Moths, and the eradication and prevention thereof.

freeze the little F***ers....
I had some from an ebay buy, I put everything I owned in my 10 degee garage for a few days, it killed everything.

Originally Posted by antirabbit

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freeze the little F***ers....
I had some from an ebay buy, I put everything I owned in my 10 degee garage for a few days, it killed everything.

This is not a bad idea.

cbird asks about using a steamer to kill the larvae. Yes, heat will kill the larvae but by then it's probably too late. Killing the larvae with steam is the equivalent of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Remove the source of nutrition in the first place and you won't have to worry about killing the larvae afterwards.

Every forum I frequent deals with this subject all the time. You gotta break down and get everything cleaned at a reputable cleaner before it goes into storage at the end of the season. That's the only real way to deal with the little buggers. Freezing, sunlight, airtight containers, mothballs, cedar, all of these things work. But it's leaving the garments uncleaned and untouched for several months that causes the problems. If you've got too many clothes to afford to have them all cleaned at the end of the season then you've got too many clothes!

Originally Posted by Fred H.

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If you've got too many clothes to afford to have them all cleaned at the end of the season then you've got too many clothes!

Uh-oh.

Originally Posted by antirabbit

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freeze the little F***ers....
I had some from an ebay buy, I put everything I owned in my 10 degee garage for a few days, it killed everything.

Not a bad idea. I buy a lot from ebay as well. I always take it straight to the tailor and then to my cleaner before it comes home. If the kim chi doesn't kill something at the tailor's, the dry cleaning definitely will.

Secondhand (eBay, etc.) is definitely how the little buggers got into my closet. Have learned a vrry expensive lesson on always dry cleaning newly acquired vintage pieces, regardless of whether the seller claims to have done so.

Originally Posted by stubloom

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cbird asks about using a steamer to kill the larvae. Yes, heat will kill the larvae but by then it's probably too late. Killing the larvae with steam is the equivalent of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Remove the source of nutrition in the first place and you won't have to worry about killing the larvae afterwards.

Can you describe what process you follow for clothing sent to you through your mail in program and how you differ from what most consider standard for dry cleaning?

For example, what happens when someone mails in a suit?

I think that the some of the reluctance about cleaning tailored clothing among some who have nice stuff has to do with the almost global disappearence of proper pressing. For my best stuff, I send it back to my tailor in England to be cleaned there and re-pressed.

It's not that men think about this disappearence, per se, but that many have gotten good suits or jackets back from typical cleaners that have been destroyed or compromised by automated handling. What do you think?

You should also consider sponsoring an affiliate thread on this forum.

F. Corbera: Thank you for you inquiry. In the interests of brevity, I believe it's best to respond to each of your questions by linking to the appropriate information. So here goes.... THE PROCESS OF SHIPPING TO RAVE FABRICARE It's as easy as packing your garments in a box, enclosing 2 forms and heading to your nearest FedEx, UPS or USPO facility. Our Nationwide Clean By Mail Service http://ravefabricare.com/convenience...l-service.aspx HOW RAVE FABRICARE DIFFERS FROM ORDINARY CLEANERS Wow, I could write a book! The most important thing to understand is that our philosophical approach to garment care is so very different. We're garment care craftsmen; we're not a cleaning/pressing/bagging production line/factory (even though we operate a 7,500 sq ft, state-of-the-art facility). We take one week to turnaround our garments; there's no same day or next day service or three day pickup/delivery service. We don't take short cuts and we don't compromise; if we can't take the time to do it right, we won't do it. It's the difference between Attolini and Abercrombie, the difference between Kabbaz and Kohls. Stu Bloom on Professional Garment Care http://askandyaboutclothes.com/Tutor...rmentCare.html Stu Bloom on Caring for Bespoke Garments http://askandyaboutclothes.com/Tutor...ngBespoke.html Maintenance: Clothing Cleaners http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/...-cleaners.html Maintenance: A Modern Sponge and Press http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/...and-press.html Maintenance: The Voice of Experience http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/...xperience.html Your Dry Cleaning Bill of Rights http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...of-rights.aspx Your Shirt Laundry Bill of Rights http://ravefabricare.com/true-qualit...of-rights.aspx THE DISAPPEARANCE OF PROPER PRESSING In most cases, bad cleaning can be fixed (with effort and skill). But bad pressing can destroy a fine garment on it's very first pressing. When we talk about bad pressing we're typically talking about machine pressing: way too much steam, for way too long, at way too high a temperature, at way too high a pressure. Typically by a "presser" who has no technical skill/technique and no knowledge of the construction of the garment or it's drape. Most pressers with many years of experience have zero pressing skill/technique. They handle steam the way a child handles paint. Technique ALWAYS trumps experience. The overwhelming majority of the garments we care for are bespoke, made to measure, high fashion, specialty and couture garments. Accordingly, everything we do -- our in-house skills, processes, procedures, equipment, etc -- is dictated by the type of garments we care for. We couldn't operate like an ordinary "bang and hang" cleaner. We wouldn't be able to afford the liability insurance! Garment Maintenance http://tuttofattoamano.blogspot.com/...intenance.html Stu Bloom on Garment Maintenance http://tuttofattoamano.blogspot.com/...intenance.html AFFILIATE THREAD ON SF I'm a relative newcomer to SF. I'll have to look into this. Thanks for the heads up. SUMMARY You no longer have to send your bespoke garments across the pond for a sponge and press during the season or for a clean and press at the end of the season or as required. Questions? Email me at [email protected]. I'll be pleased to respond. Thanks for the opportunity to serve you. Best wishes, Stu

