How do I know if I have cloth moths?

14 years ago

Hello, it might be a silly question but .... how do I know if I have cloth moths??? Would I see them fly around at all? I know that if you see holes in your clothes you KNOW you have them but we just moved into a new apt and my husband kept some of his clothes for years locked in a closet in his parents house ..... then he brought them to the new apartment .... but he noticed the holes only after 3/4 months we had moved in ..... so I am freaking out ..... I don't know who I am fighting against or if I am fighting against anything at all? am I infested?? Is his parents' house infested??? I don't know!! He keeps on finding new holes in one of his woolen suits and he found holes also in his woolen sweaters (also stored at his parents house for awhile but not in the same closet as the suit).

What should I do???? I never saw any insect fly around my new apartment. This is a relatively new apartment with lacquered wooden closets, I wiped everything down with detergent (all shelves etc) before moving in ...... can they have survived anyway??? But why I don't see them??? If they laid the eggs, wouldn't they eventually turn into flying moths??? I am so frustrated as I don't know if I should worry about my new apt being infested or blame his parent's house - matter is he keeps o finding new holes but they might have been there before he might have just not have noticed them!

Also, I use a different closet and I haven't noticed any holes in my sweaters (yet) -

After cleaning the shelves I put some lavender soap all over the closet ...... (I read lavender or any strong smell keeps them away).

Please help!!

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Comments (5)

larke
14 years ago
The bad news - yes they lay eggs and will become adult moths. The good news - if you remove all wool garments from the closet, stick them instantly into plastic bags and then put mothballs in the closet for a short time, the moths should be gone within a not-very-long-time (can't say what that is for your problem). It's wool they're after and very little else. You can get the clothes dry cleaned, but then you could end up with the same problem. I personally have never bought wool since I had a similar problem (started in a 100% wool rug actually and moved to our clothes).
larke
14 years ago
Hi, forgot something - you don't see them because they work at night and if they have what they want in the closet, won't come out to say hello. Haven't attacked your clothes because they're probably not wool.
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User
14 years ago
As larke said, Moth Balls, they are very inexpensive in the laundry section of any grocery or drug store.

My husband is also a pack rat. He is 50 years old and I thank God that his high school gym shorts fell apart 10 years ago.

If I were you, your husband didnt wear the clothes for years. Tell him they are infested and have to be thrown away before the moths breed.
sherwoodva
14 years ago
They could be carpet beetles. If your husband wants to keep any of the clothes that have not been eaten yet, have then drycleaned and then store in air tight plastic bags. We had to take all of our persian carpets to be cleaned.

Since you have not seen the bugs, it is hard to know what they are. Some eat silk as well as wool.

I'm sorry this is happening to you. It is a hassle, and expensive.
seww
14 years ago
Don't use moth balls, it's very difficult to get the smell out of your clothes.
Take all dryclean items to the drycleaner and launder the rest.
Then after all clothing is clean. store your woolen item in a closet lined in cedar planks, a natural repellant.
If you are renting, you can get cedar planking at Home Depot and Lowes and just lay it on the shelves.
Sue

How do I know if I have cloth moths?

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larke

larke

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