Talk to me about moth protection

[Advent]

Suggestion: If you have a moth problem get your sweaters dry-cleaned and leave them inside (and seal it) the plastic wrapping that the dry-cleaner puts them in when returning them to you.

As previously stated elsewhere here, moth balls and cedar are all worthless.

 

[Harold falcon]

Originally Posted by razl

At the other end of the spectrum, i've often read that putting affected clothes in bags and freezing them will kill any moths/larvae on them. Does anyone have any views on the effectiveness of this approach?

I have done this as part of a larger moth-prevention strategy, but I do not know if it is actually effective.

 

[TimelesStyle]

If leaving all your stuff out in black plastic bags isn't possible, a shortcut that I used was to load it all up in my car and leave it out in the sun for the afternoon. Here in Florida, most months you can get your internal car temperature up to well over 100 degrees.

At the other end of the spectrum, i've often read that putting affected clothes in bags and freezing them will kill any moths/larvae on them. Does anyone have any views on the effectiveness of this approach?

Whilst I can certainly appreciate the logic in dry cleaning everything at the end of the season, this is not really going to be practical for most people (dry cleaning a full closet of suits, overcoats etc at a decent dry cleaners in London will easily cost you thousands of pounds).

Well, it wasn't cheap, but I only have about a dozen suits and a half dozen sport coats that were in that closet. Im also taking the move as a reason to give away a bunch of stuff. Cleaning everything will likely set me back about $300, but that's not a huge price to pay for peace of mind (and the fact that I've had some suits 3-4 years and have never cleaned them). It also meant less stuff to move today, since I can go back for them in a week

_

 

[forex]

Originally Posted by razl

If leaving all your stuff out in black plastic bags isn't possible, a shortcut that I used was to load it all up in my car and leave it out in the sun for the afternoon. Here in Florida, most months you can get your internal car temperature up to well over 100 degrees.

Well, it wasn't cheap, but I only have about a dozen suits and a half dozen sport coats that were in that closet. Im also taking the move as a reason to give away a bunch of stuff. Cleaning everything will likely set me back about $300, but that's not a huge price to pay for peace of mind (and the fact that I've had some suits 3-4 years and have never cleaned them). It also meant less stuff to move today, since I can go back for them in a week

_

Get a brush and make sure you brush it after each wear. I never had this problem but one of the suits I bought came with it,I was pretty frustrated,fortunately,the hole was inside the collar and is not noticable. Will be dry cleaning all of my suits and jackets as well,it sucks but it is better to be safe than sorry.

 

[SpallaCamiccia]

But is it bad to hang your suits in the original black unbretheable bags or not?

I do that.

 

[forex]

well,that's definitely bad,I don't know what kind of bags you are talking about but you need to air them our every now and then. I left the zipper open sometimes,I think that keeping them in bags is not going to help but I already have them in bags so what the hell. As stated in the thread,best thing is to dryclean them once a year and brush them after each wear.

 

[SpallaCamiccia]

Originally Posted by forex

well,that's definitely bad,I don't know what kind of bags you are talking about but you need to air them our every now and then. I left the zipper open sometimes,I think that keeping them in bags is not going to help but I already have them in bags so what the hell. As stated in the thread,best thing is to dryclean them once a year and brush them after each wear.

I do brush every wear, but it´s not been told that drycleaning destroys your suits?

I use the black plastic bags with zipper that comes with the suits, per example those labelled Corneliani. I got 5 of those.

Are bad?

 

[Kent Wang]

Why do clothes need to breathe?

 

[stubloom]

