Sometimes you want to get your favorite sweater, which is hidden in the back of the closet. But the horror is that from a warm woolen miracle, a favorite thing turned into an openwork cloak. This clothes moth worked hard on the design. How to avoid this situation and protect your favorite things from the pest using a traditional and proven method over the years, we will tell in this article.
How to recognize a pest
A small moth with inconspicuous gray or gray-yellow wings - something like a pest insect that lives in the house and spoils clothes or furniture. Attacks are made of natural wool or fur, furniture with upholstery made of natural materials, shoes on fur.
But the main danger is not the butterfly itself, but small gluttonous caterpillars, which can exist imperceptibly next to a person. Her persistence may well rob the new Angora blouse in less than a month.
The moth and its larvae are most comfortable in the warmth and humidity, although the caterpillars can easily adapt to changes in temperature or lack of food for a long time. However, moths are almost impossible to find in well-ventilated rooms, or in closets, where clothes are often pulled out. At the same time, the cleanliness of the room or the wealth of its owners is completely unimportant. Moth starts in rich homes if clothes are not stored properly and furniture is not cleaned often enough.
It must be said that moth caterpillars do not feed on fabric and wool. Particles of skin and keratin serve as food for them, so larvae can get into the house even with new things from the store or pet hair.
To find a pest is not enough to notice a fluttering mole. Larvae hide in cabinets and chests of drawers, in cracks and cracks in the upholstery of furniture, in the seams of outerwear. In their desire to get to food, caterpillars gnaw through plastic and canvas bags, so you can’t protect clothes from moths like that. But there are old proven ways to deal with the pest. And one of them is naphthalene.
How to use mothballs
Naphthalene is a crystalline substance that is obtained from oil and coke. The substance has a strong pungent odor, does not dissolve in water, burns with strong soot. In industry, it is used for the manufacture of dyes. In everyday life, it can most often be found as a well-known way to combat moths. A recognized folk and inexpensive remedy is mothballs balls.
They do not harm adults, caterpillars or larvae, but the strong smell repels insects that cannot lay eggs. Therefore, it is impossible to poison moles with mothballs in the full sense of the word, but the emergence of new individuals can be avoided.
Today they can be purchased not only in the usual form, but also in the form of briquettes, or plates. Mothballs can be packed in canvas bags and left on the upper shelves of cabinets, in pockets of fur coats and coats, or placed in closed boxes with clothes. It is important not to forget about carpets and furniture covered for the winter. Particles of matter, evaporating from the surface of naphthalene balls, fill the space and do not allow moths to lay eggs. To this day, naphthalene is considered the most effective remedy against moths.
To rid the clothing of a sharp unpleasant odor, it is recommended to wash the clothes in a weak solution of vinegar or put them in dry cleaning.
Precautionary measures
Not only for moths, mothballs can be dangerous. The substances they contain include carcinogens, which in high concentrations cause allergies, suffocation, and even cancer. Therefore, they cannot handle clothing that is often used. Naphthalene is also poisonous, so you need to make sure that it does not fall into the hands of children or be eaten by pets.
And in no case can you use naphthalene balls in the open air, because naphthalene particles, falling into the air, quickly fly apart and cause harm. Therefore, the tool is best used in closed non-residential premises, or sealed boxes.
Preventive measures
To avoid a repeated attack of the pest, you need to follow simple rules:
- Wash clothes at the maximum permissible temperature and dry thoroughly before sending them to the closet.
- Ventilate and hang winter clothes under direct sunlight. Keep fur coats and jackets in special cases.
- Keep cleaned and, if possible, steamed shoes in airtight boxes.
- Vacuum furniture thoroughly and wipe cabinets from the inside.
Success in pest control is ensured not only by the use of naphthalene balls, but also by an integrated approach, adherence to safety measures and prevention.