Moth deterrent hacks: Adding this one thing to your wardrobe will stop moths ruining your clothes

Few things are more annoying than pulling a jumper out of your wardrobe and seeing holes in it.

And holes in one item means there could be holes in others, because where there is one clothes moth there is probably more.

However, one simple hack could prevent them going in there in the first place, according to a storage expert.

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Chris Hutton, from Adams SelfStore, told the Daily Express that a cheap and old-fashioned solution will not only deter the bugs, it will also make your wardrobe smell nice.

“While we might find lavender‘s scent calming and pleasant, moths find it repellent,” he said.

“All you need to do is place a sachet where moths are likely to hide, wardrobes, drawers, or anywhere they can make a home. Once they catch a whiff of the lavender, they’ll make themselves scarce. Simple as that.”

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Lavender sachets can be purchased online from Australian lavender farms or you can make your own by adding dried lavender to a small organza or fabric bag.

Another option is to use lavender essential oil and add a few drops to wool dryer balls and pop those in your wardrobe, however the fragrance may not last as long.

“The only downside of using lavender essential oils to get rid of moths is that lavender tends to fade over time. Indeed, the scent of lavender is strong at first but begins to dissipate within about a week. The strength of the lavender oil you purchase will determine how long it will linger,” an expert at Moth Prevention wrote in a guide to using essential oils to deter moths.

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“If you decide to use lavender essential oil for moths, consider combining it with another essential oil like lemon or cedar. Not only does this combination smell great, but it will help to prolong the life of lavender oil and enhance its moth-deterrent properties.”

Clothes moths tend to be more prevalent in spring and summer but are a problem all year in Australia.

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These moths eat animal fibres but they don’t know what an item of clothing is made until they give it a nibble so not even your cotton clothes are safe.

“Moths are not endowed with the ability to detect whether a piece of clothing is wool or not until they start to chew into it. But the minute they taste that it’s not wool, they do an about-face,” Lindsey Boyd, The Laundress co-founder, told New York Magazine.

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If you notice you’ve got clothes moths you’ll need to remove damaged clothes and wash them in hot water and then dry in the dryer to kill the moth larvae.

For delicate items that can’t go in a hot wash, moth larvae can also be killed by putting the items in a plastic bag and then in the freezer for a few days.

Then you’ll need to vacuum and wipe down the shelves in your wardrobe before putting your prevention measures, like lavender sachets in place.

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