From what I have read the last several years, their use is on the decline because they contain very high concentrations of pesticides. I have seen them in the stores, though, if you really want to use them.

I wouldn't. They are not good for you, pets or the environment and they are really smelly. Takes forever to get rid of that smell. They give me a terrible headache from the moment I smell them. Cedar chips are supposed to be a natural repellent - perhaps try that route instead?

You don't mention what the clothing is, but make sure items are cleaned first. Sweaters and such can be stored in airtight vacuum bags. Lavender sachets also repel moths.

Depending on where you live packing away winter stuff this month to only start dragging it out in September to me seems like a waste. Our first deep cool spell has been the last couple of days with tells me to start watching for some birds gathering up to go south. The resident hawk family that lived across the street finally split up late last week. Seems strange not to hear them crying to each other. I never got a close enough look at them but parents did a wonderful job raising all 5 to old enough to leave the nesting area.

Maifleur, I live in Texas, it won't get extremely cold where I am until Dec/Jan. And I may be moving in Dec. anyway so it all has to get packed.

Good, Lucille. I too would stay away from mothballs mostly because I can not stand the smell. Cedar or Lavender if you do not have breathing problems with either one. As advised above clean them before packing because clothing moths in this area seem to die in the Spring which means they have already laid their eggs.

not an expert but have a feeling that the whole moth problem is biggest problem with items put away that are not spotlessly clean?? i'd look into something more natural and pleasant to the nose. I know several common kitchen herbs have insect repellent properties. i'd sure prefer a sweater that smells of basil or rosemary or bay leaf than mothballs.

Anoriginal, I think spotlessly clean natural fabrics such as wool or linen are still snack foods for moth larva.

I agree with Lucille. Clean or dirty moths like wool. I always used my cedar chest for wools. I wonder if cedar chips would serve the same function?

I was given a nice winter London Fog coat last year. It was obviously stored in mothballs. It took me a long time to get the stink out of it. I had it on the line for days and days.

I put winter (clean) winter sweaters into cotton pillow protectors. Can moths burrow through this in any way?

With most people having air conditioning and really good window screens, I think moths getting into wool is far less problem than it used to be.... Last year we purchased re-useable plastic storage bags. You connect them to a vacuum cleaner to remove air and compress your blankets, sweaters, etc. They are protected from moths and take up less storage space. We really need an old fashioned linen press or shelved wardrobe to put our things away in. Lots of old houses around here have very little closet space, so cedar lined armoires, chests, and the like are much used.

Please, no mothballs!

DH and I went to look at what should have been a perfect house for us, but the smell of mothballs was so overwhelming we couldn't even go inside. It was disgusting.

Ditto using cedar or some other natural method. Years ago I purchased several cedar blocks. I still have them. You can freshen the scent by roughing them up with some fine sandpaper and reusing. The main thing is storing your wool and other clothing clean. You can tuck one of the cedar blocks or a sachet in a plastic bin and be done. I have even hung them on a hangar with garments. Other suggestions to use sealable bags are good too.

I also vacuum out my closets on a regular basis, paying attention to baseboards and ceilings where you can see evidence of any critters, even spiders and such.

One year, I didn't use moth balls (actually "moth sachets"), and some ofmy freshly dry-cleaned sweaters ended up with moth holes in them. So yes, I DO use them. They're really different than "your mother's mothballs" as one day draped over a chair, airing, removes 95% of the odor - rest disappears very quickly.

I was also thinking that maybe the spacebag type storage might make sense and would keep any buggies out.

A few years ago we had some problems with silverfish turning up everywhere. I stopped in the household laundry area of Walmart (with the ironing boards and clothes baskets) and found little cedar circles in packs of about 20 for ~$3. They are made to be looped over the top of a coat hanger, but I have them all over the house in nooks and crannies. As someone else mentioned, they can be roughed up with sandpaper and rejuvenated. Amazing how many fewer tiny creepy crawlies we have with these hidden all over the place.

I would never use them. "Mothballs are nearly 100% active ingredient, and the active ingredient may be either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Each active ingredient can cause different health effects if the exposure is high enough. Mothballs slowly turn from solids to toxic vapor. When you smell mothballs, you are inhaling the insecticide."

