The pests can chew through your clothes and bedding, leaving unsightly holes – but there is a simple way to deter them.
April and May marks peak moth season here in the UK. At this time of year, female moths start mating and searching for the perfect spot to lay their eggs.
This unfortunately means that we are more likely to see them around our homes and gardens. During this time, each moth can lay up to 300 eggs at once, with a lifespan of 65-90 days.
This can quickly result in a full-scale infestation if you’re not careful, spelling chaos for the clothes in your wardrobe, as moths like to chew through the fabrics and leave unsightly holes.
According to the experts at Country Living, you can make your own moth repellent using natural ingredients, and it’ll also help to keep your clothes and other laundry smelling fresh.
The solution is lavender, or any other dried herbs such as rosemary or thyme. You can pick up a bag of dried lavender from Amazon for less than £10, and you can make multiple moth repellents from the one bag, making each one work out at around 45p.
How to keep moths away from your wardrobe
Place dried rosemary, thyme, cloves, lavender or bay leaves into a small cloth bag and hang them in your wardrobe and place them in your drawers. You can also use essential oil and herb sprays on contaminated areas.
For extra protection, you can also tuck them into cushion covers or linen cupboards, if you really want to prevent moths from going in there.
Lavender and other essential oil smells help to mask scents that moths like, so spreading this around your home should help to prevent them from laying their eggs.
Another important step for keeping moths away is making sure your home is as clean as possible. According to the experts from Total Wardrobe Care, femaele moths love to lay their eggs in dirty or stale wardrobes, so a thorough deep-clean is always recommended.
Empty your clothes out of wardrobes and drawers and vacuum inside, on top and underneath. Pay attention to cracks and crevices inside where dust settles, as these areas are perfect egg-laying sites.
You might need to move wardrobes and chests to vacuum underneath.
Thiss will remove any existing eggs from your wardrobe, as well as help to remove general dirt, making your wardrobe a much less appealing place for clothes moths to lay their eggs.
