A few weeks ago I was out with some friends, and Carol, Jean's sister who is visiting from New Jersey, asked if I'd heard that lavender is a moth repellant. No, I had not heard this, but how nice would it be to have the smell of lavender on your wool clothes rather than the smell of traditional moth repellant. I told her I'd check it out and get back to her.
Lavender can protect your valuable wardrobe from moths with a fragrance that will soothe your soul. Unlike mothballs which smell toxic and cedar which can stain clothing, lavender can be used to prevent, clean and store your clothing without any negative effects.
Begin by taking everything out of your closet. I know that sounds like a big chore, but look at as a chance to clean out your closet too. Vacuum the floors and "swifter" off the walls with lavender floor soap. This preventative step will greatly reduce the probability that these destructive pests will choose your closet for their next meal.
Moths will be attracted to any biodegradable soil in clothing, so dry-clean or wash everything. Tossing lavender dryer sachets into the dry cycle will provide lighter scent and can also be used as refresher for clean woolen sweaters and blankets on "dryer press" cycle.
Finally store your clean out of season clothes in garment bags and hang lavender sachets on the inside over the hangers.
Experts say these measures should be taken twice a year. I doubt if I would do all this twice in a lifetime, but hey, I live in California where not much in the way of wool clothes is needed. I told Carol the best thing for her to do was to leave New Jersey for California, and never have to worry about moths again. That's not entirely true. Moths do attack leather and blended fabrics, so even though we don't have a lot of woolen clothes, precautionary measures need to be taken. But twice a year, come on!
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