No Moth

This is what I use in humid Houston, I get it at the Container Store. Not as stinky as traditional moth calls and I think the smell dissipates quicker.

The ingredients in chemical moth balls are carcinogens or cause damage to organs. That includes the 'No Moth' product.

Why would anybody want that smell in or around their clothes? I have never used mothballs and never had clothes moths.

You can purchase planks of cedar for this very purpose.

Why would anybody want that smell in or around their clothes? I have never used mothballs and never had clothes moths.

People do use them and put up with the smell because although you have not gotten clothes moths, many people do and the larva do destroy clothes.

I'm more concerned about whether the mothballs hurt people in the very small concentrations in the air as they evaporate. I certainly remember the use (and the smell) of mothballs by my grandparents when I was very young, but the lack of adverse effects in just a few people is not a good way to judge safety.

For those mentioning cedar: Years ago I kept guinea pigs for a while, and cedar chips were not recommended as substrate for the guinea pig housing because of possible liver damage. In cancer research labs, cedar chips are not used as bedding for the mice because they do affect the mouse blood tests.

I don't think that in the tiny amounts given off by cedar sachets that I would be harmed by them, but it seems that both moth balls and cedar products do have measurable effects.

I guess the big question is to find something that will have an effect on moth larva but not enough on us to cause problems.

Cedar anything, planks, balls, sachets are excellent insect deterrents but problem is they must be refreshed by sanding or reapplying cedar essential oils. Otherwise they are worthless chucks of wood in your clothes. I buy them when on sale at TJX, etc rather than refreshing old wood. HST, if you put new cedar stuff inside trunk, it will be effective until you open it again.

When cedar is used daily, where drawers/closets are opened often, then the scent wears out and must be refreshed. It’s the scent, not the wood, that’s the deterrent.

Aside from adding anything to the clothing to discourage moths it is AMAZING how much one can pack in those zippered closet storage bags! I bought some from Amazon and have started the project and everything looks so much neater! I really did not need to have fleece vests hanging in the closet in August in Texas!

It is phenol in cedar, pine and other bedding that is harmful to critters, but they burrow and sleep surrounded in it. Cedar used to repel moths and other insects would not have the same adverse effect.

So by your logic Dolly, neither would the mothballs have an adverse effect since people don't burrow in them.

Mothballs are known to contain toxic chemicals. Cedar repels moths and wouldn't harm your guinea pig unless you packed it with your clothes. Given a choice, I would choose cedar over Mothballs even if not as effective.

No, that is not my logic at all.

Bedding made from cedar or pine wood shavings has a pleasant smell that can mask odors caused by your guinea pig's urine. ... According to the Guinea Lynx website, the phenols, or aromatic oils, used in the shavings to kill insects can also cause liver damage in your guinea pig.

It boggles my mind that bedding specifically sold for pets is harmful to them. My point was that a cedar block or sachet used as a moth repellant under controlled conditions would not pose the same dire effect as bedding.

More than likely the damage comes from them munching on it, whether sachet or regular bedding. Animals eat ridiculous things when bored and a little guinea pig probably lives in a constant state of boredom in that little cage.

More than likely the damage comes from them munching on it

No, that is absolutely not where the liver damage comes from. Phenol is harmful, and there are a few other chemical. Craftspeople that work with some types of cedar are known to sometimes become ill.

And certainly the damage to the moths and larva needs no contact.

My point was that a cedar block or sachet used as a moth repellant under controlled conditions would not pose the same dire effect as bedding.

So the mothballs should not, either, right? Both cedar and mothball give off fumes that apparently kill the larva.

My point is that because it is natural people seem to be giving cedar a pass and insist that it is not harmful without proof of their position, and I don't know if that pass is valid. BTW I'm not giving mothballs a pass either, but no one has posted proof that in the small quantities evaporated into the air from a box of clothes, that it is harmful to humans.

If they munch on the wood, wouldn’t phenol eventually get to the liver(digestion)? Or in the case of crafters, be absorbed thru skin?

But in any case, i use the container store moth cakes and I’ve yet to develop a third eye or boob. I like them a little better than regular moth balls b/c smell is not as pungent. Of all the options, using nothing at all would be the least desirable, For me.

I have put all my wools into the freezer for the summer for years. Never had any loss from moths that way. I insisted on a larger freezer just for that reason.