Have you ever pulled a wool sweater out of storage, only to find it riddled with little holes? If so, your wool was lunch for the larvae of either the clothes moth or carpet beetle. Disturbing, right? Wool, fur, silk, feathers, and leather are all susceptible to pest damage, as well as fabric with heavy food or oil stains. Items commonly infested include wool sweaters, coats, clothing, blankets, carpets, decorative items, down pillows and comforters, natural bristle brushes, and taxidermied animals. Other insects such as silverfish, crickets, beetles, and roaches will also eat fabrics. Most likely they will be attracted to fabrics with food stains, perspiration, or starched fabrics.
So how do you prevent your clothes and fabrics from pest damage? Here are some tips:
- First, make sure items are cleaned before storing. Who wants to unpack a dirty sweater, anyway?
- Store clothing and fabrics in airtight containers such as plastic bins, hanging garment bags, or cedar chests. Leather, fur, or wool should not be stored in plastic bags. Wrap rolled-up carpets with plastic sheeting.
- Make sure your storage area is a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.
- Mothballs can be used inside the container, but these days they are not as popular because of the smell. If you use them, do not let them contact your clothing directly--they could cause a color change. Remember, mothballs are not safe for children. Instead of mothballs, you may want to use cedar chips as a repellant.
- If you do find pest damage on an item, you should wash or dryclean every item that was stored in that container. You will also need to wash the inside of the container, being sure to get every crack and corner.
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