Image: Ben Jeffrey/Flickr
As the warmer weather approaches here in southern Victoria, my thoughts are turning to summer evenings, swims at the beach and the pesky problems of moths eating my woolens and how to protect them.
As well as my op shop finds, my mother-in-law is a brilliant knitter, so I have a collection of beautiful woollen jumpers that I love. Each Spring I start to store these away for the warmer months and hope that they don’t get eaten while I’m getting about in shorts and t-shirts.
There are a few things that I do to protect my woollens as best I can (without using old school moth balls - see below for further info), and this year I’m adding in some new steps thanks to the fantastic tips provided by Brenna, owner of Castlemaine-based business, Woollykins.
- Detect: Brenna suggests that once spring hits it’s time to put out the moth traps in the wardrobe. Previously I’ve just popped them in randomly but this sounds far more strategic. Once moths start to appear on the traps it’s time to start putting less used woollens away (I suspect before they start laying their eggs!)
- Clean: Before storing your woollens, wash them carefully with wool wash to remove any remnant food as this is what the moth larvae love to eat, and in the process they eat your jumper.
- Mend: If you can, repair any holes that might have appeared. This isn’t so much for the moths but more so that when the weather is cool again you’re good to go!
Check out this video for small holes with no darning required and this video for larger holes that require darning. Tip: You can use anything circular if you don't have a darning mushroom like a cricket ball or even an orange!
- Freeze: This is a new step for me. I’d heard about it but I wasn’t sure if it worked in a home freezer. So this year I’ll give it a go! Once washed, clean and dry, put your woollens in a freezer bag and in the freezer for two weeks. I suspect this will take a little while to work through given space in our freezer!
- Store: I’m trying something new here too. This year I have purchased one of the cotton canvas storage cubes from Wollykins, but previously I’ve wrapped my woollens in clean pillowslips and then popped them in a suitcase or storage tub (this was a tip from a Martha Stewart article I read). I’m sure the zip up canvas is better, but so far it has worked, and it is cheaper and uses what I already have at home. This year I’ll do a combination of both. Brenna also suggests you can pop a cedar wood block or sachet in to further repel the moths.
It's worth noting that I never use old school moth balls that were commonplace when we were kids. This is ever since I discovered that not only are they toxic, and possibly fatal if swallowed by children, but that they’re pretty much useless.
These moth balls (which you can still buy in supermarkets) let off a gas to kill the moths, but for that gas to work, the items must be stored in a tightly sealed container, not in a wardrobe or drawer. So, if you’re hanging moth balls in the wardrobe, not only are they not protecting your woollens, they’re also exposing you to unnecessary harmful fumes. If you want to know more, check out this info.
It's so annoying finding a moth hole in a beloved woollen jumper when you pull it out from your wardrobe to wear it. I really hope these tips will help us all combat the pesky moth problem this year! 🌵