This thread has taken so many twists and turns, that I thought it might be appropriate to quickly summarize and, in the process, answer some of the outstanding questions that relate specifically to the PREVENTION of moth damage: There are 3 critical issues associated with protecting your fine wools against moth damage. Just like the proverbial 3 legged stool, all 3 issues must be SIMULTANEOUSLY addressed to achieve peace of mind: 1. DRY CLEAN BEFORE YOU STORE AT THE END OF THE SEASON Wools that have been worn and then stored WITHOUT first being properly dry cleaned contain all the nutrition necessary to sustain life for the larvae of the female adult moth when they hatch. Remove that source of nutrition and you eliminate the likelihood that the female adult moth will seek out your garments as the perfect location to lay her eggs. For further information on this matter... Blog post: Protecting your fine woolens against moths. http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...nst-moths.aspx 2. STORE IN MATERIALS THAT ARE NOT ACIDIC IN NATURE Garments that have been cleaned prior to storing for the season should be stored in materials that are not acidic. Why? Because acidic materials degrade over time and off-gas (or release) acids. And when those acids come into physical contact with your garments, your garments could yellow and/or deteriorate. So now the question becomes: which materials are acidic? Practically every material that has be suggested as a solution in this thread. Specifically: * Nylon or vinyl zip-up suit bags that you got from your clothing retailer or tailor. These nylon or vinyl bags are not chemically inert (chemically inert materials to not degrade over time and off-gas acids). * Cotton zip-up suit bags with vinyl fronts. Cotton is great (see 3. below) but the vinyl is not chemically inert. * Thick canvas bags with vinyl fronts. Same point. * Dry cleaner plastic bags. Dry cleaner bags serve one function: to protect your garments from dust at the cleaners and while in transit to your home. Never store anything in dry cleaner bags unless you plan on wearing the garment in the short term. * Cedar everything (blocks, rings, hangers, oil, chests and even entire closets). Next to mahogany, there is no wood that's more acidic than cedar. For more information on the pros and cons of cedar..... Blog post: Protecting your fine clothes with cedar: the double edged sword http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...ged-sword.aspx * Polypropylene boxes (aka Rubbermaid or Sterilite). Not chemically inert. * Zip lock bags. Not chemically inert; same comment as dry cleaners bags. 3. ENSURE THAT ALL MATERIALS USED TO STORE GARMENTS ARE ABLE TO BREATHE All fabrics, both natural and synthetic, need to "breathe". Specifically, wools need to breathe during both short and longer term storage because wool is hydroscopic, meaning that wool has the ability to attract and absorb moisture from the air. At any point in time, anywhere from 5% to 50% of the WEIGHT of a wool garment is moisture, depending on the indoor and outdoor atmospheric conditions (think Florida vs Arizona in the summer). Care to speculate as to the possible outcome of storing your moisture-laden, Loro Piana cashmere sweater in an airtight plastic box or bag for a period of say 6 months? OTHER SUGGESTED PREVENTATIVE MEASURES A number of other measures that have been suggested are * Moth balls: Toxic; very difficult to remove the odors even with multiple dry cleanings; about as effective as a smelly tennis shoe; effective only when contained in an environment that is closed (violates principle #3 above). * Vigorous brushing after each wear and before storing for the season: Does nothing to remove the nutrients (body oil, perspiration and other organic matter) that are the food for the larvae when they hatch. * Steaming with a steamer: same as brushing; does nothing to remove the nutrients on which the larvae feed. For more information on the "wisdom" of steaming.... Blog post: The myth of pressing a garment with steam http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...ith-steam.aspx * Keeping your closets closed. No comment. Let's just say that this violates principle #3 above. SUMMARY Dry clean before you store for the season and store in breathable bags (sweater bags with snaps and suit and coat bags with zippers) made from chemically inert material -- either cotton or man made fibers. THE DRY CLEAN VS NO DRY CLEAN SMOKE SCREEN The "best" way to protect your fine wools against the possibility of moth damage is to clean before you store. The issue of the risk associated with poor dry cleaning and pressing IS A COMPLETELY SEPARATE ISSUE and should be separated from any discussion as to the "best" way to protect your fine wools. Yes, I know. Many of you don't trust dry cleaners to maintain your fine garments in pristine condition over the long term. You've had too many bad experiences. I know. I share your anguish. So much so, that I wrote this blog post in May 2010: Blog post: The 10 deadly sins of ordinary cleaners. http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...-cleaners.aspx That having been said, is the solution to avoid dry cleaning completely and risk potential damage to your fine garments? Or is the solution to find a skilled dry cleaner who knows how to care for fine garments, a skilled dry cleaner whose bread and butter is Attolini and not Abercrombie?

 

[SpallaCamiccia]

The above post is great, but could you show non acid and proper suits bags please?

I would like to know.

What about a place with 90% humidity as me living in a mediterranean coast city?

I prefer to keep my suits on those black suit bags but I don´t know a better way yet.


Thanks

 

[forex]

Originally Posted by SpallaCamiccia

The above post is great, but could you show non acid and proper suits bags please?

I would like to know.

What about a place with 90% humidity as me living in a mediterranean coast city?

I prefer to keep my suits on those black suit bags but I don´t know a better way yet.


Thanks

If you can find all canvass bags or cotton bags, they should do the job. Don't use any plastic or nylon bags,as suggested above. If you can't find any,just keep them without bags.

 

[ArtOrSartor]

One word. Eight legs.

Spiders.

 

[stubloom]

SpallaCamiccia asks for pics of our breathable, acid-free bags. Pictured below are our very own RAVE FabriCARE 42 inch suit/sport coat bags. The specs are as follows: White; 42 inches x 24 inches; 90 gram; non-woven front and back; clear 12 inch wide 3 mil chemically inert plastic window on reverse side; white side zipper; 2 carry handles; can be folded in half to carry. In addition, we have Small sweater bags 14 x 11 Medium sweater bags 15 x 12 Large sweater bags 18 x 14 Coat/dress bags 60 x 24 Long dress bags 72 x 24 Evening gown bag 72 x 24 with 6 inch gusset flaring to 8 inches Bridal gown bag 72 x 24 with 6 inch gusset flaring to 20 inches For more information on all these bags, go to our website (Specialty Storage Products)..... http://ravefabricare.com/services/sp...y-storage.aspx For pictures of the 42 inch suit/sport coat bag referred to above, please click on the 2 links.... The front.... http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/166/dsc01823i.jpg The back.... http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6946/dsc01822w.jpg Hope the pics help (no yet sure how to post them directly into the post so you don't have to click on the link).

 

[porcelain monkey]

When it comes to moths and other pests I generally turn to professionals - pest control professionals. The solution in my home is pheromone traps to catch the males and identify where the problem is and some sort of treatment of the problem. The current treatment is little disks that stick to the walls of closets and inside drawers where moths are. The females inhale the vapors and it disrupts their breeding cycle - like a birth control pill. It has worked wonders ... except ...

Stubloom is going to have a fit about this, but the same pest control professional told me that dry cleaning is a double edged sword at best. A dry cleaner can be a moth paradise. Think of all the dirty, infested sweaters, suits, etc. that come through the doors and sit there in the same room amongst the clean clothes. I am told that clean wool is not immune at all, and have had newly cleaned and put away for the season items be quite moth eaten eaten while older, not recently cleaned items in the same closet are untouched. My deduction - the moths came from the cleaner. My pest control professional confirmed that this happens on a regular basis.

The best way to keep moths out of your house is to identify the problem and treat it in your home.

 

[stubloom]

Porcelain monkey: I know about as much about pest control as your pest control professional knows about dry cleaning. Your pest control professional should realize that you can't draw inferences about true quality cleaners based on a few hole-in-the-wall, filthy dry cleaners with whom he is personally acquainted. Maybe his inferences are drawn from the cleaner he uses to clean his uniform.