Prevent Moth Damage in Your Vintage Clothing

Posted by admin on April 24, 2010

A favorite vintage sweater, scarf or skirt may be the vary item you need to protect from those pesky moths! Is it made of wool? Cashmere? Silk? If so you need to understand how to keep moths away from the item so it will be around for years!
Don’t forget accessories too like gloves, hats and blankets!

Some tips from Vintage Clothing Fashion:

1) Don’t forget wool is not the only attracting knit. Silk and cashmere are susceptible too.
2) Keep your house clean. Vacuuming often sweeps those suckers up and prevents them from harming your clothing.
3) Still wearing the item? Keep it clean by spot cleaning any food, liquid or whatever off of it. Perfume can attract the moths too, so don’t spray it on your clothing! Moths like soiled items better than clean ones!
4) Don’t forget sometimes your pieces have cashmere, silk or wool trim that needs protection too.
5) Watch for blends; these fabrics are not quite as fragile but can still fall prey to moths.
6) When the time for wearing the item has passed and you need to store it, have it dry cleaned first to kill any moth eggs that may have been deposited in the knit and that you can not see. (yuck).
7) Then, store it in an air tight container with moth balls or cedar blocks. If you use them, put them on paper so they don’t leave a residue on your vintage clothing item.
Herbal sachets work too, but not as well as moth balls or cedar blocks. Use lavender and rosemary for the best result.
9) Use new moth balls, sachets and cedar blocks each season. You can find great prices on them online like Amazon or eBay.
10) A cedar chest is the best place to store these items, if you can.

There you have it, some easy tips and tricks to prevent moth damage!