Down with moth holes

The clothes moth, formerly known as the webbing clothes moth (AND IT’S WELL DESERVED), is a moth whose larvae feed on keratin. Their role in the ecosystem is typically to break down the slowest-decaying parts of animal carcasses: skin, fur, claws, horns, hooves, and so on. While we’re full of gratitude for these highly useful little larvae, we’d prefer they leave our wool sweaters alone.

Before putting your winter clothes away, you need to make sure no moths have taken up residence in your closet. Here are a few ways to be sure:

In your closet:
- while digging through your wardrobe or shaking out your sweaters, small silvery moths flew out (a clothes moth is just under 1 cm long),
- you found white, cotton-like cocoons in the corners of your closet (spoiler: those are moth cocoons),

On your clothes:
- you’ve spotted some tell-tale holes: it looks as if a stitch has been pulled, but with no loose threads hanging from the hole,
- one of your sweaters has several holes in the same area,
- the holes are irregular and small (about 0.5 cm in diameter) and appear on animal-based fabrics, especially wool or silk.

If you answered yes to any of these, take a deep breath and follow our guide:

How to get rid of moths

Or more accurately: how to get rid of moth larvae, because as we explained above, it’s the larvae that feed on keratin and chew holes in your sweaters. Adult moths, on the other hand, don’t eat: they have a lifespan of about ten days, during which their only goal is to find a suitable place to lay their eggs. #mumlife #proudmama

Moth larvae are sensitive to movement, and their survival instinct may drive them to hide in any garment or nook (even if they only feed on animal fibers ultimately). I therefore recommend treating all clothing stored near your damaged woolens, as well as your closet, to ensure all larvae are eliminated. Here is how to proceed:

1. For delicate or wool garments, leave them in the freezer for 72 hours, then wash them on a wool cycle at 30°C—the cold and water should kill them,
2. For garments that can tolerate it (such as cotton clothing), wash them at 60°C and then tumble dry or iron them—the heat will put an end to their destructive habits,
3. Vacuum your closet thoroughly, paying close attention to the corners, to eliminate any moth cocoons,
4. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in the corners of your closet to eliminate any larvae that might be hiding there and that you may have missed with the vacuum. This is an algae-based powder found in supermarkets that acts as a mechanical insecticide. Remember to vacuum it up after a week, as it can be irritating over the long term, and of course, be sure to read the warnings on the back of the bottle,
5. As an extra precaution to ensure peace of mind, you can use pheromone moth traps that attract the remaining male moths, which will get stuck to them; this should stop these little critters from reproducing.

Once you have done all this, you can put your clothes back in your closet with a light heart. But don't declare victory too soon: you now need to make sure the moths don't come back.

How to prevent moths from settling in your home

To keep moths away from your wardrobe, there are a few things you should know:

• First, moths love darkness and hate movement—yes, I’ve said it before, but it’s very important, so I’m repeating it. Avoid leaving sweaters unused in a closet for years. Wear them often and avoid buying sweaters you don't need.
• These critters are crazy about body odors. Remember to air out your sweater at the end of the day after wearing it, for example by hanging it over the back of a chair.
• Slip some cedar wood into your stack of sweaters to keep moths away. Add a drop of cedar essential oil to it every three months so it doesn't lose its scent (and therefore its effectiveness).

Why cedar is the best moth repellent

To keep these wardrobe-destroying pests at bay, mothballs were historically used, until it was discovered that they were irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tracts of humans (especially children), leading to their ban in 2008.

In the absence of mothballs, you have to rely on the most well-known natural repellent for clothes moths: cedarwood, which contains several types of alcohols that kill larvae (after all, that is how cedar protects itself from insects that might devour it). As early as 1682, there were writings recommending that woolens be stored in cedarwood wardrobes. A popular belief that was scientifically confirmed in 1952 by researchers Huddle and Mills with a definitive conclusion: “Larvae exposed to 0.6 mg/l of cedarwood oil vapor had a 91% mortality rate within a week. Another batch of larvae exposed to 1-2 mg/l of cedarwood oil vapor had a 100% mortality rate within 8 to 24 hours of exposure. [...] ”. About time!

You can find cedar moth-repellent sticks in most supermarkets, but they are generally made from North American wood and then shaped in China. It seems a shame to import this type of product when we live in a country teeming with cedar forests (aka France).

So, we went the extra mile at Loom and designed our own 100% local anti-moth kit by working with these two great companies:

• Tabletterie des Lacs (in the Jura region) crafted cedarwood discs for us from local forests, which are perforated in the center so you can either hang them on your hangers or slip them between your stacks of sweaters.
• Since the scent of cedarwood fades after a few months, we teamed up with Distillerie Bel Air (in the Gard region), which produces artisanal French cedar essential oil.

How do you repair a garment with moth holes?

You have finally gotten rid of clothes moths for good, but their visit has left behind a few holes in your knitwear. To prevent these holes from getting bigger over time, I recommend mending them properly.

Option 1 - Do it yourself

Arm yourself with patience, a needle, and darning wool in the right color like this one and follow the instructions in this video which explains step-by-step how to darn your holey sweaters.

There are also excellent, more advanced workshops for learning how to repair your damaged clothing:

• If you live in the Paris region, Clara from Sauve Qui Peut offers excellent 3-hour workshops to learn how to repair holes in your clothes in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
• If you don't live in the Paris region, I recommend the online course from Artesane: Darning and Mending: Stop Throwing Away Your Clothes

Option 2 - Leave it to the pros

You can also entrust your sweaters to artisans who specialize in this. This is the case for Julie, the creator of La Clinique du Pull , who is based in Paris but accepts sweaters sent by mail. She works wonders, as you can see here:

For invisible, stitch-by-stitch darning like the one in the photo above, expect to pay around ten euros per hole. The result is completely invisible, but if a moth has had a feast on your sweater, the bill can add up quickly.

If you have a tighter budget or if your sweater is so full of holes it looks like a block of Swiss cheese, there is the "patching" option, which is simpler to perform than the previous one: Julie knots together all the threads eaten by the moth larvae to prevent the hole from getting bigger, then covers the area with wool felt to hide and reinforce it. This technique costs a few euros per hole. I personally opted for a visible patch with colorful wool, but you can absolutely ask her for a tone-on-tone patch if you don't want to look like a psychedelic ladybug seen by someone who is colorblind.

There you go, you now know just about everything there is to know about moths, their larvae, French cedar forests, and repair by patching. Take care of your wool sweaters and, most importantly: death to the moths!

Who am I to talk to you about garment care?
My name is Claire and I am in charge of production monitoring at Loom. Basically, I try to avoid stock shortages on our site (okay, it's not perfect yet, but I'm working on it) and I ensure throughout the manufacturing stages that the clothes meet our quality standards.
On top of that, I am passionate about everything that helps extend the lifespan of our clothes: maintenance, repairs, and other old-school tips. I love giving clothes a little extra soul, reworking them, repairing them, and giving them a second chance when no one else wants them. On these pages, I will try to share what I know that might be useful to you.
One last thing: I have personally tested all the tips you will find on this site to make sure they actually work (in other words, this isn't just a copy-paste of internet searches). If you have any new ones to suggest, don't hesitate to leave a comment below this article.

Banner photo credit: Victoria Bilsborough.