Avoid Moth Damage when Storing Seasonal Clothing
Alison Johnson
“The wasting moth never spoiled my best array; the cause was this, I wore it everyday” ~Alexander Pope The good Mr. Pope had it right three hundred years ago when he observed that by wearing his favorite clothes on a regular basis he never suffered their loss from moth damage. There are a couple of reasons this is true. First, the simple act of wearing the garment frequently will disturb the peace and tranquility the moth larvae (the real culprit behind moth damage) need to thrive. The tiny little critters will be brushed away by your routine activity. The second reason it's true, is that, as Martha Stewart says on her Basics of Mothproofing blog, moth larvae dislike bright light, so they rarely attack frequently worn clothing. In short, the moths lay their eggs in dark places where they hope they will be undisturbed.
On the other hand, the fact that these garments are frequently worn does make them prime candidates for moth damage when you put them away for 'the season'. As all the experts agree, trace perspiration, body oils, food spills and other nutrients picked up by clothes attract and nourish these pests, and when your clothes are sitting idle for the season it makes for a hearty moth larvae meal! That's why we echo Martha's advice and urge you to wash or dry clean EVERYTHING before you pack up your winter clothing for storage. Changing your closets for the season is also a good time to weed out the unused and unwanted. 'when in doubt, throw it out.'
As added protection we sell moth repellant garment bags here at Kite’s which help keep moths away. In addition, if you want to avoid dealing with the seasonal storage struggle altogether, we offer on-site, temperature controlled clothing storage. We'll clean and store your clothes here with FREE Pick-Up and delivery included. Once you are ready for your items, we will clean them once again if needed, and bring them directly to you!