All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Moth-proofing your wardrobe is essential, if you don’t want the insects feeding on your most expensive cashmere knits and silk dresses. Clothes moths kill your investment pieces, and completely negates that big closet clean-out you did. While moth season tends to run from April to May, and then again from August to September, it’s become an issue throughout the U.S., thanks to rising temperatures.
Not sure where to begin? Below, see Vogue’s top tips for preventing a moth infestation in your wardrobe—and how to tackle one if it’s already too late.
Why do moths eat clothes?
Moths tend to be attracted to natural fibers like cashmere, silk, lambswool, shearling, and cotton because they feed on the protein keratin, the building block of these materials. Given that keratin also helps form human hair, skin, and nails, it’s crucial that you ensure your clothes are clean before you stow them away in your wardrobe.
What do clothes moths look like?
If you see a moth flying around your home, don’t fear. It’s not necessarily a clothes moth. The two main types that feed on your clothes in the United States—the webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) and the casemaking clothes moth (Tinea pellionella)—are small and difficult to see. The webbing clothes moth is identifiable from its golden color and around half an inch in length, while the casemaking clothes moth is pale, silvery gray-brown with dark spots, and fringed, hairy wings.
How do you know if you have a clothes moth infestation?
Most people realize clothes moths have invaded their wardrobes when they see small holes in their knitwear or silk dresses. One option is to keep Pheromone super sticky glue traps, which attract the male moths, therefore removing them from the reproduction cycle, in your wardrobe or around your home. They also act as an indicator as to whether you have moths, or you can also use a moth box to monitor for a possible infestation.
Moths eggs are tiny—usually between 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters in size—making them extremely difficult to see, but you might spot the webbing that larvae leave behind on your clothes.
How long do clothes moths last?
The life cycle of a moth is 65 to 90 days, with female moths laying up to 300 eggs each. This means your small moth problem can very quickly escalate. It’s the larvae that feast on natural fibers, not the adult moths which don’t actually have the ability to eat. Eggs will hatch after anything between four days and three weeks—in summer this process is faster than in winter.
Can you ever get rid of clothes moths?
Yes—however it requires real commitment and dedication (and sometimes professional help) to get on top of an infestation. Once you have managed to do so, the key is to keep following the below steps to safeguard your wardrobe against clothes moths and prevent further infestations from happening again and again. Moths can enter your home through cracks, windows, and on new items of clothing, so just because you have got on top of your problem doesn’t mean they won’t return.
Tips to get rid of clothes moths
Moths like undisturbed corners that are dark and warm. Remove everything from your wardrobe, vacuum all the corners and drawers, and wipe all your surfaces with a detergent-soaked cloth to kill off larvae. Then wash all of your clothes (and curtains and upholstery, too).
Dry cleaning kills moth eggs and larvae, and is an excellent option for bulky items like coats. Freeze anything you can fit on your freezer shelves; sub-zero temperatures kill larvae, although make sure you put clothes in plastic bags prior to freezing to avoid a condensation build-up. Keep them in there for at least 48 hours, or up to a week if you can. Heat also kills larvae and eggs, however, hot temperatures can damage cashmere.
To ensure you’ve got rid of all the larvae and eggs, Total Wardrobe Care’s Julia Dee explains that you can start by “applying natural moth-killing products, such as chrysanthemum-based sprays.” This will prevent any more moths hatching, so you don’t go back to square one.
A moth infestation can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage depending on the clothes you have in your wardrobe, and so bringing in the professionals to fumigate your house if the problem is significant is often worth the investment.
Tips to prevent clothes moths from coming back
Moths love to feast on human sweat, food particles, and stains. Do not put any clothes back in your newly cleaned wardrobe that are dirty—especially knitwear or natural fibers.
As well as laundering your clothes, ensure that your wardrobe and drawers are also clean. “Regularly wipe down surfaces with soapy water and thoroughly vacuum cracks and crevices to remove any larvae or eggs,” Dee recommends. Moths hate light and movement, so this can also help disturb them.
Always store winter knits, coats, and any other items you particularly value in zipped garment bags (like knitwear and cashmere bags), and line the bags with anti-moth paper strips. Line your drawers in anti-moth paper, and deploy cedarwood blocks.
Vintage clothes should always be dry cleaned or put in the freezer before being introduced to your wardrobe, as they are often the source of infestations.
Moths hate them, and they’ll keep the shoulders on your dresses and jackets neat, too. Always take your clothes out of the plastic hanging bags from the dry cleaner. The plastic attracts dust, and the dust attracts moths.
Keep checking your clothes for moth holes, keep rooms well-ventilated as temperatures start to rise, and keep a natural oil diffuser in your wardrobe at all times—it smells great and wards off moths. Moth cassettes are also a good precautionary measure, and you can keep them hanging on your rail at all times.