PSA - Check your cashmere-lined gloves. Put on my favorite black pair today to find them TOTALLY moth-trashed. Somfabitch!



stubloom said:

cbird asks about using a steamer to kill the larvae. Yes, heat will kill the larvae but by then it's probably too late. Killing the larvae with steam is the equivalent of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Remove the source of nutrition in the first place and you won't have to worry about killing the larvae afterwards.

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I wonder to what extent good hand washing of garments is less effective than dry cleaning?

Obviously not an option for jackets/suits etc, but I've accumulated a decent amount of cashmere that I hand wash with Forever New. I'd rather not entrust it to a dry cleaner (or ship it across the country to Rave) if hand washing is likely to be sufficient.

I think this is good advice, but for what it's worth, moths just staged a Tet Offensive on my clothes, and of the two sweaters I lost (couched among many woolens) one of them had been dry cleaned and stored. Now, it was stored among other clothes that weren't dry cleaned, but only it and one other piece were moth-eaten, whereas the other garments had a few casings on them but no holes, or were unaffected.

So, I guess what I'm pointing out is that the main nutrient they're looking for is wool fiber. Wool fiber can be garnished with condiments of person-debris, sure, and then they'll really go to town, but they'll still eat your stuff even if it's clean.

Take this for what it's worth, as I've no idea if what I do works or it's just a coincidence, but I don't dry clean anything when I store it for the season, and I haven't had a problem with moths thus far, despite the fact that I see them in my building quite frequently. I just take my jackets/trousers out and give them a bit of a brush/move them around about once a month while they're in storage, and so far I've had no problems. Do the same thing with sweaters/scarves, which are in a cedar dresser - take them out every once and a whilte, shake them around a bit, then put them back in the drawer.

GucciKid said:

Take this for what it's worth, as I've no idea if what I do works or it's just a coincidence, but I don't dry clean anything when I store it for the season, and I haven't had a problem with moths thus far, despite the fact that I see them in my building quite frequently. I just take my jackets/trousers out and give them a bit of a brush/move them around about once a month while they're in storage, and so far I've had no problems. Do the same thing with sweaters/scarves, which are in a cedar dresser - take them out every once and a whilte, shake them around a bit, then put them back in the drawer.

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I think the key to your success is you are periodically exposing your clothes. In my experience, the moths thrive in dark, cozy, inert environments. You're messing it up for them. I don't think it's a coincidence, though obviously you aren't guaranteed to be free of them forever.

My latest problem arises from stupidly neglecting some of my drawers.

Dried mint leaves are a good moth repellent - get a few sachets, put the leaves in, and hang in the closet. I don't find that the smell lingers on the clothes.