How To Get Rid Of Moths Naturally
If you’re hoping for a quick and easy way to get rid of moths, you should choose an effective month spray. However, if you don’t mind waiting a while for the infected area to heal, we have some natural solutions to your problem.
Changing Your Cleaning Routine
Our first few suggestions involve changing your current cleaning routine. The reason why moths have settled in your home is because you have made it inviting for them. Disrupt that welcoming environment, and they will stop using your house as a safe location.
So how do you do that?
Vacuum
First, you need to vacuum your home. Hire a deep cleaning company or take on the challenge yourself, either way, this journey starts with a strong vacuum cleaner.
Moths love dust and hair from animals or humans. If there are areas in your home where dust and hair settle, this should be your main target for attack.
There is a specific breed of moth that will hunt for carpets and coaches with a lot of fabric to nest into. Strong vacuums can disrupt this “safe” environment for them, forcing them to look elsewhere.
Make sure you vacuum every day to prevent the issue from occurring again.
Beat Natural Fibers Outside
We have all seen the old movies, where women would stand outside with a massive rug, beating out the dust. Although we have vacuum cleaners now, it’s still a good idea to continue this practice - especially on materials with natural fibers.
As we said before, some moths are especially attracted to shaggy rugs. What they're after are natural fibers that they can easily hide in.
Your rugs, pullovers, blankets, and dressing gowns are all amazing homes for them to live in.
If you beat these materials outside, you can hit them with enough force that any larvae attached to the fibers will be launched from their nestled position.
Put Your Affected Items In The Oven
Moths and larvae cannot survive extreme heat. The sun isn’t strong enough to kill them, and if you leave your rug out in the sun's rays, the UV light will wear away the details of your items.
Instead, put them in the oven and cook them for 3 hours at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Only do this to items that are not flammable, and make sure to check each item's durability before attempting this trick.
Once the “cooking” is done, take the items outside for another beating.
Change Your Storage System
Most of us will have a chair covered in not-clean-not-dirty clothing. Clothes we have worn once or twice and so still have a day left in them.
However, if you have a moth infestation, this is the perfect place for them to hide and feed. Make sure you clean all of the dirty clothes (even the ones you’ve worn for just an hour or two).
Once clean, make sure they are completely dry before packing them away.
While the moth infestation is still bad, put the clothes into a sealed container - especially those with natural fibers. This will discourage but not stop the moths from eating your clothing.
The area that you keep your clean clothes in must also be dry. If you have a mold issue in your home, this could be the cause of all your problems. Get that seen as soon as possible.
But if you keep your clothes close to your steamy hot bathroom, the issue could be coming from three. Store your clothing away from these damp places.
Natural Deterrents
If you’re hoping for natural remedies that will deter the moths from entering certain areas of your house, try these.
Scent Sachets
Fill sachets with lavender and place them in your closet or wardrobe. Or you can dip cotton balls into lavender oil for the same effect. It will smell lovely to you, and horrible to the pests.
If you don’t like the smell of lavender choose mint, cloves, thyme, or rosemary instead.
Whatever you choose make sure to change the sachets every 6 months, or the cotton balls every month.
Place these sachets wherever protection is needed.
Cedar Wardrobe
Moths also hate the smell of cedar. If you change your wooden furniture to cedar wood, you would deter them from using that cool dark space as their home.
If you don’t want to replace your current wardrobe, put cedar chippings into any unused drawers of the furniture.
Final Thoughts
For intense infestations, sprays, and experts may need to get involved. For simple inconveniences try changing your cleaning methods and adding nice-smelling sachets around your home.