Green Mothballs

When the National Toxicology program designated mothballs as a potentially carcinogenic substance, people immediately started taking steps to replace their mothballs.  While of course you don’t want to deal with the toxic effects from living the old-fashioned mothballs, you’ll find that you don’t particularly want to live with moths and mangled or damaged clothing and furniture either!  The truth of the matter is that there are plenty of different options when it comes to keeping your belongings moth free, so keep them in mind.

Remember that in many cases, you can prevent a moth infestation simply by putting some thought into how you store your clothing.  Remember that any woolen items that you are storing for an extended period should be washed and thoroughly dried.  You can do this yourself simply by swirling the wool in water and a shampoo with an acidic pH and then rinsing thoroughly.  To increase the acid level of a detergent that you are worried is too basic, add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice.  To dry, do not twist it or wring it out; instead press it.  Remember to shape wool before you let it dry all the way, and let it air in the sun for a few hours before you pack it.

You’ll also find that there are several substances that will repel moths as well as mothballs do.  One great option that will leave your clothes smelling great is to use cedar chips.  All you need to do is to get some chips of this fragrant wood and throw them into the bottom of the clothes bag.  You can find cedar chips at any pet store or gardening outlet.   Cedar chests are a traditional option and you can find ones that are quite lovely.  Many places will sell cedar hangers specifically for this purpose, so take a look around.

Another terrific way to make sure that your clothing is moth free is to make your sachets.  All you need is some dried lavender and some cedar chips that have had some lavender essential oil and cedar essential oil added to them.  Put these things in a cloth drawstring bag.  You can throw these bags into sealed containers.  This is just the basic recipe; you’ll find that you can also add rosemary and dried cloves; not only do these substances have increased moth repellent qualities, you will also find that they are quite aromatic as well.

Just because you should no longer use mothballs doesn’t mean you have to suffer from moth-eaten clothes, so take the time to try out some other great solutions!