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I don't think there's
anybody who really likes the smell
of moth balls. It's a cloying, choking, back-of-the-throat
smell that reeks of closed boxes and old garments.
Mothballs used to be the only
thing you could use to keep clothes moths at bay, but there
are "sweeter" alternatives today.
This
week, you'll learn about some of those alternatives, and some
strategies to keep your wardrobe investment
intact. After all, you took time to pick out
each garment, laid out hard-earned cash for them, and look
forward to wearing them over and over. Particularly if you've
invested in classic styles and fabrics, you are open to moth
damage if you're not vigilant.
One key strategy is to never store
garments that have not been recently cleaned.
You'd be amazed what these things like to eat --
besides the fibers. Read on, and
get the little critters on the run.
See you
soon!
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris
City Cleaners and Laundering
Company | |
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Get 'Em Outta Mothballs!
It's the time of year when the
weather is unpredictable. Warm and sunny one day, chilly and
damp the next. T-shirts today, sweaters tomorrow. Now is the
time to get out those sweaters, look them over for damage, and
get them cleaned to knock the musty smells out of them and
make them a joy to wear again. Snuggle up to savings! With $15 in regular
drycleaning, we'll do a sweater at no
charge. (Include
first page of this e-mail with your order. Offer expires Oct.
29, 2005. Cannot be combined with other
offers.) | |
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You MOTH be
Joking!
Quick! What was that thing
fluttering by the TV? It's a moth! Oh, no, my clothes are in
danger!
Good News/Bad
News
The
good news is -- if
you see it, it's probably not a clothing moth.
More likely, you need to take a stroll through the pantry and
see what grain product has been hatching little stow-aways
(and get rid of it, quick!)
The bad
news is -- you
probably won't see clothing moths... just the damage their
larvae leave behind. Clothing moths are
secretive creatures and they tend to live in the quiet, dark,
unvisited areas of your house (you know,where you store things
you don't want access to all the time.) Even if you see a
clothes moth, it's not going to eat the fibers of your
garments. Adults don't eat -- they
just lay eggs that turn into hungry little larvae who DO eat
fibers.
What's on the
Menu?
Everybody knows moths
eat wool. Maybe a few other things. But if you don't wear wool
because it's "itchy" you're in the clear, right? Guess again.
Moth larvae eat a variety of
things including:
- Wool
- Silk
- Fur
- Feathers
- Leather
- Fibers blended with wool
(rayon, polyester)
- Lint
- Shed pet
hair
Suddenly, you
don't have to just check your sweaters, but your silks,
duvet/feather bed, leather items, blended fiber garments, air
ducts, carpets,
furniture.... | |
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I HATE Moth Balls!
Join the club. Moth balls, moth
balls and similar products contain one of two chemicals:
Naphthalene or Paradichlorobenzene (mostly the former.)
The way they work is to convert
from solids to gas, and the gas chokes out the
moths. Kill the moths, and they won't lay
eggs. No eggs, no larvae; no larvae, no damage. Well, other
than the stink!
The
problem with the Naphthalene is that it not only smells bad,
it's toxic in high quantities -- especially for small
children. It also has a nasty habit of being
absorbed by plastics and other products, and its scent is
difficult to remove. Most people would rather court disaster
in the closet than walk around smelling like toilet bowl
deodorizer (the other major use for the stuff.)
Calling All
Alternatives!
Cedar
is the best-known alternative to moth balls, and has a much
less pungent smell. It works the same way,
emitting a gas that makes the moths move on and not lay eggs
there. But like moth balls, the gas has to be trapped in an
air-tight manner to generate concentrations high enough to do
the job.
Grandma's cedar chest was probably
made from heartwood of cedar, and had plenty of cedar oil in
the wood. It was not air-tight,
though, and as the cedar dried out the oil did
too. Modern cedar chests are more air-tight,
but are made from lower quality cedar with much less oil. One
article we read said they were good for about 3-6 months of
protection. After that, they're just pretty
furniture.
Some
websites suggest using herbs or lavender and other items in
place of moth balls or cedar, but these don't prevent the
adults from laying eggs. Check out these
products and see what might work for you. You need to follow
instructions so that you get the most from the products and
they protect your stored items as well as possible.
But I'm
NOT storing it!
Ah, yes. What about items that are vulnerable to moth
damage that you don't want to sock away? You
want to enjoy them, not just leave them to your grandkids some
day. Items like tapestries, wool
carpets, leather furniture and quality upholstery are all
things cloth moths are attracted to. In this
case, offense is the best defense.
- Good housekeeping habits are key
in protecting items like this. Frequent vacuuming -- all the
way to the baseboards, under furniture, careful suctioning
of hanging items -- will keep the threat down.
- Move
furniture 2-3 times a year, so that no area
is dark, secluded and untrampled for years on end.
- Get
carpets and drapes cleaned regularly. If you
don't have a carpet cleaning machine (they've become quite
reasonable in price) you can rent one or have a service come
in. Be sure to do the job all the way -- no going around
furniture.
- Clean (or have cleaned) all upholstery on a
regular schedule. Though larvae might be
inside the furniture feeding on stuffing or pet hair or
other things, they'll be kept from damaging what can be
seen.
- Vacuum inside closets regularly, and move
clothes around frequently. If you see signs
of infestation (small larvae, or webbing that they hide
under, even holes in the garment) segregate it from all
others and get it cleaned. Check everything in the immediate
vicinity for infestation.
- And
yes, we've said it before -- clean all garments/items before
storing. Clothes moths are actually
attracted by the smell of perspiration, not to mention those
yummy coffee or wine stains you didn't notice. What a great
place to start a family!
It's
annoying how something so small can cause so much damage, but
at least the cure (sprucing and moving
furniture and turning out closets regularly) is good for you -- and bad for
them! | |
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We are enormously
appreciative of the opportunity to share our weekly
newsletters with you. We feel that much of the content
is valuable for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning. Click on the
symbol to the left if your would like to send this and
future newsletters to a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and
Mary
The
Iris City Cleaners Connection is a weekly news letter dedicated to the
interest of fine garment care, restoration, and
conservation. It is published in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by
Iris City Cleaners and is an extension of our services
described in www.iriscitycleaners.com
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International
Fabricare Institute
Iris City Cleaners
is
a proud member of the International Fabricare Institute, a
premier association of Dry Cleaners, Wet Cleaners, and
Launderers dedicated to the advanecement of technologies
and servce to the textile industry.
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