Moth matters

How heartbreaking is it when you dig out your favourite cashmere only to find it peppered with holes and material which disintegrates in your hands? Or you've popped along to a jumble sale or car boot, unearthed a musty vintage gem only to find moth larvae happily feeding off the fibres. Not exactly the best house guest.

Moths are literally eating away at the vintage fabric of society.

These infuriating eating machines like nothing better than wool, silk and even synthetic fibres so it's these pieces you should be looking to protect.

Moths tend to emerge from their cocoons in spring/early summer but these days as houses remain at a warmer temperature throughout the year they're pretty much a moth Mecca around all year round. 

They're drawn to the dark recesses of your wardrobe as well as human skin, hair and sweat on clothes.

The critters stay in the cocoon for about two months so check your clothing on a regular basis and remove any you spot at this stage.

So it's definitely worth casting an eagle eye over your clothes regularly to check if any moths have bedded in.

Lavender and cedarwood are meant to repel moths but I've seen a massive colony of eggs laid all over lavender bags like a scene straight out of Alien.

Whether you're buying vintage clothes or checking on your treasured threads, here's what to look for:

• Small light brown moths
• Tiny mustard seed like red/brown dots which are eggs
• 1cm long transparent, tubular cocoons with the dark brown dot of the caterpillars head often visible inside
• Traces of cob-web/snail trail-like remains of their cocoons which they've emerged from
• Little, wiggly, cream caterpillars like maggots

Google images has got it covered if you can bring yourself to look! 

Here's what to do about it:

• Place sticky pheromone moth strips around the room
• Dry clean delicate fabrics
• Use moth balls (but they smell real bad)
• Sachets of moth repellent placed between garments or in the pockets.
• Spray clothes with moth repellent
• Have your precious winter fabrics/clothes dry cleaned and packed into moth proof bags before putting them away for the summer
• Ensure your moth-attracting fabrics are clean and clear of human hair, skin and sweat before putting them in drawers or in the wardrobe

Sadly it may take several years to wipe out these winged invaders but best to get on top of the situation before it gets completely out of hand.

Best of luck in your quest!