I have pantry and clothing moths. Please tell me how to inexpensively get rid of and prevent these critters that are eating us out of house and home! I prefer totally organic, if possible.
Thanks.
By Alicia
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Put Cedar blocks and sachets in your closets and drawers. Make cedar sachets using the small animal cedar bedding and scrap fabric. I don't buy the pre-made cedar blocks anymore, I purchased an 8' cedar board at the lumber store and cut it down to various sizes, then drilled a whole through the middle. most were around 2" x 2" x 4" pieces.
I then cut metal coat hangers into hooks that could be threaded through the holes. I add beads and tassels to make them decorative and hang them in my clothes closet.
Also always be sure any seasonal clothing is thoroughly cleaned before packing away. These will last forever, if it seems the scent is not as strong as it use to be, take a piece of sand paper to the cedar block and that will bring the scent out again.
You can also use Tea Tree oil in your pantry and cabinets. It seems pricey at first, but you only put 8-10 drops in a squirt bottle and fill with water, then spray this around the inside of your closet especially in the corners (top and bottom) and door. It has a very strong herbal smell, but that will disappear shortly. This is also an excellent mold and mildew inhibitor.
Eucalyptus is also an excellent bug repellant as is Lavender, just be sure and use the natural essential oils, not imitation fragrance oils.
I've put sticks of spearmint chewing gum in all of my food cabinets and so far, no problem with moths. I was getting them with cat food for a while, but the gum seems to keep them away.
You should replace the gum with a fresh stick every 3 months or so.
Good luck.
Take an orange (the fruit - preferably organic) and insert in the skin lots of cloves - you will need a lot! Leave all around a space for a ribbon and hang it in your closets or just put it in the middle of your clothes. It smells wonderfully nice, is moth repellent, the cloves dry the orange and it last for years!
Do you have birds or keep wild birdseed in the house? You can end up with tons of moths due to the bird seed, one way to get rid of them is to freeze the seed in a tupperware container and only take out what you need for each feeding.
I have the same problem with pantry moths, put anything that is susceptible to moth infestation into plastic sealed containers (or glass). I just keep smacking them when I see them. I threw out the cat food they were hatching in, but still have a few diehard moths hanging around.
Pantry moths are extremely hard to get rid of. They will seem to die off, but are actually in a stage of larva that hasn't hatched yet. They hide anywhere, under rims of jars that haven't been opened yet, in between the matches of matchbooks, in cupboard cracks, nesting in curtains, etc--not just in food.
I cleaned out my pantry every week for months fighting them. And yes, they will fly around the house and do everything regular moths do. I now open everything as soon as I bring it home. I have found boxes of dog treats infested, along with cat food, dog food, bags of rice and macaroni, sacks of flour, etc. Flours get bagged and put into the freezer to kill anything that might be in them. E
verything gets put in sealed plastic bags or glass, airtight containers. Open and check everything--they hide out in boxes (cake mix, cereal, hamberger helper, etc)--don't just check the food, check the inside of the box too! It takes a while to get rid of them and will often feel defeating, but be vigilant. I found that they'd swarm in the evening, so I'd look for them about an hour after we went to bed and kill the ones on the ceiling, walls, cupboard doors (check the inside of the doors too), etc.
We'd only been infested that one time and it was so much trouble that I check everything now, not wanting to go through it again. I seriously panic when I find one. Good luck.
I have found many great ideas already posted. I have used bay leaves in all my cabinets on each shelf. Lavender in my dresser drawers and cedar blocks in my closet. Then I began to watch and noticed that many flowers and mints deter bugs so why not moths too?!
I also quit buying boxes of food. I now buy fresh whole foods and bulk items. I no longer have the challenge so much. I rarely see moths around. O and to put clothes away for the seasons. I just use peppercorns, no bugs there either.
Cedar chips in closets and cupboards will get rid of clothing worms and moths. They don't like the smell.
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