Clothes moths in the wardrobe: wool, washing and storage

Clothes moths rarely touch the jumper you wear every week. They go for the wool folded away at the back of the wardrobe, which is why the holes tend to appear when the season changes and the winter clothes come out again.

Why clothes moths choose stored wool

The moth you see fluttering past is not the one doing the damage. Adult clothes moths do not feed. The holes are made by their larvae, small cream-coloured caterpillars that hatch from eggs the female glues onto the fibres.

The larvae can digest keratin, the protein in wool, silk, fur, feathers and felt. Cotton and synthetic fabrics are rarely eaten unless they are blended with wool or heavily soiled.

Stored wool gives them everything else they want. It is dark, and clothes moths avoid light. It is left alone, and clothes in regular use are seldom attacked. And it is often not quite clean: sweat, body oils and food stains make a fabric more attractive, which is why the damage so often starts at a cuff, a collar or a fold.

If you see a small beige moth in the kitchen, look in the food cupboards first. Pantry moths look similar, and they come from flour, cereals and dried fruit rather than from your clothes.

How to clean clothes before storing them

Anything that goes away for the season should go away clean. Washing or dry cleaning removes any eggs and larvae already in the fabric, and it takes out the sweat and body odours that draw the moths in.

Follow the care label. Most wool will not take a hot wash, so coats, suits and fine knitwear usually go to the dry cleaner, and a tumble dryer is an option only where the label allows it.

Brushing helps between cleans. Take coats and knitwear outside, brush them firmly along the seams and under the collar, and hang them in the sun for a while. The brushing dislodges eggs, and the larvae dislike light and drop off.

For something that cannot be washed or cleaned, use the freezer. Seal it in a plastic bag, press the air out and freeze it at -18 °C or colder for at least a week. Let it come back to room temperature inside the bag before you open it, so no condensation forms on the fabric.

How to store wool away from clothes moths

Clean clothes only stay that way if the moths cannot reach them again. The female lays her eggs directly on the fabric, so the aim is a closed container she cannot get into.

• Pack wool, silk and cashmere in sealed plastic bags or boxes with tight-fitting lids.
• Store only clean, dry clothes, including the jumper you wore once.
• Keep the boxes off the wardrobe floor, where fluff and hair collect.
• Hang a pheromone trap in the wardrobe. It catches males and warns you early; it does not protect the clothes on its own.
• Do not count on cedar. Cedar wardrobes and chests rarely keep the scent strong enough to make a difference.
• Take stored clothes out now and then, shake them out and check the seams and folds.

Moths in the wardrobe: the edges and corners

Larvae do not need a whole jumper. They can live on the lint, shed hair and fluff that gather in the cracks of a cupboard, along skirting boards, under furniture and at the edges of rugs. The larvae of the case-bearing clothes moth often leave the fabric altogether and spin their cocoons in a crevice in the shelving.

So once a year, and whenever you find damage, empty the wardrobe completely and vacuum it. Do the corners, the joint between the base and the sides, the shelf edges, the drawer runners and the floor underneath. Empty the vacuum cleaner outside straight afterwards.

Wipe the shelves with a damp cloth and let them dry fully before anything goes back. Then check the rest of the room: the edge of the rug, under the bed, and any wool blanket or felt hat stored nearby. One forgotten scarf at the back of a shelf is often where it started.

Holes can also come from carpet beetles, which eat the same materials. Vacuuming and sealed storage help against both.

Where Clothes & Gear fits

Cleaning, cold and sealed storage are what protect wool from moths. Sprays play a small part here, because the larvae feed inside folds and seams where a spray does not reach.

A wardrobe holds more than wool, though. The rucksack, the walking trousers and the travel bag come in from outside and end up in the same cupboard. Repeltec Clothes & Gear is the textile spray in the range, for that gear and for the storage textiles around it: garment bags, fabric boxes and the lining of a suitcase.

Clothes moths are not among the insects the product page names, so the cleaning and storage steps above remain your moth plan.

Test a hidden corner of each fabric first for colour and finish, and let everything dry fully before it goes back in the wardrobe. Washing shortens how long a treatment lasts on fabric, so treat again after each wash.

The product page for Clothes & Gear Insect Spray explains how to apply it to fabric and which insects it is made for.