company. I was concerned that plastic storage would not let natural fabrics breathe. An expensive exercise but still less then the cost of a twilly. If it helps to ward off the moths it will be money well spent.
And of course the great inspection and cleaning regime is coming along nicely.